Archive for June, 2009
June 29, 2009
Turn on the news and you can see footage from YouTube. Most media outlets not only have websites but corporate blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter presence. As an example of how social media impacts the news, the June 16 coverage of the Iranian election dominated the discussion on Twitter. Twitter, a real time social media platform, is, according to the NY Times, “one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.” According to data collected by FGI Research on June 28, 2009, 20% of Americans currently have an account with Twitter. Which begs the question: Does Twitter have a big enough credible presence to affect the news?
Consumer Opinion on Social Media
FGI Research has concluded that 51% of Americans believe that Social Media sites, like Twitter, affect the news. National news networks like CNN or FOX news use Twitter regularly to report how the country feels about different topics. Social media is an interactive forum that makes it quick and easy to generate immediate feedback. It is a quick, convenient barometer for the media to interpret the ...
June 15, 2009
Smart phone technology is on the tip of everyone’s tongue this summer. On June 8, 2009 Apple kicked off their Worldwide Developers’ Conference. The conference, observed by the news media and Apple fans around the world, is a high-level forum for Apple to release new products as well as strategies for the upcoming year.
Over the past two months more than 300,000 blog posts have mentioned Apple’s iPhone in anticipation of this conference; and on the first day of the Developers’ conference, blog traffic about the iPhone increased by 250%. FGI did a study to explore the influence of these conferences, and other marketing strategies, on brand awareness. Apple must be doing something right: we found that over 90% of consumers are aware of the brand.
How Marketing Impacts Brand Awareness
Our independent study asked consumers about their awareness of smartphone brands and whether they had purchased, or intended to purchase, such a phone. Over 90% of all respondents said that they were familiar with the iPhone brand. In fact, of all ...
June 1, 2009
Rising unemployment rates and a financial system marked by chaos in recent months have many US consumers worried about their own personal finances. During the past three months, more than 95,000 people have blogged about their retirement prospects. On April 18, 2009, FGI Research observed a significant spike in traffic on social media sites regarding the subject of retirement. Just the day before, 60 Minutes had aired a show dedicated to the discussion of changes affecting seniors’ retirement plans in the midst of the recession.
Seniors Express Worry
To gauge the level of concern the average American feels about his or her retirement, FGI Research conducted an independent survey entitled “Consumers in Crisis.” The survey identified and measured how American consumers are reacting to changes in the economy. We asked respondents, with demographic qualities that reflect the 2000 census data, for their opinions. A clear majority of the seniors we contacted voiced concerns about their financial futures. In fact, the study revealed that 56% of seniors (aged 65+) are worried about having ...
