In a recent post, I mentioned a King Fish Media study that shows marketers plan to shift their budgets toward new media and content creation in 2010. A separate study by communications agency Cone might explain why.
Cone found that four-out-of-five new media users (78%) interact with companies via new media tools. This represents a 32 percent increase in the behavior when compared to 2008.
The study also suggests that the rate at which new media users are interacting with companies online is on the rise as well, as over a third (37%) of respondents indicated that they use new media tools to engage companies at least once per week. According to the Cone announcement, this is up from one-in-four last year.
Moreover, respondents indicated that they generally have a more favorable view of companies that have a formal presence on new media sites. According to Cone, when asked about their impressions of companies or brands present in new media, users said they:
- Feel a stronger connection (72%, up from 56% in 2008)
- Feel better served (68%, up from 57% in 2008)
- Have a more positive image (74%)
- Are more willing to engage (70%)
“Consumers haven’t yet been exhausted by brand oversaturation in the new media space,” says Mike Hollywood, Cone’s director of new media. “There is still an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to establish a presence and earn a competitive advantage. Based on the growth of user interactions with companies, countless purchase decisions are being influenced by new media.”
What is your impression of companies that either have or lack a new media presence?
Photo Credit: Bull3t
