Company News · November 1, 2009
Men Are From Mars…
By mdecesare
You’ve heard the saying (and maybe even read the book) “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.” Undisputedly, the two genders process, act and most importantly react differently in just about every situation. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that new research released by Targetcast reports that men and women use media differently. Their findings support what we’ve known all along: you can’t treat them as one and the same in your marketing and advertising plans–or anything else for that matter.
According to the study, which was conducted in early September with adults 18-64, men are more willing to use online sources for news and they are more likely than women to replace printed magazines with digital alternatives. The same pattern holds true for music and radio. While men are more inclined to want music online or from a mobile device, women are likely to listen to their favorite radio stations offline.
So does this mean that advertisers should pull what little advertising budget they have out of traditional media and put it online or in digital format? Not so fast. While one can’t ignore the inevitable shift to online sources, writing off the value of print media could be a mistake.
Yes, this study confirms that men are out of the box faster to embrace digital formats and online sources, but it seems like traditional media is still effective in terms of advertising. The study cites that more than 40% of adults pay attention to ads in newspapers, followed closely by magazines and TV. Internet was well below 20%.
72% of those surveyed would not be willing to pay for an online newspaper subscription to replace a current printed one. Over 40% also said they prefer the experience of reading printed newspapers over online news sources. Until newspapers figure out a way to offer the news online without an online only subscription fee AND replicate the frictionless experience of reading print media, there continues to be a role for printed media.
Another highlight of this study was that radio is still considered relevant in an ever changing media landscape, and nearly 60% said they enjoy discovering new music on radio. Clearly, though radio’s role in music discovery has eroded, it still plays an important role.
Get our latest insights delivered to your inbox.
You’ve heard the saying (and maybe even read the book) “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.” Undisputedly, the two genders process, act and most importantly react differently in just about every situation. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that new research released by Targetcast reports that men and women use media differently. Their findings support what we’ve known all along: you can’t treat them as one and the same in your marketing and advertising plans–or anything else for that matter.
According to the study, which was conducted in early September with adults 18-64, men are more willing to use online sources for news and they are more likely than women to replace printed magazines with digital alternatives. The same pattern holds true for music and radio. While men are more inclined to want music online or from a mobile device, women are likely to listen to their favorite radio stations offline.
So does this mean that advertisers should pull what little advertising budget they have out of traditional media and put it online or in digital format? Not so fast. While one can’t ignore the inevitable shift to online sources, writing off the value of print media could be a mistake.
Yes, this study confirms that men are out of the box faster to embrace digital formats and online sources, but it seems like traditional media is still effective in terms of advertising. The study cites that more than 40% of adults pay attention to ads in newspapers, followed closely by magazines and TV. Internet was well below 20%.
72% of those surveyed would not be willing to pay for an online newspaper subscription to replace a current printed one. Over 40% also said they prefer the experience of reading printed newspapers over online news sources. Until newspapers figure out a way to offer the news online without an online only subscription fee AND replicate the frictionless experience of reading print media, there continues to be a role for printed media.
Another highlight of this study was that radio is still considered relevant in an ever changing media landscape, and nearly 60% said they enjoy discovering new music on radio. Clearly, though radio’s role in music discovery has eroded, it still plays an important role.