The Apple and Android operating systems continue to rule the mobile universe with others such as RIM, Windows and Symbian managing less than 3 percent market share. Kindle Fire sales leveled off since its introduction and Apple’s iPad rules the tablet market.
And adding third party data targeting to mobile ad campaigns results in significant uplift in click-through rates (CTR), ROI and other performance metrics, all according to the newly released July MobileSTAT, from Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising firm.
In a study comparing Q2 vertical campaigns with third party data against campaigns in the same time period without added third party data, Jumptap found that mobile campaigns using third party data achieved a double-digit CTR uplift.
Advertisers are tuning in to those high success rates with increasing mobile media spending. As of July, greater than 50 percent of Jumptap campaigns included data targeting, a 500 percent increase since January.
Of course, in terms of third party apps, Jumptap has a direct interest.
“Since Jumptap introduced third party data partnerships into mobile just over a year ago, more and more of our current and new advertisers have leveraged the offerings to drive engagement,” said Paran Johar, Chief Marketing Officer, Jumptap.
“Campaigns with third party data targeting see higher click-through rates (CTR) and ROI regardless of advertising category.”
Additional July MobileSTAT Findings:
Android, iOS Still Rule Smartphone OS Market Share: July data from the Jumptap network show that Android and iOS make up 92 percent of the mobile OS market.
Meanwhile, RIM continues to lose ground, shrinking to a six percent share. Symbian and Windows make up less than three percent of the market share, supporting previous Jumptap analysis that Windows will have a tough time competing with iOS and Android.
iPad Continues Its Reign Over Tablet Landscape: On the Jumptap network, Apple’s iPad continues to hold the majority of the tablet market share at 59 percent, while Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab follow further behind with 25 percent and 10 percent market share, respectively.
The growth of Amazon’s Kindle Fire has leveled off since its November 2011 release and has dropped in market share since January, despite maintaining the number two spot on the Jumptap network. If rumors of new Amazon Kindles and Apple iPads are true, expect to see more change in the flourishing tablet market.
CPG and Auto Top Vertical in Mobile Ad Spend: Based on Q1 and Q2 data, both the Auto and Consumer Product Goods (CPG) industries are the highest spenders on the Jumptap network. Other top spending verticals include Consumer Electronics, Finance, QSR, Retail and Travel.
iPod Touch User Vs. iPhone User: Two Apple Devices, Two Different Audiences: Based on Jumptap network data, the characteristics of iPod Touch users are quite different than those of iPhone users. iPod Touch users tend to skew female (60 percent) and be 24 years old or younger (53 percent), while iPhone users are more likely to be male (54 percent) and older than 24 (59 percent).
Both iPod Touch and iPhone users count social networking and gaming as top mobile functions; however, iPod Touch users are more likely to text while iPhone users are more likely to visit Entertainment and News mobile sites and apps. Advertisers looking to target a younger, social audience may find success advertising on the iPhone Touch.
MobileSTAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) is a monthly glance into targeting and audience trends in mobile advertising through Jumptap’s network of over 20 billion impressions, 107 million U.S. users and 25,000 apps and websites. To download the full Jumptap MobileSTAT, click here.
Technology companies claimed eight of the top ten spots on General Sentiment’s brand value ranking in Q2, with Google reclaiming the top spot from Apple, which held it the previous two quarters.
General Sentiment measures the media value of a brand by tallying the worth of its exposure in news stories and social media. The company says it examines 50 million sources. Positive mentions raise a brands score while negative comments or stories lower it.
“Google regained the top spot in the Impact Media Value rankings thanks to buzz about new and improved products, including Android4.1 (Jelly Bean), the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q, and the Google Glass prototype,” the report says.
The report says the Google brand generated $756 million in “impact media value,” followed by Apple, at $594 million, Microsoft at $356 million, and Amazon at $331 million.
Others in the top ten included Samsung, Sony, Disney, FedEx and Yahoo.
Losers included ACE Group, Avery Dennison, AmerisourceBergen, Amphenol and University of Phoenix. The University received negative publicity as President Obama signed an executive order to protect veterans from deceptive recruiting methods used by some higher education institutions.
JPMorgan Chase collected the highest negative perception media value.
I’ve tried several tablets, including a 10-inch Samsung and an iPad. As elegant and well-designed as the iPad is, like all Apple products, I found the 7-inch Kindle Fire much more to my liking.
While the Kindle Fire lacks a camera and a microphone – its size is perfect for the things I do with a tablet, browsing the web via news reader apps such as Pulse, Flipboard, StumbleUpon and other apps that make it easy. Watching the occasional video. Checking social media or email. And, of course, playing casual games such as Angry Birds.
I actually use it more than I do my regular Kindle keyboard ereader, which is saying something. I still prefer to do long reading sessions on the ereader because its much easier on the eyes than backlit LED screens, but it gets most of its use when I’m involved in a novel such as the last Game of Thrones book or when I’m traveling.
If you have an Amazon account, the ease with which you buy apps and books and media is a real plus. It’s also a pleasure to see how rapidly developers have brought apps I wanted to the device, ranging from games to HBO GO and the aforementioned Flipboard.
When I tried the larger screen tablets, I found them tiring to hold for long periods. Taking photos with them was a pain. I do suspect that the dictation feature on the iPad 4 and voice control of digital devices in general is going to be important in the future.
The Microsoft Surface has not made much of an initial splash so far and Google has a 7-inch tablet in the works. But for right now, the Kindle Fire is shaping up as the iPad’s main competitor.
Statista has compiled this graphic with data from the Online Publishers Association to show that largely due to Kindle Fire sales, the Android operating system is closing the gap on Apple’s iOS. — Allan Maurer
Independent mobile ad network InMobi says its first North America Tablet Insights Report shows a staggering 88% growth of tablet impressions on its network in the last six months.
That’s consistent with other reports we’re seeing at the TechJournal. People engage more with their tablets than with their smartphones. We’ve also seen reports that conversions are also significantly higher on tablets.
The comprehensive InMobi report, based on data from InMobi’s global network, provides insight to engagement behavior
InMobi reports that tablet impressions have been growing nearly twice as fast as smartphones in North America.
Anne Frisbie, vice president and managing director, North America, InMobi, explains: “Richer web browsing experiences are achieved from the larger screen sizes and the reduced cost of tablet ownership is increasing their popularity.”
She added, “We are seeing smart brands raising the bar for advertising on tablets.”
Android gains market share on iOS
The report finds that Apple clearly dominates, with iOS tablet devices currently commanding 71% of the overall impression share, followed by Android with 29%. However, Apple lost 10.8% of its market share to Android, highlighting the competitiveness of the market.
North America Tablet OS ad impressions
OS
Q4 2011
Q1 2012
Pt. Change
iOS
81.6%
70.8%
-10.8%
Android
18.2%
28.9%
10.7%
Others
0.2%
0.3%
+0.1%
Kindle Fire enters late, and takes second place to iPad
Despite entering much later to the market than many of its competitors, the Amazon Kindle Fire performed second (9.2%) to the Apple iPad (70.8%) in Q1 2012. The Asus Eee Pad sits in third (5.2%) with a positive point change of 2.5% from Q4 2011 to Q12012.
North America Top Performing tablets, total ad impressions
OS
Q4 2011
Q1 2012
Pt. Change
Apple iPad
81.6%
70.8%
-10.8
Amazon Kindle Fire
N/A
9.2%
N/A
Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101
2.7%
5.2%
2.5%
Frisbie continued: “As we see the tablet market mature, it’s becoming an increasingly exciting space, with huge benefits for brands that embrace the opportunities.
The nature of the tablet environment allows advertisers to create deep, rich ads that truly engage users and enhance their experiences—a trend that will positively continue in the future.”
When was the right time to build an online platform to get noticed in a noisy world? “Yesterday,” according to Michael Hyatt.
Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers for six years and now its chair, is social media and success expert. Hyatt’s book, “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” climbed to positions on New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon best sellers lists soon after publication.
Over the course of six years, his blog MichaelHyatt.com has garnered more than four hundred thousand monthly visitors. In addition, more than fifty thousand people subscribe to his daily blog posts. Hyatt communicates to one hundred thousand Twitter followers and fifteen thousand Facebook fans.
He is consistently ranked as a top blogger for productivity, leadership, publishing, and social media marketing. Also, his podcast that was launched in March is already consistently in the top ten podcasts for the Business category.
“To be successful in the market today, you must possess two strategic assets: a compelling product and a meaningful platform,” says Hyatt, chairman of Thomas Nelson, one of the nation’s top publishing houses.
“No amount of marketing savvy can overcome a weak product, but without a platform, no one will even know that your product exists. Today, platforms are built on contacts, connections, and followers. My 10 tips focus on attracting all three.”
Ten tips for building a platform to get noticed:
1 – Start Now – The only “right time” to start building your platform is yesterday. Too many people never start building a platform because they think they’re not ready yet. Once you dive in, if you stick with it, you’ll find building a platform to be one of the most rewarding tasks you can set out to accomplish.
2 – Create a Compelling Product – Remember that while platform has become the queen, content is still king. To offer a compelling product, create something you would personally use, something that solves a problem in an unexpected way, and something that exceeds your customers’ expectations.
3 – Accept Personal Responsibility – If you’re thinking of hiring a babysitter for your platform, think again. It is critical that you be 100% committed to being the driving force behind its creation and growth.
4 – Start a Blog – No tool has proven to be more essential to building my platform than my blog, www.michaelhyatt.com. The good news is that creating a blog has never been simpler. The part you’re going to have to really commit yourself to is generating high-quality content on a regular basis. More importantly, your content must attract a loyal and growing audience.
5 – Build Your Subscriber List – Stop worrying about traffic to your blog or website and focus on growing your subscriber list. Your subscribers are your hardcore fans; they are your brand evangelists.
6 – Write Guest Posts – Guest posting is a proven strategy that has been instrumental in the growth of many great bloggers, including Brian Clark of CopyBlogger and Chris Brogran of www.chrisbrogran.com. It’s a great way to expose your brand to new communities. Establish a courteous and professional relationship that can be built upon.
7 – Utilize Social Media – Your blog is a great “home base,” but you’re not going to be able to spend all day hanging out there. Twitter and Facebook give you the opportunity to keep the conversation going 24/7. What have you got to lose? Twitter and Facebook are free, require only a small time investment, and can help you massively in building your brand.
8 – Employ Consistent Branding – You must have consistency throughout your online presence, which should at least include your blog, Twitter and Facebook pages. If you’re presenting yourself, be sure you have the same headshot in every outlet. Pick one logo, one name, and stand by it.
9 – Engage Your Tribe – Don’t be passive when it comes to your readers, followers, and customers. Ask them questions, address their comments, and make it easy for them to share their thoughts. Be sure the commenting system on your blog is easy and straightforward. Find ways to reward your top commenters for participation.
10 – Monetize – Art and money do not have to be enemies. I didn’t set out to make money when I started my blog. And for a long time, I didn’t make any. But now I do. I’ve sustained income from my blog by utilizing a simple combination of advertising, affiliates, and products. I do it without selling my soul by following one simple rule – I only offer ads, products and services that are congruent with my brand and add value to my readers. You can do the same.
“These 10 tips can help virtually anyone create a platform,” said Hyatt. “I’m thrilled that so many people are drawn to the detailed strategies laid out in ‘Platform,’ and I look forward to hearing countless success stories from those who have put its step-by-step guide into action.”
In “Platform,” Hyatt reveals the key principles and tactics used by marketers, best-selling authors, public speakers, musicians, and other creatives to provide a behind-the-scenes in the new world of social media success.
By providing real-world examples from those who have built successful platforms, Hyatt explains how it all fits together – new media and old – into one comprehensive strategy.
A record 36 of the top 100 online retailers achieve the “threshold for excellence” on the annual Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index from customer experience analytics firm ForeSee, with Amazon setting the standard.
Scores of 80 or higher on ForeSee’s 100-point scale are considered superior customer satisfaction performances. In 2010 and 2011, 28 websites achieved this distinction, while in 2009 only six websites cleared the mark. The Index in aggregate plateaus, scoring 78 for a third consecutive year.
“We’re measuring the biggest players in the game, and they just keep getting better and better. Because customer satisfaction, as we measure it, is predictive, that’s a good sign not only for the consumer experience, but for the bottom line of internet retailers as well,” said study author Larry Freed, President and CEO of ForeSee.
Pressure on other retailers to keep-up
“If there’s a negative spin to these positive trends, it is that this puts even more pressure on all other e-retailers to keep up or catch up.”
Here at the TechJournal, we do much of our retail buying online, so we’ve dealt with numerous online customer service departments. Anything that pressures them to step up the quality of their service is a plus.
E-commerce stalwart Amazon continues to set the bar higher, climbing three points to 89, and four points higher than the second highest scoring websites, Apple.com (85) and QVC.com (85). Have you had good experiences with Amazon? In our dealings with them they have been quick to solve problems (such as replacing a damaged Kindle, which they did overnight, and resending a lost package).
Apple is also one of the most improved sites from last year, surging five points as did RueLaLa.com. Foot Locker (79) and JCrew.com (78) each jump four points, and 11 e-retailers improved three points. Netflix is four points down from a year ago, but it regained two points from the Index’s holiday season measure.
“Amazon continues to set the standard for e-retailers. The truth is that every consumer who has visited Amazon knowingly or unknowingly benchmarks all other experiences against it, and why wouldn’t they? They do everything and they do it well,” said Freed.
Trouble for Netflix?
“That is going to spell even bigger trouble for Netflix. The two companies used to vie for number one. Now Netflix is floundering just as Amazon is making deeper moves into streaming video and even original programming. Netflix regained some lost ground, but it’s no longer a contender.”
“Highly satisfied website visitors are nearly 70 percent more likely to recommend the website to others than dissatisfied customers. In the modern world of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, it is even more imperative to provide the best experience possible to your customers because any experience has huge potential to be amplified, for better or for worse,” said Freed.
Facebook engages more smartphone users than any other media property, most of it (80 percent) via apps. Twitter, which comes in at 11th on the number of unique visitors it reaches on smartphones, is even more app dependent (96.5 percent). So says comScore’s Mobile Metrix 2.0 service.
Google Sites ranked as the top property with nearly 94 million unique visitors, representing 96.9 percent of the mobile audience. Facebook ranked second with 78.0 million visitors (80.4 percent reach), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 66.2 million visitors (68.2 percent reach) and Amazon Sites 44.0 million visitors (45.4 percent reach).
Analysis of the share of time spent across apps and browsers revealed that even though these access methods had similar audience sizes, apps drove the lion’s share of engagement, representing 4 in every 5 mobile media minutes.
Analysis of the top properties also revealed widely varying degrees of time spent between app and browser access methods. On Facebook, the top ranked mobile media property by engagement, 80 percent of time spent was represented by app usage compared to 20 percent via browser.
Twitter saw an even higher percentage of time spent with apps at 96.5 percent of all minutes. In contrast, Microsoft Sites was among brands that saw browser access driving a majority of usage at 82.1 percent.
Top Smartphone Properties by Total Unique Visitors (Mobile Browser and App Audience Combined) March 2012 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS, Android and RIM Platforms
Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0
Audience
Engagement
Total Unique Visitors (000)
% Reach
Browser % Share of Total Time Spent
App % Share of Total Time Spent
Total Audience (Browsing and Application combined)
97,007
100.0%
18.5%
81.5%
Google Sites
93,954
96.9%
18.9%
81.1%
Facebook
78,002
80.4%
20.0%
80.0%
Yahoo! Sites
66,185
68.2%
25.3%
74.7%
Amazon Sites
44,028
45.4%
14.3%
85.7%
Wikimedia Foundation Sites
39,073
40.3%
99.8%
0.2%
Apple Inc.
38,309
39.5%
0.3%
99.7%
Cooliris, Inc
28,543
29.4%
0.0%
100.0%
AOL, Inc.
28,021
28.9%
47.4%
52.6%
eBay
27,190
28.0%
17.6%
82.4%
Zynga
26,619
27.4%
0.4%
99.6%
Twitter
25,593
26.4%
3.5%
96.5%
Rovio (Angry Birds)
25,057
25.8%
3.7%
96.3%
Weather Channel, The
24,131
24.9%
47.1%
52.9%
Microsoft Sites
23,938
24.7%
82.1%
17.9%
ESPN
23,317
24.0%
56.8%
43.2%
Top Apps Vary by iOS and Android Users
Analysis of the top iPhone and Android apps by size of audience found differences in the top apps accessed by the two operating systems. System apps topped the list for both iOS and Android, with Apple iTunes reaching nearly the entire iPhone app audience in March while 93.2 percent of Android users visited the Android app market.
Google Search ranked as the second largest app by Android audience size reaching 44.9 million users (84.1 percent reach). Google Maps led as the top map app on both platforms reaching 91.2 percent of iPhone users and 74.5 percent of Android users. The Facebook mobile app ranked within the top five apps on both platforms, securing the #3 spot among iPhone users (80 percent reach) and the #5 position with Android users (68.9 percent reach).
Top Mobile Apps by Total Unique Visitors (000) for iOS and Android (App Audience Only)
March 2012 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS, Android and RIM Platforms Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0
Top iPhone Apps
Total Unique Visitors (000)
% Reach
Top Android Apps
Total Unique Visitors (000)
% Reach
Total Audience: (App Access only)
32,665
100.0%
Total Audience: (App Access only)
53,360
100.0%
Apple iTunes (Mobile App)
32,644
99.9%
Android Market (Mobile App)
49,717
93.2%
Google Maps (Mobile App)
29,803
91.2%
Google Search (Mobile App)
44,883
84.1%
Facebook (Mobile App)
26,148
80.0%
Google Maps (Mobile App)
39,775
74.5%
YouTube (Mobile App)
25,553
78.2%
Gmail (Mobile App)
38,108
71.4%
Yahoo! Weather (Mobile App)
22,965
70.3%
Facebook (Mobile App)
36,771
68.9%
Yahoo! Stocks (Mobile App)
20,765
63.6%
Cooliris (Mobile App)
28,543
53.5%
Pandora Radio (Mobile App)
10,478
32.1%
YouTube (Mobile App)
24,739
46.4%
The Weather Channel (Mobile App)
8,817
27.0%
Google News & Weather (Mobile App)
24,134
45.2%
Temple Run (Mobile App)
7,415
22.7%
Angry Birds (Mobile App)
16,171
30.3%
Words With Friends Free (Mobile App)
6,979
21.4%
Words With Friends (Mobile App)
12,511
23.4%
Smartphones Drive Significant Engagement for Leading Social Networking Brands
Social networking proved to be a particularly popular activity on smartphones with several brands demonstrating exceptionally high engagement, in some cases higher than the corresponding time spent by users via traditional web access.
Facebook once again led the pack among social networking brands, with the average Facebook mobile user engaging for more than 7 hours via browser or app in March. The 25.6 million Twitter mobile users (excluding usage via third-party apps) had an average engagement of nearly 2 hours during the month.
By comparison, people visiting on their computers spent just 20.4 minutes on Twitter.com, highlighting the importance of mobile engagement for mobile-centric brands. Pinterest, which has seen its adoption explode in recent months, reached 7.5 million smartphone visitors who engaged with the brand for nearly an hour.
Location-based social network Foursquare attracted 5.5 million mobile visitors at an average of nearly 2.5 hours, while Tumblr reached an audience of nearly 4.5 million who engaged for 68 minutes during the month.
Selected Social Networking Properties (Mobile Browser and App Audience Combined)
March 2012 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Age 18+ on iOS, Android and RIM Platforms Source: comScore Mobile Metrix 2.0
Amazon Kindle Fire Doubles its Share of Android Tablet Market in Two Months
A Kindle Fire tablet computer
The Kindle Fire, introduced to the market in November 2011, has seen rapid adoption among buyers of tablets, far ahead of the others, but larger tabs see almost 40 percent more use, according to comScore’s Digital Essentails report.
Within the Android tablet market, Kindle Fire has almost doubled its share in the past two months from 29.4 percent share in December 2011 to 54.4 percent share in February 2012, already establishing itself as the leading Android tablet by a wide margin.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab family followed with a market share of 15.4 percent in February, followed by the Motorola Xoom with 7.0 percent share. The Asus Transformer and Toshiba AT100 rounded out the top five with 6.3 percent and 5.7 percent market share, respectively.
We’ve tried both the larger 10 inch tablets and the Kindle Fire and prefer the smaller screen for most things we use a tablet to do. Here’s our intial review: http://www.techjournal.org/2011/11/kindle-fire-a-good-value-for-the-money/. We like it even more now that we’ve used it for several months. Other people who try ours also seem to like it.
U.S. Market Share of Android Tablets by Unique Devices Dec-2011, Jan-2012, Feb-2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore Device Essentials*
% Share of Android Tablets
Dec-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Amazon Kindle Fire
29.4%
41.8%
54.4%
Samsung Galaxy Tab Family
23.8%
19.1%
15.4%
Motorola Xoom
11.8%
9.0%
7.0%
Asus Transformer
6.4%
6.2%
6.3%
Toshiba AT100
7.1%
7.0%
5.7%
Acer Picasso
6.0%
5.2%
4.3%
Acer Iconia
2.8%
2.6%
2.1%
Dell Streak
2.2%
1.7%
1.3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1
0.7%
0.9%
1.2%
Sony Tablet S
0.9%
0.8%
0.7%
Other
8.9%
5.6%
1.6%
*comScore Device Essentials measures unique devices accessing the web during the time period noted, including home, enterprise and secondary devices across all age groups.
Larger Screen Tablets See Higher Level of Content Consumption
Tablet adoption among U.S. consumers continues to climb as more devices appealing to various price and feature preferences are introduced to the market. Screen size is perhaps the most outwardly apparent differentiator between devices, with the market offering consumers a wide variety of options such as the 10″ Apple iPad, 9″ Sony S1, 7″ Amazon Kindle Fire and 5″ Dell Streak.
Analysis of page view consumption by screen size found a strong positive association between screen size and content consumption. Specifically, 10″ tablets have a 39-percent higher consumption rate than 7″ tablets and a 58-percent higher rate than 5″ tablets.
Average Browser Page Views per Tablet Feb-2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore Device Essentials*
Tablet Screen Size
Browser Page Views
per Tablet
10 inch
125
9 inch
116
7 inch
90
5 inch
79
*comScore Device Essentials measures unique devices accessing the web during the time period noted, including home, enterprise and secondary devices across all age groups.
Although many factors – such as demographics, content availability, connection speed and ease of portability – may influence consumption levels, the results of this analysis highlight important questions for the industry as the tablet space develops.
With the emergence of a growing number of smaller-sized tablet devices, advertisers and publishers will need to understand whether these devices limit the opportunity for advertising compared to their larger-screen counterparts, or if they are able to build incremental reach and engagement by presenting different use cases.
Smartphone Carrier Market Share Shows Variation Across Key States
Among the new capabilities introduced in Device Essentials is the ability to segment data into custom geographies to provide more granular insights into local market device usage. comScore analyzed the share of unique smartphone devices among the top four carriers in the most populous U.S. states and found significant variation between markets.
Looking exclusively at the top four carriers, AT&T accounted for the largest share of unique smartphones in Texas (46.2 percent), California (42.9 percent) and Illinois (42.1 percent), while Verizon claimed the top spot in New York (43.6 percent) and Florida (36.5 percent). The greatest disparity in carrier share between AT&T and Verizon occurred in Texas, where AT&T’s smartphone share was more than double that of Verizon’s share.
Sprint PCS ranked as the third largest smartphone carrier in each of the top five markets, with the carrier owning its highest market share in Illinois at 22.8 percent. T-Mobile USA captured its highest market share in Texas, where the carrier accounted for 11.9 percent of smartphone devices.
U.S. Market Share of Unique Smartphone Devices Among AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile by Top 5 States February 2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore Device Essentials*
% Share of Unique Smartphone Devices by Market
AT&T
Verizon
Sprint PCS
T-Mobile USA
California
42.9%
29.2%
17.4%
10.5%
Florida
31.7%
36.5%
20.7%
11.2%
Illinois
42.1%
25.3%
22.8%
9.8%
New York
28.4%
43.6%
21.2%
6.8%
Texas
46.2%
22.3%
19.5%
11.9%
*comScore Device Essentials measures unique devices accessing the web during the time period noted, including home, enterprise and secondary devices across all age groups.
Market Strategies International released its inaugural Social Media Brand Index, which provides a rigorous view of how top brands across different industries succeeded in social media in 2011.
We’re not surprised to see many of the names on the top 20 list from the index. Starbucks has been a leader in the use of social media marketing from the start, as have Amazon, Disney, Google and Nike.
The Index also shares five insights every marketer should consider when analyzing social media investments.
“Companies are swimming in web analytics, but they often have no idea where they are in relation to other swimmers,” said Theo Downes-Le Guin, a consultant to Market Strategies and its former chief research officer.
“Our Index rank orders nearly 150 leading brands across industries as well as the most social brands by industry.”
Here’s the top 20 most social brands revealed by the index:
Market Strategies specifically built this Index to address the effect of sponsored – not just “naturally occurring” – social media content and interactions. The underlying premise is that four elements drive a successful brand presence in social media:
Volume: The number of conversations that contain a consumer opinion, emotion or behavior.
Net Sentiment: The ratio of positive to negative sentiments expressed about a brand.
Positive Emotions: The number of content items that are identified as having positive emotions.
Sponsored Presence: The number of “likes” on a company-sponsored Facebook page, the number of followers on a corporate-sponsored Twitter account(s) and the number of subscribers to sponsored YouTube channel(s).
Downes-Le Guin added, “We’re still very early in the game in terms of understanding and analyzing social media marketing efforts, and we’re years away from an agreed-upon ROI model. But, we believe social media will remain an important part of the marketing mix and our ability to validly demonstrate that importance will grow over time.”
Five key takeaways emerged from the study that may be instructive for marketers who struggle with how to support their brands using social media:
Diversity of social channels and tactics is critical to success.
Every industry has a different “right” level of social.
Reach without positive sentiment is a short-term win.
Not all sponsored channels are equal.
Measuring success requires mashing up data sources.
Download Market Strategies’ 2011 Social Media Brand Index to see full rankings and learn more about the key takeaways.Read more at FreshMR.
There is still enormous room for growth in ecommerce, especially from the mobile side. “In the grand scheme of commerce, it’s still only maybe 11 percent of all things bought,” says John Lawson, CEO of the award-winning industry blog, ColerICE.com. It’s only going in one direction, though, he says:”It’s going up.”
Lawson is an Platinum eBay Power Seller, Top-Rated Amazon Seller, Social Media Personality and e-commerce analyst for Wall-Street firms. He specializes in multi-channel e-commerce, social rich-media marketing and mobile commerce.
Named Small Business Influencer Champion by Small Biz Trends and Savviest in Social Media by Startup Nation, John Lawson, formally of Accenture consulting firm, today is an Ecommerce Business CEO, International Business Keynote Speaker, Award-winning Social Media Strategist, American Express Featured TV Personality and appeared on Fox News.
Will speak at the Digital Summit
Lawson is one of dozens of e-commerce, Internet and digital marketing gurus headed to Atlanta May 9-10 for the upcoming Digital Summit. He’ll join speakers from many top brands, including Google, Mashable, Huffington Post, Twitter, Pandora, Stumble Upon and Klout.
Lawson points out that e-commerce grew at a healthy 13 percent last year, although it hasn’t caught up to the brisk 30 percent a year growth prior to 2008.
Lawson says one effect of this growth is that entrepreneurs who started companies when e-commerce was smaller should be prepared to see a lot more larger brick & mortar firms coming into the space.
Competition from major retailers will increase
“So we’ll see a lot of growth, but also a lot of competition with a lot of dollars spent. Things we found that worked – daily deals, for instance – you’ll see on a major scale when Macys and J.C. Pennys get serious about e-commerce.”
Mobile commerce, he says, “Changes everything when they get mobile payments right so that I can just pull out the phone and not the plastic.”
For anyone in the e-commerce game, Lawson suggests, “Watch Amazon. They’re leaders changing the mind of the consumer regarding e-commerce so that they expect two-day or free shipping and the opportunity to try a product and send it back without it costing them anything. ”
It’s still early enough to get a foothold in e-commerce and and “be right in front,” says Lawson. How?
Don’t go overboard
“Don’t go overboard creating a lot of proprietary stuff,” he says. “And make sure you keep up with where your customers are coming from and where they’re buying.”
He adds, “Focus on payments. Allow people to pay the way they want. Ultimately, it’s about getting customers to the register with cash.”
Pay attention to customer support and service, too, he says. “You need the ability to give people exactly what they’re looking for based on their social profile. Tailor things for your audience. Find people with influence, influential buyers.” Do things to encourage them to share their purchase information.
Don’t fall into the cell phone syndrome of always trying to get new customers instead of taking care of the ones you have. “You have to know the cost of acquiring a new customer,” he says. It is often far higher than the cost of keeping existing customers happy.
Lawson says that among other things, he’ll discuss tools for finding the information you need to carry out those steps at the Digital Summit.
Tablets are still gaining traction in the mobile device market, with Apple selling a record 3 million new iPads within days of its launch. Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the online retail giant’s best seller, and a host of new tablet devices are slated for release this year.
While Apple currently dominates the tablet market – we’re about to buy one of the new iPads – it will lose its dominance to Android devices by 2016, according to forecasts by IDC.
With almost $200 billion in combined 2011 revenues, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are well positioned to take the lead in mobile payments landscape.
However, the top mobile payments spot is still up for grabs, as consumers trust PayPal, Visa, and their own banks for making financial transactions compared to mobile networks, social media, and online retailers.
“Companies will need to understand how their brand resonates with consumers in the three key areas of trust, innovation and privacy. Brands must partner with companies to achieve complementary strengths and widespread adoption in mobile payments.”
The report reveals the shift in consumer mobile behaviors over the past two years and spotlights emerging market opportunities for mobile wallets.
Mobile purchases skyrocketed
In 2011, consumers’ mobile purchases of physical goods skyrocketed to 41% from 14% in 2009, while those of ringtones, which once dominated the market, decreased significantly. This shift from “nice to have” to “needs” indicates how consumers are beginning to find more value in purchasing via mobile devices.
Using its TIP (Trust-Innovation-Privacy) Model, Javelin scored brand effects of social media, mobile networks, and financial institutions (FIs) on trust, innovation, and privacy.
While PayPal came closest to reaching “Gold Zone”, the high trust-high innovation-high privacy position, no brand placed in the coveted spot.
However, despite overall low scores in all three categories, FIs scored extremely well among their own customers, receiving the highest rankings for trust in security, protecting private information, and even innovation. Facebook and Sprint were the least trusted brands for financial transacting.
“Although consumers rate Apple as the greatest innovator, no brand will reach the Gold Zone without the right alliance,” said Mary Monahan, executive vice president and research director, Mobile at Javelin. “Companies will need to understand how their brand resonates with consumers in the three key areas of trust, innovation and privacy. Brands must partner with companies to achieve complementary strengths and widespread adoption in mobile payments.”
“Don’t count out banks, which are well respected in their geographic markets,” said Jim Van Dyke, president, Javelin. “Our data shows that banks’ own consumers ranked them higher on trust and privacy than payment providers, mobile network carriers, other banks, and the Gang of Four. FIs are viable partners for these mobile payment vendors.”
Javelin’s Gang of Four (and Possibly Five) Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon – and PayPal report analyzes consumer perceptions of mobile payments players of trust, innovation, and privacy and recommends strategies for social media and mobile companies and FIs to succeed in the mobile purchasing market. The report is based on survey data collected online from more than 5,800 consumers.
Selected Key Report Findings
Mobile technology usage is on the rise, paving the way for increased mobile purchasing. By 2016, 72% of adults will use smartphones, while 40% of mobile phone owners will use tablets.
Consumers’ mobile purchases of physical goods skyrocketed to 41% from 14% in 2009, while purchasing of ringtones significantly decreased.
Consumers with primary banking relationships at FIs gave their own banks the highest trust and privacy scores over Visa, which received top scores among all consumers.
A new study by social marketing company Zuberance has revealed three surprising findings about Brand Advocates- influential consumers who frequently recommend brands and products without pay or incentives.
The Zuberance study found that:
1. Brand Advocates are even more active recommenders than previous studies have suggested. On average, Brand Advocates recommend nine brands, products, and services per year. The study also revealed that 32% of Brand Advocates recommend 10 or more brands, products, and services. On average, Brand Advocates make 26 recommendations per year. Eighteen percent of Brand Advocates recommend about once a week and 12% recommend several times per week.
2. Brand Advocates have larger social networks than earlier estimated. On average, Brand Advocates have between 200 and 450 people in their social networks. And online Brand Advocates – consumers who recommend their favorite brands and products using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, plus shopping and review sites like Amazon.com, TripAdvisor, and Yelp – have between 300 to 600 contacts in their social networks. This indicates that Brand Advocates’ ability to reach friends and peers with recommendations is much larger than earlier thought.
3. Brand Advocates recommend both consumer and business products. Many people mistakenly believe that Brand Advocates’ recommendations are limited to consumer products like iPhones, energy drinks, and restaurants. In fact, the majority of Brand Advocates (67%) recommend both business and consumer products and services. This finding supports the view that advocacy is a powerful weapon for both B2C and B2B marketers.
“Power Advocates”
A new study by social marketing company Zuberance has revealed three surprising findings about Brand Advocates- influential consumers who frequently recommend brands and products without pay or incentives.
The Zuberance study found that:
1. Brand Advocates are even more active recommenders than previous studies have suggested.
On average, Brand Advocates recommend nine brands, products, and services per year. The study also revealed that 32% of Brand Advocates recommend 10 or more brands, products, and services. On average, Brand Advocates make 26 recommendations per year. Eighteen percent of Brand Advocates recommend about once a week and 12% recommend several times per week.
2. Brand Advocates have larger social networks than earlier estimated.
On average, Brand Advocates have between 200 and 450 people in their social networks. And online Brand Advocates – consumers who recommend their favorite brands and products using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, plus shopping and review sites like Amazon.com, TripAdvisor, and Yelp – have between 300 to 600 contacts in their social networks. This indicates that Brand Advocates’ ability to reach friends and peers with recommendations is much larger than earlier thought.
3. Brand Advocates recommend both consumer and business products.
Many people mistakenly believe that Brand Advocates’ recommendations are limited to consumer products like iPhones, energy drinks, and restaurants. In fact, the majority of Brand Advocates (67%) recommend both business and consumer products and services. This finding supports the view that advocacy is a powerful weapon for both B2C and B2B marketers.
“Power Advocates”
The Zuberance study also has suggested that there is a segment of Brand Advocates who are extremely active and have very large social networks. These “Power Advocates,” which comprise about 15% of Brand Advocates:
Recommend dozens of brands, products, and services
Recommend several times each week
Have more than 500 people in their social networks
The Zuberance study also has suggested that there is a segment of Brand Advocates who are extremely active and have very large social networks. These “Power Advocates,” which comprise about 15% of Brand Advocates:
Recommend dozens of brands, products, and services
Recommend several times each week
Have more than 500 people in their social networks
When it comes to buying a tablet computer, consumers are interested in two things: price and content. Moreover, the vast majority of those interested in a tablet only want one — the Apple iPad — according to a new study by wireless and mobile market research consultancy iGR.
In 2011, Apple sold about 19.63 million iPads in the U.S. The total market in 2011 was just over 28.1 million units. Android-based tablet sales in 2011 totaled approximately 7.7 million — a substantial number, certainly — but 47 percent of those sales happened in the fourth quarter and 61 percent of those 4Q sales were generated by Amazon.
Put another way, Amazon sold more Android-based tablets in the last two months of the year than any other Android tablet OEM did in all of 2011.
“Clearly, this study shows that the Apple iPad continues to dominate the U.S. tablet market, even after the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire,” said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry.
“While Amazon has made some inroads into the market, the other OEMs have had little impact to date. That said, there are signs in the consumer base of potential acceptance of alternative platforms. For Apple’s competitors, now is the time to rethink the tablet market and attack the opportunity again.”
Throughout the forecast period, we expect Apple to continue dominating tablet sales.
But we do expect that competing platforms — Android and Windows — will sell in significant volumes through 2016. In 2016, for example, iGR forecasts tablet sales in the U.S. to reach approximately 45.3 million. On an OS basis, we are forecasting that Apple will sell approximately 27.3 million tablets in 2016; Android-based tablet sales will reach about 13.9 million.
A Kindle Fire tablet computer
As compared to the market for smartphones, the current monthly sales of tablets are relatively modest. Our research suggests that tablets are, at present, primarily purchased as an additional computing device, not necessarily a true replacement device. Over the forecast period, this is anticipated to change, creating more market opportunity for tablet OEMs.
iGR’s new market research report, U.S. Tablet Sales Forecast: 2011-2016, provides an analysis of the overall tablet market in the U.S. and discusses the survey data and analysis which led to its conclusion. The report includes an overview of tablet market drivers, including pricing and content, as well as quarterly U.S. tablet sales estimates and forecast by platform and OEM.
Advanced findings from the BrandFinance Global 500, due to be launched on 19th March, show that Apple has leapfroggedGoogle to be named the world’s most valuable brand.
The Californian tech giant enjoys the highest ever valuation by Brand Finance plc (US $70.6 billion) almost one third greater than its closest rival Google (currently valued at US$47.5 billion).
Apple rose a staggering seven places from eighth in the 2011 table after a year which has seen the Californian tech giant assert its position as the preeminent consumer tech brand with the launch of the iPad 2, iPhone 4s, Mountain Lion operating system and the eagerly anticipated launch of the iPad3.
The announcement comes as Apple announces its 25th billion mobile download dwarfing its competitors in this evolving market.
Commenting on this year’s report from the Brand Finance New York office, David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance Inc, said “The meteoric rise we have witnessed over the last 12 months is nothing short of staggering. Apple is the classic American corporation that was once the alternative quirky brand for designers and creatives. Now their products are accepted by major corporations and are used by the mainstream corporate industry.
“Companies like Apple are built on strong Intellectual Property and are the engine for growth in a new era. Apple is a great example of how IP can be used to leverage high profits. As Apple continues to develop it seems set to dominate the technology industry in 2012 and beyond.”
The Brand Finance Global 500 Top Five Most Valuable Technology Brands
Rank Rank Brand Value
2012 2011 Brand Country (USD) Brand Rating
1 4 Apple United States $70.6 billion AAA+
2 1 Google United States $47.5 billion AAA+
3 2 Microsoft United States $45.8 billion AAA+
4 3 IBM United States $39.1 billion AA+
5 5 Amazon United States $26.7 billion AA+
Customer satisfaction with e-commerce websites is up 1% to 80.1 on the ACSI’s 100-point scale, while Netflix plummets 14% to 74, the lowest score of any e-commerce website in the Index.
“E-commerce continues to shine in satisfaction, seemingly regardless of economic conditions. It is no wonder the sector continues to grow when you consider that satisfied consumers are more likely to increase spending as their means allow,” said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI.
“Satisfaction with brick and mortar retail is also improving, but we may never see it match the scores held by retail websites.”
Satisfaction with overall online retail climbs 1% to 81, led by an improvement in the “all others” category (+3% to 80), which reflects smaller e-retailers and other companies not individually measured. Amazon (-1% to 86) maintains its spot as the top online retailer in satisfaction, but former champ Netflix suffers a huge drop, placing it firmly in the basement, 6 points below the all others category.
After raising prices 60% and threatening to split its convenient DVD and streaming media rental services into two, Netflix customers left in droves and investors followed suit. The ACSI E-commerce Report, based on surveys collected in the fourth quarter, shows that the remaining customers are much less satisfied.
You can hear from Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph directly at the upcoming Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1, but better hurry. Only about 40 seats remain available for the event as of Feb. 21.
Netflix’s DVD customer base is shrinking while streaming media customers continue to grow. This shift could potentially exert additional downward pressure on satisfaction, as Netflix struggles to beef up its streaming media content and DVD releases decline.
“Netflix’s fall from grace was predictable given their missteps, but shocking in its degree of severity even though everyone could see this coming,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee.
“Though they’ve gained back many of the subscriber losses, it remains to be seen if Netflix will be able to satisfy them enough to keep competitors like Amazon and Hulu at bay. These results suggest that Netflix is vulnerable.”
Newegg gains a point, with a score of 85, putting the company in the position of second place and the closest online retailer to Amazon in customer satisfaction. Overstock.com and eBay remain unchanged at 83 and 81, respectively.
Online Brokerage
Customer satisfaction with online brokerage drops 3% to 76. Last year, Charles Schwab led the pack and Fidelity has been a perennial leader. This year, Fidelity (+1%), Charles Schwab (-1%), and E*TRADE (+4%) tie to lead the sector with a score of 79. TD Ameritrade (+1% to 78) is close behind. From 2002 to 2008, E*TRADE was at the bottom of the list of measured companies, but has steadily increased its score over the past four years.
“Satisfaction is leveling out among the top online brokerage firms though their satisfaction is still ahead of the all others category considerably,” said Freed. “E*TRADE is benefiting from its efforts to position itself as the leader in online investment tools and trading in a marketplace where investors and the industry itself have become more tech-savvy and comfortable in the online space.”
Online Travel
Customer satisfaction with online travel remains flat at 78, consistent with the category’s all-time high set last year. Travelocity (+3% to 79) overtakes Expedia (-3% to 77) for the top spot, which has led or held a share of the industry lead since 2000. Orbitz (+1%) and Priceline (+4%) round out the category with scores of 76.
A free report of the historical e-commerce scores for all companies measured by the ACSI is available at www.ForeSee.com.
Tax sites rapidly grew in January as millions of Americans looked to begin preparing to file, according to comScore, the digital measurement firm. Many Americans also booked travel to escape the winter doldrums, while others resolved to begin the new year by researching new careers and education programs.
“In January, the average U.S. Internet user spent a record 36 hours online, reflecting the growing importance of digital media to Americans’ daily lives,” said Jeff Hackett, executive vice president of comScore.
“Among the biggest category gainers in this heavy month of Internet usage were Travel and Career sites, which posted double-digit gains, and of course Tax sites as the non-procrastinators among us decided to get an early jump on getting their refunds.”
Winter Blues Melt at Travel Sites Several Travel subcategories were among the top-gainers in January, including Transaction sites which grew 28 percent to 3.7 million visitors. TravelPN.com led the category with 798,000 visitors (up 11 percent), followed by Viator.com with 642,000 (up 9 percent), WWTE.com with 442,000 (up 86 percent) and OneTime.com with 278,000 (up 48 percent).
Car Rental sites jumped 22 percent to 6.2 million visitors during the month, led by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company with 3.2 million visitors (up 14 percent). Avis Budget Group ranked second with nearly 2 million visitors (up 19 percent), followed by Hertz with 1.3 million (up 21 percent), CarRentals.com with 793,000 (up 30 percent) and Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. with 790,000 (up 27 percent).
A trip wouldn’t be complete without lodging, so it is not a surprise that Hotels/Resorts also ranked among the fastest-growing Travel sites. The category attracted 33.2 million visitors in January, representing an 18-percent increase.
Marriott secured the #1 position in the category with 5.1 million visitors (up 30 percent), followed by Disney Parks & Travel with 4.8 million (up 36 percent), Hilton Hotels with 4.6 million (up 25 percent) and Expedia Hotels with 3.3 million.
Career-Minded Americans Research Options Online As the new year began, Americans turned their focus to career services and education. Traffic to Job Search sites grew 27 percent in January to 24.2 million visitors. Indeed.com Job Search ranked as the category leader with 13.7 million visitors (up 33 percent), followed by CareerBuilder.com Job Search with 9.8 million (up 27 percent), Monster.com Job Search with 5 million (up 28 percent) and SimplyHired.com with 3.5 million (up 42 percent).
Training and Education sites also gained traction, with a sizeable increase of 23 percent to 14.7 million visitors. LiveCareer.com topped the list with 1.2 million visitors (up 58 percent), followed by AesopOnline.com with 940,000 (up 44 percent), FastWeb.com with 736,000 (up 30 percent) and Learn4Good.com with 599,000.
Tax Sites Spike as Season Begins Visitation to Tax sites swelled in January as millions decided to get a jump on filing and hopefully getting a refund check from Uncle Sam. More than 30.7 million Americans visited a Tax site in January, up 359 percent to rank as the fastest growing category.
Top 50 Properties Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in January with 187.4 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites with 179.2 million and Yahoo! Sites with 177.2 million. LinkedIn.com jumped 8 positions to rank #29 with 36.8 million visitors, while Everyday Health, which helped many fulfill their New Year’s resolutions to be healthier, leapt 10 positions to #38.
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking Google Ad Network led the January Ad Focus ranking with a reach of 92.9 percent of Americans online, followed by AOL Advertising (85 percent), Yahoo! Network Plus (84.8 percent), ShareThis (82.4 percent) and AT&T AdWorks (82.3 percent).
Table 1
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)January 2012 vs. December 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Dec-11
Jan-12
% Change
Rank by
Unique
Visitors
Total Internet : Total Audience
220,439
220,154
0
N/A
IRS.GOV
5,044
16,259
222
107
ED.GOV
5,201
9,160
76
185
Pinterest.com
7,516
11,716
56
148
Travelocity
4,869
6,957
43
241
Kayak.com Network
5,851
8,087
38
210
ChaCha.com
9,151
12,279
34
138
Orbitz Worldwide
8,965
11,868
32
141
Info.com
5,883
7,740
32
219
Dominion Enterprises
9,622
12,650
31
131
Indeed
12,928
16,985
31
103
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in January 2012. Excludes entities whose growth was primarily due to tagging through unified digital audience measurement.
Table 2
comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)January 2012 vs. December 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Dec-11
Jan-12
% Change
Total Internet : Total Audience
220,439
220,154
0
Business/Finance – Taxes
6,685
30,715
359
Retail – Computer Software
41,616
54,081
30
Travel – Transactions
2,913
3,730
28
Career Services & Development – Job Search
19,098
24,209
27
Career Services & Development – Training and Education
11,979
14,679
23
Travel – Car Rental
5,079
6,197
22
Travel – Hotels/Resorts
28,035
33,213
18
Career Services & Development – Career Resources
46,145
54,398
18
Entertainment – News
100,121
116,229
16
Travel – Ground/Cruise
12,164
14,097
16
Table 3
comScore Top 50 Properties (U.S.)January 2012
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix
Rank
Property
Unique
Visitors(000)
Rank
Property
Unique
Visitors(000)
Total Internet : Total Audience
220,154
1
Google Sites
187,368
26
Twitter.com
38,410
2
Microsoft Sites
179,220
27
ESPN
38,296
3
Yahoo! Sites
177,249
28
Technorati Media
38,227
4
Facebook.com
163,505
29
LinkedIn.com
36,848
5
Amazon Sites
109,997
30
NetShelter Technology Media
34,954
6
AOL, Inc.
107,085
31
Tribune Interactive
34,517
7
Ask Network
93,954
32
AT&T Interactive Network
33,780
8
Glam Media
90,895
33
Disney Online
32,708
9
Wikimedia Foundation Sites
88,527
34
iVillage.com: The Womens Network
31,942
10
Turner Digital
84,041
35
Alloy Digital Network
30,782
11
CBS Interactive
81,631
36
Yelp.com
30,668
12
Apple Inc.
81,536
37
Fox News Digital Network
30,283
13
New York Times Digital
80,161
38
Everyday Health
30,208
14
Viacom Digital
76,254
39
Netflix.com
29,777
15
eBay
71,554
40
Superpages.com Network
28,971
16
Federated Media Publishing
70,260
41
Break Media
28,252
17
Demand Media
61,344
42
The Washington Post Company
27,602
18
VEVO
59,000
43
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc.
27,580
19
Weather Channel, The
58,643
44
Verizon Communications Corporation
26,763
20
craigslist, inc.
53,431
45
NBC Universal
26,546
21
Comcast Corporation
52,890
46
Target Corporation
26,142
22
Gannett Sites
46,620
47
Cox Enterprises Inc.
25,529
23
Answers.com Sites
44,377
48
Discovery Digital Media Sites
25,265
24
Wal-Mart
41,462
49
Internet Brands, Inc.
25,263
25
Adobe Sites
41,451
50
Myspace
25,124
Table 4
comScore Ad Focus Ranking (U.S.)January 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix
Rank
Property
Unique
Visitors (000)
% Reach
Rank
Property
Unique
Visitors (000)
% Reach
Total Internet : Total Audience
220,154
100.0
1
Google Ad Network**
204,468
92.9
26
CPX Interactive**
124,089
56.4
2
AOL Advertising**
187,109
85.0
27
Adconion Media Group**
120,144
54.6
3
Yahoo! Network Plus**
186,587
84.8
28
Undertone**
118,198
53.7
4
ShareThis
181,372
82.4
29
Traffic Marketplace**
116,903
53.1
5
AT&T AdWorks**
181,247
82.3
30
AOL, Inc.
107,085
48.6
6
Google
179,685
81.6
31
Meebo
98,130
44.6
7
Yahoo! Sites
177,249
80.5
32
Technorati Media**
97,287
44.2
8
ValueClick Networks**
176,229
80.0
33
Bing
95,661
43.5
9
24/7 Real Media Global Web Alliance**
176,227
80.0
34
Smowtion Ad Network**
95,226
43.3
10
Microsoft Media Network US**
174,276
79.2
35
Ask Network
93,954
42.7
11
Tribal Fusion**
170,715
77.5
36
Glam Media
90,895
41.3
12
Facebook.com
163,505
74.3
37
Amazon.com*
90,774
41.2
13
Casale Media – MediaNet**
162,269
73.7
38
Rocket Fuel**
89,373
40.6
14
AdBrite**
162,088
73.6
39
Wikipedia.org
88,224
40.1
15
PulsePoint**
154,100
70.0
40
Kontera**
86,005
39.1
16
Specific Media**
153,336
69.6
41
Monster Career Ad Network (CAN)**
78,243
35.5
17
Collective Display**
151,427
68.8
42
Windows Live
74,579
33.9
18
AudienceScience**
149,336
67.8
43
Federated Media Publishing
70,260
31.9
19
Cox Digital Solutions – Network**
146,632
66.6
44
Dedicated Media**
67,243
30.5
20
Vibrant Media**
143,793
65.3
45
About
62,480
28.4
21
interclick**
139,508
63.4
46
Demand Media
61,344
27.9
22
Burst Media**
133,900
60.8
47
Weather Channel, The
58,643
26.6
23
YouTube.com*
126,279
57.4
48
MTV Networks Music
53,932
24.5
24
MSN
125,561
57.0
49
Redux Media Network**
52,684
23.9
25
AdBlade Network**
125,421
57.0
50
Apple.com
49,689
22.6
Reach % denotes the percentage of the total Internet population that viewed a particular entity at least once in January. For instance, Yahoo! Sites was seen by 80.1 percent of the 220 million Internet users in January.
* Entity has assigned some portion of traffic to other syndicated entities.
Google+ fans (number of people in circles) of the world’s top 100 brands saw big growth in the last month from 222K to 3.1M—a 1,400% increase, according to a SocialShare analysis by - BrightEdge.
However, rapid growth among top 100 brands is largely being driven by ten brands that have established a powerful presence on the platform.
These top ten brands, the G+ Ten, account for more than 3 million of the 3.1 million followers (nearly 100%) and bring more than ten times as many followers as brands in the rest of the top 100.
Clothing giant H&M now holds the number one slot with 462K followers, while Coca-Cola notably leaped from 1,800 to 336K, a 187x increase.
Their direct competitor Pepsi, however, is narrowly ahead with 350K followers. Other notable top 100 brands that round out the G+ Ten include Samsung (372k), Starbucks (335k), Sony (258k), Intel (258k), eBay (253), Google (193K) and Amazon (184K).
The explosion of followers has also led to a Google first—the search giant and parent of Google+ has had the largest fan contingent among the top 100 brands since the social networking site’s debut, yet in the last month they have been surpassed by eight other brands and knocked down to number 9 among the G+ Ten.
“While the growth of the G+ Ten is impressive, in contrast we have noticed many companies seem to be taking a slower, wait-and-see stance to the search giant’s social offering,” said BrightEdge CEO Jim Yu.
Among the top 100 brands on the sidelines were major retailers, travel sites, and automotive brands, and notables such as Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Life, and Apple.
There is tremendous interest among large enterprise players in how Google+ will evolve. Although the data shows that brands are embracing the social networking site, the success of the G+ Ten contrasts with lower activity among G+ Laggards (brands 11-100 on the list).
With search driving continued visibility of Google+, we expect to see continued consumer adoption of Google+, but broader brand adoption is still a challenge and increasing attention will be paid to the end-user engagement model. How Google expands from its G+ 10 core partners and spreads more broadly across brands will be closely followed by the industry, and how the engagement model involves end-users may impact the rate Google adds followers. Google+ still has less than 1/100th the number of total consumers interacting with the top 100 brands that Facebook has achieved.
It’s not surprising that Google and Facebook make the lion’s share of their revenues from advertising. But did you know that more than half of Apple’s revenues come from iPhone sales (or did before the iPad, anyway) and Microsoft rakes in 30 percent of its considerable earnings from its Office suite?
Apple and other high growth companies share five key behaviors.
A survey of 500 C-suite executives worldwide conducted by global brand consultancy Wolff Olins has revealed that, although companies recognize the important factors required to generate long-term growth, many are not investing resources and energy into them.
“Traditional ways of doing business are not generating growth and global economies are suffering without it,” said Karl Heiselman, CEO of Wolff Olins.
“We believe there are very clearly identifiable actions or behaviors associated with high-growth companies such as Amazon, Google, Nike and PayPal that other businesses can use to thrive. Change is daunting, but the opportunities for businesses that adopt these new ways of doing business are enormous.”
Wolff Olins identified five key behaviors associated with high-growth companies, which the consultancy calls “Game Changers,” who are successfully responding to rapid changes in consumer demand and technology-driven services.
The survey was designed to determine whether other leading organizations recognize the importance of these characteristics and if and how they are adopting similar behaviors within their own companies.
These behaviors include:
Purposeful: having a clear purpose that is shared with customers
Useful: enabling customers to do things better
Experimental: constantly innovating and being comfortable living in perpetual beta
Boundary-less: fostering collaboration internally and externally
Value-creative: adds value by creating new business models and businesses
The survey results showed:
On average, 42% of respondents said that each Game Changer behavior would deliver significant growth (of 11% or more). Twenty-two percent thought they would deliver growth of more than 20%.
Useful(enabling customers to do things better) was rated by respondents as potentially making the biggest contribution to growth. Forty percent believed this activity would contribute more than 20% growth. Twenty-four percent said that it would contribute to growth between 11-20%.
Companies that are Experimental (constantly innovating) were seen as having the next most significant contribution to growth. Nineteen percent said it would deliver growth of more than 20%.
The perceived value of behaving like a Game Changer varies greatly across sectors. Banking, energy, FMCG and hospitality sectors are the most enthusiastic. Professional services, non-profit and property companies are least likely to associate Game Changer behavior with growth. Others are divided. Tech and telecoms see growth in creating new value and experimenting but less in being Purposeful or breaking down boundaries.
There is a gap between what people believe is important and what they are actually doing. This is shown in several ways. Across all behaviors most likely to be associated with growth, the top three were all in the category of being Useful to customers:
‘Enable customers to create personalized versions of your product’ was the behavior/action most associated with growth, yet only 22% said their business was doing this
‘Enable your customers to use your product in flexible and adaptable ways’ came in second, with only 32% stating their business was doing this
‘Involve your customers in your product development process’ was the third behavior/action most associated with growth, yet just 31% thought their business was doing this
Most respondents did think, however, that their companies were acting in a socially responsible way, although they are not connecting it to strategic growth. For example, ‘Consider transparency to be part of your business’ was perceived to be the least valuable to growth, but 47% stated their companies did this anyway, followed by ‘Participate in social good’, which 46% said their business did.
Global uncertainty having short-term affect
In follow-up qualitative interviews with respondents, Wolff Olins found that the global economic uncertainty is affecting growth projections for companies in the short-term, with the majority only willing to project single-figure growth this year. As one respondent commented, “There is no such thing as a company being too big to fail.”
There was also significant emphasis placed on the importance of building a meaningful relationship with the customer: “If you become a more valuable business to your customers, you become a more valuable business generally.”
Innovation was recognized alongside customer-focus to be a key driver of growth. Having the right people in place to drive innovation was identified as critical: “You can have the best people and even if the market is heading the wrong way, you’ll be growing.” It also presents a challenge: “You can’t force people to be innovative. You have to allow them to take risks and fail. When things are going down, people just want to protect their jobs. Ask them to take risks and they won’t.”
Heiselman adds, “Game Changers emerged from our desire to understand the new generation of companies enjoying phenomenal success. If these companies and organizations act differently, what is it that they do and are they signs of a healthier future for other companies who want to copy their success but aren’t necessarily in a position to replicate their business? By identifying the activities in which high-growth organizations invest, we can help businesses embrace totally new ways of thinking and doing business so that they not only survive these challenging times but find growth.”
Game changing companies named
The following companies are recognized by Wolff Olins in the Game Changers report as exemplars of the five behaviors of high growth companies who are successfully responding to rapid changes in consumer demand and technology-driven services:
(RED), charitable giving pioneer
Amazon, multinational online retailer
Apple, multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics
Facebook, social network and website
Google, multinational internet search engine
Grameen Bank, pioneer of microfinance in Bangladesh
Intuit, US-based accounting software company
Lego, construction toys
M-Pesa, a branchless banking service available in Kenya, Afghanistan and Tanzania
Nike, sportswear and equipment retailer based in the USA
PayPal, online transaction service
Tata Docomo, cellular service provider
Tesco, global grocery and general merchandise retailer
Zipcar, vehicle sharing company
Zopa, UK-based company providing an online money exchange service
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The following companies are recognized by Wolff Olins in the Game Changers report as exemplars of the five behaviors of high growth companies who are successfully responding to rapid changes in consumer demand and technology-driven services:
