Posts Tagged ‘Travel’
Tuesday, August 14th, 2012
 Local relevance and decision timing are key influences in mobile purchase behavior, but a one-size-fits-all approach is not an effective strategy, according to a new Mobile Path-to-Purchase research study conducted by Nielsen for xAd, a mobile/local ad network.
Consumers utilize mobile devices differently depending on their specific product- or service-related needs and the various vertical markets they are searching within.
The study is the first to not only measure what consumers report they are doing via mobile devices, but also capture their actual preferences and behaviors, and will include three additional releases of specific market findings for the Travel, Restaurant and Auto categories.
The results are based on data from an online survey of 1,500 U.S. smartphone and tablet users and actual observed consumer behaviors from Nielsen’s Smartphone Analytics Panel of 6,000 Apple and Android users.
xAd-Telmetrics Mobile Path-to-Purchase Infographic
“The xAd/Telmetrics Mobile Path-to-Purchase study illustrates that successful mobile advertising campaigns can no longer take a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” said Monica Ho, vice president of marketing, xAd Inc.
“Advertisers must understand consumer motivations and intent related to each specific vertical market they are searching within before deciding how and where to best engage them in mobile.”
Mobile Purchase Intent Strong; Purchase Timing Unique to Each Vertical Market
While the study shows that overall purchase intent is strong, how much time passes before consumers take action is unique based on the particular vertical market they are searching.
Mobile Restaurant searchers showed immediate transaction intent as 87 percent said they were looking to make a purchase decision within the day.
In Travel, where 33 percent of mobile searchers are looking to complete their transaction within the day, most mobile web or app search activities are research based and don’t always result in immediate buying decisions.
Results for the Auto category were a mix of both quick conversions and researcher based activity, as 49 percent of searchers intend to complete the transaction the same day. Regardless of timing, however, mobile activity still has a significant effect on consumers’ path to purchase as 85 percent of mobile
Restaurant searchers, 51 percent of mobile Auto searchers and 46 percent of mobile Travel searchers ultimately make a purchase.
Local Relevance and Local Offers Key to Conversion
While consumers get a lot of business information on the go, according to the survey they show a strong preference for information related to local contact and purchases—such as looking up a business location, accessing map and driving directions and calling the business.
Depending on the category and device used, as many as 73 percent of the mobile users surveyed report looking for a business phone number and subsequently contacting the business. In addition, up to 84 percent of mobile searchers report looking up a business location and/or accessing map and driving directions.
“Calls are a key activity along the mobile path to purchase and the study confirms that mobile marketers should ensure their campaigns include phone numbers as most consumers want to connect with the business before making a final purchase decision,” said Bill Dinan, president of Telmetrics.
“If an ad or listing doesn’t have local relevance at the time of action, the consumer will move on to the next business so including local phone numbers rather than toll-free numbers is helpful.”
Local relevance a top reason for ad engagement
All reported mobile search activities show the growing usage of the mobile device as the “go-to” utility to find, contact and visit local businesses.
In fact, mobile users cited local relevance and local offers and promotions as the top reasons for engaging with mobile advertising—an important finding considering that 66 percent of mobile searchers noticed mobile ads and 33 percent clicked on an ad.
Additional highlights from the study include:
Smartphone vs. Tablet Usage
- Across all vertical categories, tablet owners mostly use their device while they are in their home (72 percent), while smartphone users mostly use their device “on the go” (68 percent).
- Among smartphone owners, local directory apps are most popular for Restaurant and Automotive users (53 percent and 34 percent, respectively) while brand websites are most popular for Travel users (47 percent)
- For tablet users, brand websites are the most popular among all categories (with 51 percent Restaurant, 56 percent Travel, and 48 percent Automotive)
- Users go to apps or mobile websites they are familiar with:
- Smartphone owners in all categories go directly to the app or website (45 percent) rather than being directed by a browser
- Tablet users looking for Restaurant information go directly to the website or app (42 percent), most Travel searchers learned of the site through previous experience (49 percent) and Automotive searchers are already familiar with the brand (44 percent)
Tags: auto, Best Practices, local relevance, mobile buying behavior, Mobile-path-to-purchase study, Nielsen, restaurant, Travel, xAd
Posted in Ecommerce, Internet/New Media, Mobile, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
 IgnitionOne, which sells digital marketing solutions and cross-channel attribution analysis, says its research shows the effect of media types and exposure paths on the speed of conversion and on the average order value (AOV).
It found, among other things, that display advertising early in the conversion path is quite effective for retail, while paid search works best for travel, and email campaigns can be a drag on travel order values.
The research involved marketing data from US and European travel and retail firms over a two month period. IgnitionOne looked at the types and number of media exposures, latency (the amount of time between the first exposure and when the conversion occurred) and the exposure paths that led to conversions.
Key findings in the report:
- For travel, paid search is the key driver in getting customers to spend more money. Outside of organic search, it drives a 71% higher average order value (AOV) than any other single-channel path. Within multi-channel paths, when paid search follows an organic search click, the AOV is 18% higher than the average multi-channel path.
- Email campaigns are a drag on travel order values and increase the time to convert when part of conversion paths. Across single-channel conversion paths, email drives a 56% lower AOV and takes over 250% longer to convert a user than on average. Across multi-channel conversion paths, when email is the last exposure, it results in a 36% lower AOV and 100% more time to convert than on average.
- When email is the first exposure, it results in a 39% lower AOV and takes a user almost 150% more time to convert than on average. This can be explained by email campaigns being traditionally very promotional in nature, which lowers the AOV.
- Email campaigns are also more heavily dominated by existing customers who may not be currently in the market for travel and/or are more discerning among promotional offers.
- Display is an effective channel for retail, especially early in the conversion path, feeding the top of the funnel. Even on its own, display drives a 29% higher AOV than other single channel paths.
- Combined with search channels (both paid and organic), it drives a 16% higher AOV when it’s at the top of the path and converts users 43% faster than other multi-channel paths. At the end of the path, latency tends to be higher but AOV is 36% higher than other multi-channel paths.
“By better understanding how different media interact and assist along the path to making a purchase, marketers can more efficiently leverage advertising dollars,” said Roger Barnette, president of IgnitionOne.
“These types of insights are possible when marketers take advantage of advanced attribution models and move away from last-click models.”
This report is the latest in a series of reports from IgnitionOne reviewing trends across the online advertising landscape.
This and previous reports can be downloaded athttp://bit.ly/ignitiononeresearch
Tags: display advertising, email campaigns, Ignition One research, paid search, retail, Travel
Posted in Internet/New Media, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Thursday, June 28th, 2012
 An in depth analysis of the behavioral tracking of 269 websites across four industries found that 86 percent place one or more third-party tracking cookies on visitors and many violate Google’s privacy practices, says Keynote Systems (NASDAQ:KEYN),which sells Internet and mobile cloud testing and monitoring solutions.
What’s more, 60 percent of these third-parties had at least one tracker that didn’t promise to comply with at least one common tracking standard.
A third-party tracker in this context is simply defined as a business that has access to your computer, when you visit a particular Website, so that they can record your browsing history and other personal data, and is a completely separate organization from the owner of that site.
The presence and identity of third-party trackers is typically invisible to users browsing their favorite Web pages.
The number of Websites that allow visitors to be tracked by third-parties may be surprising to some, but as consumers begin to understand that their online behavior can be recorded, enterprises will have to work even harder to ensure that consumers’ privacy expectations are met,” said Ray Everett, Keynote’s director of privacy services.
Keynote analysis showed that nearly all Travel & Hospitality and News & Media Websites have third-party tracking (95 percent and 96 percent respectively).
Three of four financial service sites use third-party tracking
Most surprising was the fact that nearly three out of four financial services sites examined expose visitors to third-party tracking.
And of the financial services companies with tracking, 52 percent of third-party trackers violate at least one of the industry’s most common privacy standards – such as participation in industry self-regulatory programs or offering consumer opt-out choices.
Keynote’s analysis also discovered that of the 211 third-party trackers identified during the study, only one committed to honor a visitor’s request not to be tracked via the new Do Not Track feature browser vendors are implementing. In addition, News & Media sites expose site visitors to an average of 14 unique third-party tracking companies during the course of a typical visit.
Behavioral advertising, a common use of third-party tracking data, is an increasingly common practice on the Web and one of the primary ways Websites fund their operations.
Third-party trackers place cookies on the browsers of site’s visitors to track a user’s clicks and path through the Web. They also can make note of things like what the visitor buys and where the visitor goes once they leave.
Working online at the TechJournal daily, we run various spyware removal software such as Superantispyware and delete more than 400 adware tracking cookies every few days. While most are not particularly harmful, they will clog your computer as they accumulate.
A “wild west mentality” prevails
“The Web advertising ecosystem is sprawling and complicated, with hundreds of ad networks all competing to gather as much targeting data on consumers as they possibly can,” Everett noted.
“It’s very much still a ‘wild west’ mentality and the activities of aggressive tracking companies can place Website publishers in a difficult position: how do you monetize your Website without alienating your visitors and exposing yourself to legal risk?”
Everett concluded, “Ultimately, the burden of policing third-party trackers falls on the shoulders of Website publishers. A publisher is responsible for the content of their Website, including the practices of the advertisers appearing on it. Monitoring the constantly changing advertising ecosystem is a daunting task, but the consequence of failure is the placing of your brand’s reputation at tremendous risk.”
Keynote performed its online behavioral tracking analysis on data collected from the company’s own global test and measurement network and leveraged the Keynote’s new Web Privacy Tracking service announced last month.
Tags: cookies, Do Not Track, financial, Google privacy practices, News, retail, sites using third-party tracking, spyware, Superantispyware, Travel
Posted in Analytics, Internet/New Media, Security, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Friday, May 18th, 2012
 Three-quarters of the brand marketers and agency reps surveyed by 33Across, operators of the largest social and interest graph in the world, reaching over 1.25 billion users, say that the rest of the web is more important to them than Facebook advertising.
The survey also points out the increasing importance of big data – all that information about us that can be gleaned from digital sources – and how to access it, interpret and use it.
Key results of the 33Across Advertiser and Agency Survey include:
- 75% of respondents said Facebook receives less than 40% of their attention versus the “rest-of-web” (ROW)
- 71% describe their goals as more focused on fan engagement vs. fan acquisition
- 70% said they were concerned about making sense of the data at their disposal
- 91% are very concerned with being able to drive ROI from big data in 2012
- 73% said the integration of cross-channel data continues to be a top area of concern
33Across found several examples where these issues are heightened in particular industries, as advertisers grapple with an increasingly broad and diverse online marketing landscape. For instance:
- Over 90% of respondents within the Auto and Financial Services industries are concerned about being able to drive ROI from big data.
- Travel, Financial Services, and Auto placed the most importance on successful integration of cross-channel data that is collected from a variety of online and offline sources, e.g., Facebook, ROW, and in-store purchases.
- The majority of respondents (71%) are more focused on Facebook Fan engagement than Fan acquisition. The Financial Services industry, however, graded noticeably higher with its Fan engagement objectives (over 90%) compared to any other industry. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) ranked second in this category, with 89% of those surveyed prioritizing Fan engagement over Fan acquisition.
“These survey findings validate that Rest-of-Web is at the epicenter of this conversation, and big data will continue to be one of the largest issues that online marketers confront for the next few years,” said Eric Wheeler, CEO of 33Across.
Tags: 33 Across, access, acquisition, agencies, auto, big data, brand marketers, Facebook advertising, fan engagement, financial services, interpretation, packaged goods, ROI, Travel, use
Posted in Analytics, Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
 Lotto sites witnessed a huge spike in traffic as the Mega Millions jackpot climbed towards its eventual $656 million total in March, according to comScore’s Media Metrix service.
Meanwhile, Travel sites were busy keeping up with spring break and summertime travel demand.
“Americans were ‘all-in’ for the Mega Millions jackpot in March as the prize climbed to its greatest payout in U.S. history at $656 million,” said Jeff Hackett, executive vice president of comScore. “Travel sites saw considerable pickup during the month as many looked to book last-minute spring break trips and summer travel.”
Big Prize Money Draws Players to Lotto Sites
The Mega Millions jackpot had American hopefuls visiting Lotto sites to buy tickets or check to see if they held the winning ticket. The category drew nearly 29 million visitors in March, up 25 percent to rank as the top-gaining category for the month. MegaMillions.com ranked #1 with 6.4 million visitors, up 590 percent versus February to reach an all-time high for the property. CALottery.com ranked second with 3.2 million visitors (up 101 percent), followed by EPrize.net with 2.6 million, SwagBucks.com with 2.6 million (up 10 percent), LotteryPost.com with 1.5 million (up 62 percent) and PowerBall.com with 1.5 million.
Travel Tops the Charts in March
In March, Americans were seeking to book last-minute spring break travel or looking ahead to summertime getaways, which helped several travel subcategories rank among the top-gainers.
For those looking to book a few months out, Travel Information sites were particularly helpful, drawing 69.7 million visitors during the month (up 10 percent).
TripAdvisor Media Group led the pack with 18.1 million visitors (up 5 percent), followed by Travora Media with 15.5 million visitors (up 5 percent) and Yahoo! Travel with 11.1 million visitors (up 9 percent).
Airline sites grew 8 percent to 29.8 million visitors in March, with Southwest Airlines Co. ranking first in the category with 10.9 million visitors (up 17 percent).
Delta Airlines secured the #2 spot with 6.1 million visitors (up 9 percent), followed by United Airlines with 5.4 million (up 61 percent), American Airlines with 4.8 million (up 8 percent), JetBlue Airways with 3.3 million (up 1 percent) and US Airways Group, Inc. with 2.6 million (up 8 percent).
Top 50 Properties
Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in March with 189.7 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites with 178.9 million, Yahoo! Sites with 175.4 million and Facebook.com with 158.9 million. Ask Network climbed to the #7 position, while ESPN jumped 6 positions to rank #26.
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
Google Ad Network led the March Ad Focus ranking with a reach of 91.7 percent of Americans online, followed by AOL Advertising (83.1 percent), Google (81.7 percent), Yahoo! Network Plus (81.4 percent) and AT&T AdWorks (81.1 percent).
Table 1
| comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)March 2012 vs. February 2012Total U.S. – Home, Work and University LocationsSource: comScore Media Metrix |
|
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
| Feb-12 |
Mar-12 |
% Change |
Rank by Unique Visitors |
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
219,988 |
224,020 |
2 |
N/A |
| PerformerSoft.com |
3,660 |
9,225 |
152 |
186 |
| Sun Microsystems, Inc. |
5,986 |
8,410 |
40 |
201 |
| Babylon.com |
6,383 |
8,824 |
38 |
196 |
| CollegeHumor Media |
5,690 |
7,549 |
33 |
218 |
| TheStreet Sites |
5,418 |
7,079 |
31 |
234 |
| MLB |
7,863 |
9,758 |
24 |
177 |
| DailyMotion.com |
11,474 |
13,824 |
20 |
118 |
| SB Nation |
9,082 |
10,865 |
20 |
153 |
| Instagr.am |
6,906 |
8,208 |
19 |
204 |
| ESPN |
31,744 |
37,721 |
19 |
26 |
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in March 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.)March 2012 vs. February 2012Total U.S. – Home, Work and University LocationsSource: comScore Media Metrix |
|
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
| Feb-12 |
Mar-12 |
% Change |
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
219,988 |
224,020 |
2 |
| Gambling – Lotto/Sweepstakes |
23,158 |
28,970 |
25 |
| Travel – Transactions |
3,382 |
3,801 |
12 |
| Travel – Information |
63,312 |
69,705 |
10 |
| News/Information – Politics |
41,374 |
45,494 |
10 |
| Retail – Tickets |
26,793 |
29,193 |
9 |
| Travel – Airlines |
27,520 |
29,784 |
8 |
| Entertainment – Humor |
57,506 |
61,382 |
7 |
| Travel – Car Rental |
6,812 |
7,260 |
7 |
| Travel – Hotels/Resorts |
33,063 |
35,088 |
6 |
| Career Resources & Development – Job Search |
21,953 |
23,217 |
6 |
Table 3
| comScore Top 50 Properties (U.S.)March 2012Total U.S. – Home, Work and University LocationsSource: comScore Media Metrix |
| Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
|
Total Internet : Total Audience |
224,020 |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Sites |
189,662 |
|
26 |
ESPN |
37,721 |
| 2 |
Microsoft Sites |
178,897 |
|
27 |
Technorati Media |
37,455 |
| 3 |
Yahoo! Sites |
175,356 |
|
28 |
LinkedIn.com |
37,414 |
| 4 |
Facebook.com |
158,926 |
|
29 |
AT&T Interactive Network |
35,154 |
| 5 |
AOL, Inc. |
109,921 |
|
30 |
Adobe Sites |
35,078 |
| 6 |
Amazon Sites |
106,305 |
|
31 |
NetShelter Technology Media |
34,385 |
| 7 |
Ask Network |
92,324 |
|
32 |
Disney Online |
34,130 |
| 8 |
Wikimedia Foundation Sites |
86,221 |
|
33 |
Tribune Interactive |
33,825 |
| 9 |
CBS Interactive |
82,530 |
|
34 |
Alloy Digital Network |
32,160 |
| 10 |
Apple Inc. |
81,157 |
|
35 |
Yelp.com |
32,089 |
| 11 |
Turner Digital |
80,897 |
|
36 |
Fox News Digital Network |
31,227 |
| 12 |
Glam Media |
78,337 |
|
37 |
Break Media |
29,942 |
| 13 |
Comcast NBCUniversal |
78,317 |
|
38 |
Everyday Health |
28,870 |
| 14 |
New York Times Digital |
75,703 |
|
39 |
Netflix.com |
27,448 |
| 15 |
Viacom Digital |
75,264 |
|
40 |
Internet Brands, Inc. |
26,294 |
| 16 |
eBay |
70,588 |
|
41 |
The Washington Post Company |
26,121 |
| 17 |
Federated Media Publishing |
65,949 |
|
42 |
Cox Enterprises Inc. |
24,936 |
| 18 |
Demand Media |
63,698 |
|
43 |
Myspace |
24,720 |
| 19 |
VEVO |
58,288 |
|
44 |
Discovery Digital Media Sites |
24,543 |
| 20 |
Weather Channel, The |
54,078 |
|
45 |
BitTorrent Network |
24,199 |
| 21 |
craigslist, inc. |
53,251 |
|
46 |
EA Online |
24,084 |
| 22 |
Gannett Sites |
50,258 |
|
47 |
Target Corporation |
24,028 |
| 23 |
Answers.com Sites |
45,088 |
|
48 |
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. |
23,835 |
| 24 |
Twitter.com |
40,310 |
|
49 |
Yellowbook Network |
23,734 |
| 25 |
Wal-Mart |
39,050 |
|
50 |
WeatherBug Property |
22,642 |
Table 4
| comScore Ad Focus Ranking (U.S.)March 2012Total U.S. – Home, Work and University LocationsSource: comScore Media Metrix |
| Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors (000) |
% Reach |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors (000) |
% Reach |
|
Total Internet : Total Audience |
224,020 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Ad Network** |
205,443 |
91.7 |
|
26 |
Adconion Media Group** |
124,611 |
55.6 |
| 2 |
AOL Advertising** |
186,241 |
83.1 |
|
27 |
AdBlade Network** |
122,353 |
54.6 |
| 3 |
Google |
182,948 |
81.7 |
|
28 |
Undertone** |
116,815 |
52.1 |
| 4 |
Yahoo! Network Plus** |
182,319 |
81.4 |
|
29 |
AOL, Inc. |
109,921 |
49.1 |
| 5 |
AT&T AdWorks** |
181,602 |
81.1 |
|
30 |
CPX Interactive** |
105,121 |
46.9 |
| 6 |
ShareThis |
179,875 |
80.3 |
|
31 |
Smowtion Ad Network** |
104,617 |
46.7 |
| 7 |
Yahoo! Sites |
175,356 |
78.3 |
|
32 |
Meebo |
93,614 |
41.8 |
| 8 |
24/7 Real Media Global Web Alliance** |
174,856 |
78.1 |
|
33 |
Ask Network |
92,324 |
41.2 |
| 9 |
ValueClick Networks** |
174,168 |
77.7 |
|
34 |
Traffic Marketplace** |
92,172 |
41.1 |
| 10 |
Specific Media** |
173,422 |
77.4 |
|
35 |
AMAZON.COM* |
89,850 |
40.1 |
| 11 |
Microsoft Media Network US** |
171,328 |
76.5 |
|
36 |
Bing |
89,731 |
40.1 |
| 12 |
Tribal Fusion** |
166,927 |
74.5 |
|
37 |
WIKIPEDIA.ORG* |
85,938 |
38.4 |
| 13 |
AdBrite** |
161,068 |
71.9 |
|
38 |
Monster Career Ad Network (CAN)** |
85,132 |
38.0 |
| 14 |
PulsePoint** |
160,634 |
71.7 |
|
39 |
Rocket Fuel** |
83,143 |
37.1 |
| 15 |
Casale Media – MediaNet** |
159,040 |
71.0 |
|
40 |
Kontera** |
82,938 |
37.0 |
| 16 |
FACEBOOK.COM |
158,926 |
70.9 |
|
41 |
Glam Media |
78,337 |
35.0 |
| 17 |
Collective Display** |
156,507 |
69.9 |
|
42 |
Windows Live |
72,194 |
32.2 |
| 18 |
Vibrant Media** |
153,848 |
68.7 |
|
43 |
Technorati Media** |
71,449 |
31.9 |
| 19 |
RadiumOne** |
152,042 |
67.9 |
|
44 |
Federated Media Publishing |
65,949 |
29.4 |
| 20 |
interclick** |
148,022 |
66.1 |
|
45 |
Demand Media |
63,698 |
28.4 |
| 21 |
Cox Digital Solutions – Network** |
145,376 |
64.9 |
|
46 |
Dedicated Media** |
62,182 |
27.8 |
| 22 |
AudienceScience** |
142,824 |
63.8 |
|
47 |
Redux Media – Reach & Response Network** |
59,599 |
26.6 |
| 23 |
Burst Media** |
133,368 |
59.5 |
|
48 |
About |
59,368 |
26.5 |
| 24 |
YOUTUBE.COM* |
125,861 |
56.2 |
|
49 |
Brand.net Network** |
56,581 |
25.3 |
| 25 |
MSN |
125,719 |
56.1 |
|
50 |
Weather Channel, The |
54,078 |
24.1 |
Reach % denotes the percentage of the total Internet population that viewed a particular entity at least once in March. For instance, Yahoo! Sites was seen by 78.3 percent of the 224 million Internet users in March.
* Entity has assigned some portion of traffic to other syndicated entities.
** Denotes an advertising network.
Tags: Ask Network, comScore, ESPN, Google ad Network, Google sites, lotto sites, Mega Millions jackpot, Southwest Airlines, top 50 web properties March 2012, Travel, TripAdvisor Media Group
Posted in Analytics, Google, Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
 While iPad3 crushed sales expectations, traffic levels were small compared to prior device versions, according to Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising provider.
According to iPad traffic on the Jumptap network of over 107 million monthly mobile users, iPad3 use in the first six days after launch was heavy, but represented just a small percentage of overall iPad use that week.
iPad3 traffic represented .52 percent of total iPad network traffic on the day of launch, peaked at 2.28 percent by day three, and closed out the week at 1.92 percent. iPad and iPad2, on the other hand, each maintained 45 percent or more of the total iPad traffic throughout the week.
“A very early read of the data would suggest that iPad3 is stealing traffic from the iPad2,” said Paran Johar, Chief Marketing Officer, Jumptap.
“This trend suggests that iPad2 users may be more inclined to switch to the iPad3 than original iPad users.”
Additional March MobileSTAT Findings:
iPhone Users Love Wi-Fi: Data from the Jumptap network showed iPhone users as more likely to use Wi-Fi than Android and Blackberry device users.
Fifty-eight percent of iPhone users utilized Wi-Fi, compared to 35 percent of Android users and 41 percent of Blackberry users.
This could have been due to the fact that 4G iPhones didn’t exist, so iPhone owners needed a Wi-Fi connection more often than 4G Android and Blackberry owners.
Advertisers take note: iPhone users are ripe for geo-targeted campaigns because Wi-Fi offers strong location data.
 Angry Birds was one of many mobile apps that saw downloads peak during the holidays. Two Popular Games, Two Very Different Players: Based on third-party data that Jumptap uses to gain insights about its network audience, the characteristics of Angry Birds players vs. Words with Friends players proved to be very different.
Angry Birds players were more likely to be Republican than their Words with Friends counterparts (45 percent vs. 23 percent). They were also twice as likely to be on a tablet as the average mobile user. Words with Friends players were more likely to have an income over $100K (40 percent).
In short, Angry Birds offers advertisers a way to reach a broad demographic and to leverage tablet adverting, while Words with Friends has a higher income, smartphone-centric fan base.
Mobile Travels South for Spring Break:
Data from the Jumptap network, sampled during a small window of spring break, revealed that mobile device owners from across the U.S. visited Mexico and Florida this March.
A look at the states of origin of these devices showed that North Dakota residents were 80 percent more likely than the average American device owner to be in Mexico, and Maine residents were 103 percent more likely to be in Florida.
New Jersey represented the state least likely to visit Mexico or Florida during the sample window.
MobileSTAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) is a monthly view of the top targeting and audience trends in mobile advertising. Jumptap strives to better understand mobile audience and educate the entire mobile ecosystem through its insight reports. MobileSTAT contains analysis of hundreds of gigabytes of log data, run through Jumptap’s analytics technology. To download a full copy of the Jumptap MobileSTAT report, visit jumptap.com/STAT.
Tags: Angry Birds, Florida, iPad3, Jumptap, Maine, Mexico, mobile advertising, New Jersey, Travel, Words With Friends
Posted in Angry Birds, Digital Devices, Internet/New Media, mobile games, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Monday, May 23rd, 2011
 CLEARWATER, FL – The top five industries vulnerable to cybercrime include travel, education, financial services, government services and IT services, according to Clearwater, FL-based Internet Security Awareness Training firm KnowBe4.
KnowBe4 sent out a simulated phishing email to employees at more than 3,500 companies. Individuals who clicked the link were directed to a landing page that informed them they had just taken part in phishing research. The emails were successfully delivered to about 29,000 recipients at 3,037 businesses; and in nearly 500 of those companies, one or more employees clicked the link. Because of the potential for Internet security breaches among these businesses, KnowBe4 dubbed them the FAIL500.
“Any business that provides access to email or access to its networks via the Internet is only as safe from cybercrime to the degree that its employees are trained to avoid phishing emails and other cyberheist schemes. The more employees within an organization that use email or go online, the greater the risk of exposure to cybercrime,” said KnowBe4 founder and CEO Stu Sjouwerman (pronounced “shower-man”).
KnowBe4 conducted a comprehensive data analysis of its FAIL500 study results, which included categorizing the companies into 25 industry sectors. The findings revealed that some industries are particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. Based on the percentage of companies in each sector that responded to the phishing email, the most Phish-prone industries are:
- Travel – 25%
- Education – 22.92%
- Financial Services – 22.69%
- Government Services – 21.23%
- IT Services – 20.44%
“Our cybercrime statistics should serve as a wake-up call to SMEs nationwide,” noted Sjouwerman. “Not only are these businesses at risk for financial loss through a cyberheist, but their susceptibility to phishing tactics could compromise sensitive customer data such as credit card, bank account and social security numbers.”
Sjouwerman cites a “false sense of security” as the primary reason companies are vulnerable to cybercrime. “Most people assume that antivirus software and an in-house IT team provide sufficient data security. But considering that IT is among the most Phish-prone industries, it’s clear that’s a very dangerous assumption to make.”
He adds, “Many of the top Phish-prone industries are regulated and subject to compliance rules, so well-meaning employees can be tricked into clicking a link if they believe an email was sent by a government or law enforcement agency, or by someone they know and trust. And with just one click, malware can be instantly uploaded to a system – bypassing both antivirus software and IT firewalls. A cyberheist can be underway within minutes.”
To help SMEs combat the growing threat of cybercrime, Sjouwerman recently published his fourth book,Cyberheist: The Biggest Financial Threat Facing American Businesses Since the Meltdown of 2008. In addition to highlighting the results of the FAIL500 project, Cyberheist explores the business of cybercrime, examines a number of cybercrime cases and empowers readers with effective strategies for countering cyber attacks.
For more details on the KnowBe4 phishing study – including the Phish-prone percentages for all 25 industry sectors – visit www.knowbe4.com/fail500.
Tags: 6 keys to recovery after a service fail, Cyberheist, education, financial services, Five industries are most vulnerable to cybercrime, government servcies, IT servcies, Knowbe4, phishing, Stu Sjouwerman, study says, Travel
Posted in Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, IT, Security, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
c RESTON, VA – Not much is surprising in comScore’s Media Matrix figures for online activity in June. Travel sites saw a surge in activity in June as travelers browsed hot summer deals and booked vacation getaways. Americans also turned to online gaming and teen sites to occupy themselves with online leisure pursuits as the school year ended.
Travel site categories experienced a gain in activity in June as Americans entered the heat of travel season. More than 100 million Americans visited the category during the month, affecting the following travel sub-categories: Transactions, Hotels/Resorts, Ground/Cruise, and Airplanes.
Travel sites grew 32 percent during June to 5.2 million visitors.
Hotels/Resorts sites also saw strong growth during the month with 36.6 million Americans turning to these sites for lodging options. Marriott ranked as the top property, growing 16 percent to 6.5 million visitors. Hilton Hotels attracted 6.0 million visitors (up 13 percent), followed by InterContinental Hotels Group with 5.1 million (up 14 percent), Wyndham Worldwide with 4.0 million (up 9 percent), and Disney Travel with 3.6 million (up 5 percent).
Activity flourished at Teen sites as students on summer vacation looked for ways to spend their free time. The category attracted more than 40 million Americans in June, representing a 21-percent increase.
Americans looked to online gaming for entertainment in June, attracting nearly 103 million visitors during the month. WildTangent Network took the top spot with 17.3 million visitors, up 6 percent versus May. GSN Games Network And CPMStar came next with 16.9 million, followed by Nickelodeon Casual games with 15.3 million (up 14 percent), EA Online with 15.1 million (up 2 percent), and Disney Games with 14.9 million (up 15 percent).
Tags: comScore, June 2010, online gaming traffice sureges online, Travel
Posted in Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
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