word of mouth on the web cate riegner
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WordofMouth onthe Web
The Impact
of
Web
2 0
on Consumer
Purchase Decisions
CATE RIEGNER
Media-Screen, LLC
cate@media-screen.com
The internet stands apart from other media in enab[ing its users to interact From
this perspective, the internet will always be, at its core, a tool for interpersonal
communication. While consumers find emotional and practical benefits in participa
in online discussions, these conversations have profound commercial implications
well.Everyday consumers are wielding greater control over their media habits and
their role in the commercial marketplace. Moreover, with the growth of online
participation, consumers exert greater influence over the products and brands
considered for purchase. Based on a study of over 4,000 broadband users in the
United States, this article examines consumer adoption of Web 2.0 and the impac
those rants, raves, comments, and reviews are having on purchase decisions today
Findings presentedinthis article
r
from July 2006 Datafrom
2007 zi ill be available startingin
Septenjber 2007.U S. Patent
Application Serial Number
11/580J8X
INTRODUCTION
The internet stands apart from other media in
enablingits users tointeract.From this perspec-
tive,the
internet will always be,
at its
core,
a
tool
for interpersonal communication. Even
the tag
ging, posting
and
sharing
of
popular videos
on
YouTube are fundamentally community-relatedpur-
suits. Facilitatedbycountless biogs, forums, chat
rooms,
and
social networking sites,
we now
live
in
a
24-hour rolling, emotive, media world where
we cansatisfy our indelible need tofeelapartof
the events that imfold aroundus.
While there are practicaland emotional benefits
to participating in online discussions (Piper Jaf
fray, 2007), these conversations have profound
commercial implications
as
well. Everyday
con
sumers
are
wielding greater control over their
media habits and their role in the commercial
marketplace. M oreover, withthegrowthofonline
participation, consumers exert greater influence
over
the
products
and
brands considered
for pur
chase. This article discusses thegrowth of user-
generated contentorUGC, and theinfluenceit is
bringing
to
bear
on
purchase decisions.
First, we explore the extent
to
which broadband
users of various agegroups are communicating
online through various tools and applications.
we evaluate
how
they contribute
to the
co
that
is
online, exploring certain segmen
demographic and psychographicthat tendto
ticipate more than others. Next, weexamin
influence
of UGC on
purchase decisions, a
various product categories, purchase channels
user groups. Finally,
we
look
at the
MyS
generation13to 24 year oldsto consider
maybe instoreforonline wordof mouth (W
in
the
years ahead,
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Several objectives
led to the
research p resent
this article. First,
we
were interested
in
meas
the adoption of Web 2.0 tools and particip
activities among broadband users. Whilethe
dia
are
quick
to
tout
new
developments
in
nology
and
online user behavior,
we
susp
actual usageof these toolsto be lower than
impliedbythe pressandindustry pun dits,a
ou r
own
Silicon Valley bubb le, Second
wanted
to
begin tracking the influence
of
UG
purchase decisions. Consumer rating
and
re
sites have been in use for many years, while
formal envirorunents for product feedback
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WORD OF MOUTH ON THE WEB
otive media world where w e can satisfy our indeiible
access via a broadband con-
passion is a requisite for
everyday pur-
Broadbanders (13 to 24 year olds)
vey in the United States. We refer to re-
sponde nts in this article as broadband
users or Broadbanders'.
The study was fielded online in July
2006 to a panel-based sample representa-
tive of the U.S. internet population aged
13 and older. A proprietary online sam-
pling methodology was applied to en-
sure the profile of respondents taking the
survey was representative of the U.S. in-
ternet population by age and gender. Re-
spondents were eligible to complete the
survey if they indicated they accessed
the internet via a high-speed or broad-
band connection (any connection greater
than 56 kbps/sec). We focus on broad-
band users only, excluding those who
connect to the internet via a dial-up
connection. We do tbis for several rea-
sons:
First, over 70 percent of internet
users in the United States now connect
via broadband. Broadband adoption is
growing at a 60 percent compound an-
nual growth rate (CAGR), while the adop-
tion of dial-up is dropping at 7 percent
CAGR (Nielsen//NetRatings, 2000-2006).
Second, although the majority ofinternet
usersare on broadba nd, the percentage
of ll
mericans
who connect to the inter-
net via a broadband connection is still
under 50 percent. Imagine what the world
will be like when over 50 percent, or
over 80 percent, of Americans are al-
ways on? As seemingly ubiquitous as
the internet is today, there is still incred-
ible growth ahead, Finally, we believe
broadba nd users represent the mod ern
consumer. As broadband gains mass
adoption, the attitudes and behaviors of
Broadbanders today provide an indicator
of where the market is heading.
COMMUNICATION COMMUNITY AND
CONTENT CREATION
Based on a survey fielded in July 2006,
the average broadband user spends 27
percent of his/her time online on
commu
nication activities. This is commensurat
with the amount of time they spend on-
line for leisure and entertainment, and
more than the time spent gathering news
or information, personal productivity, or
shopping (Figure 1).
The most basic forms of internet-based
communication, email and instant mes-
saging (IM), are essentially one-on-one
channels that exist separately from any
related web-based content or information.
Newer forms of internet communication
facilitated by blogs. Forums, and social
Communication
Leisure or Entertainmen t
News or Information
i= Personal Productivity
Shopping
= 4.190
Base: All respondents
Figure 1 Allocation of Total
Time Spent Online
D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 7 J O U Il l l f lL O F
l D U E T I S I f lG
R E S E flllC H 4 3
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WORD OF MOUTH
ON
THE
WE
networking sites depart from theemail E m a il r e m a i n s the d o m i n a n t f o r m of o n i i n e c o n v e r s a t
model in two key ways; they provide a
channelfor oneperson to reach many for a| | ggg r o u p S ,but the Under-25 grOUp iSa d d i n g
(often anonymous) others, and they are
increasingly associated with specifictopi s
c h a t , d i s c u s s i o n f o r u m s , b l o g s ,
and
t e x t m e s s a g i n g
R esearch shows that B roadhanders reg-
ularly use
a
variety
of
emerging and
es
t h e ir r e p e r t o i r e . S e v e n t y - t h r e e p e r c e n t of 13 to 17 y
tablished digital communication channels.
Of course, email
is
ubiquitous. More
in
o i d s
and 68
p e r c e n t
of 18 to 24
y e a r o l d s
us e IM or
c h
teresting is the finding that 4 out of 10
B roadbanders regularlyIMor chat Other c o m p a r e d w i t h j u s t 26 p e r c e n t of B r o a d b a n d e r s 45 a
channels, such as voice-over-internet pro-
tocol (VoIP), have been around for the
o l d e r .
past 10 years, but are just emerging as
viable mass market options. VoIP is one
of the most recent examples of the inter-
,, , The internet has also brought a partici- But to what extent has this vision ec
net s ability to consume older media, es-
, , , . patory qual i ty to
any and
every onl ine realityfor thebroader broadband popula
sentially movmg 100-year-old telephony
r J -t > j j j r r
,.
. . , , pursuit. Communities arise, allowing peo- To understand how, and to what ex
to the web, a digital mternet-based proto-
,
,, . , . . , . , pie to connect personally, professionally, Broadbanders are using one-to-many
col.
Video conterencmg, a relative staple
^ , . , and culturally with others. Web 2.0 sites line communication tools, we asked
for busmess communication, has yet to
^.
, , , , like YouTube, MySpace, Wikipedia, Digg, to evaluate a list of 17 different activ
rmd a market even among broadband-
and Flickr all contribute to this new ba- that couid loosely be defined as "con
equipped consumers.
., , ^ , , , zaar of interests. A base of freely available creation" activities. From this inquiry
While regular users of chats, blogs, text
, , , , _ , , , user-created content, collaborative tools, found that the average Broadbander
messagmg, and VoIP fail to match the
and networked communities create this forms 2.4 content creation activities r
niimbers who rely on email, these alter-
,
, , , , dynamic and participatory internet cul- larly. Approximately one-third rat
native channels play an essential role in
, ., , ^ , , , ture. The result is fundamental changes in review products online, but regular
the daily lives of those who use them.
, . , . , ,
, . , . , , the ability for people to communicate their ticipation in activities that involve con
With the sole exception of videoconferenc-
, . t
. ideas and opinions to many people. uting to entertainment contentsuc
ing, at least two-thirds of regular users
engage in each activity at least once a day
(Tabie 1).
Email remains the dominant form of TABLE 1
online conversation
for all age
groups. R eg ul ar
and
Dai ly Use*
of
O n l ine C omm uni c a t i on T oo ls
but the under-25 group is adding IM,
chat, discussion forums, blogs, and text
UseDaily
messaging to their repertoire. Seventy-
Among ThoseWho
three percent of 13 to 17 year olds and 68
UseRegularly UseR egularly)
percent of 18 to 24 year olds use IM or Email 95% 88%
chat, compared with just 26 percent of
, ,^ ^ Instant messaging/chat 41% 70%
Broadbanders 45 and older. Text messag-
ing is also popular among those under 40, . 9r .'7l/ .'.|s/'?.'.S5.'J.ss|on .b ^ ^ 19% 67%
with use peaking at 40 percent among 18 Text messaging 18 64
to 24 year olds. VoIP and videoconferenc-
Volr 8 68
ing remain on tbe horizon with the high-
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WORD-OF-MOUTH
ON THE WE
the
average Broadbander performs
2 4
or
review products oniine,
but
reguiar
in activities that invoive contributing to
as
upioading
an
audio
or
in the
singie digits
(50 percent) and male Broadbanders aged
18 to 24 (48 percent), Participation among
Broadbanders aged 55 and over falls to 23
percent (Figure 3). Active participation
among women in online conversations sug-
gests techie guys are no longer the rulers
of the web. But the disparity between
younger and older users suggests a stub-
born generational divide in Web 2.0
invoivement.
A P SY C HO G RA P HIC V I E W -
PARTICIPATION BY BROADBAND
SEGMENTS
2 Based on a segmentation analysis of the
by Age
* ' '
popu la t i on , two segmen ts
w e
refer to as the Online Insiders and So-
13-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ eial Clickers are particularly immersed
^
81% 90% 95% 97%^ 98%^ 99% ^ ^ communication activities on the web.
As discussed below. Online Insiders are
I?:^. , 9B. ,
^9% 38% 30% 23% ^^^y ^^^^^ ^^ t^^
.^^^^^^^
^^j
^.ghl
33%^ 29%/^ 26% 19% 12% 9%
influential onlin e sho pp ers. Social Click
28% 40%^ 29% 18%
12 _
5%_
^ ^
^ ^ ^ ^
communica tors on l ine ,
bu
the most part ic ipatory ones tend
to be
6% 6% 13%^ 9% 6% 6% j , . TU
younger and less affluent. These younger
conferericing _5%_ 7% 10%^ 7% 5%_ 3%_ Social CHckers may not be influencing
r e g u l a r l ym ty p i c n l m o u l h ;
N
4 . 1 9 0 :
b a s e :
all r e s p o n d e n t s purchase ded sion s today but COuld becom e
tendency to mesh media is still on the
When we isolate users of four collabo-
eaviest users
de female Broadbanders aged 13 to 17
0 5
Review aProduct
Post
to
Forums
PublishaPersona l Page
HH
Exp re ss Op in io n ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ M
PosttoJournal h^HI^^H
Share viaP2P Netw ork ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
PublishaWebs ite ^ ^ ^
Use
a
Wiki
Create/Share Audio Fi le
Create/Share Video
Create/Share Podcas t
^ H 4
^ 2
10 % 15 20 25 30 35
^ ^ ^ H 1 5 %
^ ^ ^ ^ 1 4 %
9
8
N= 4,190
Base :All responden t s
*Act ivi t ies done int yp ica l m on th
Figure
2
Con ten t Crea t i on Ac t i v i t i e s *
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WORD-OF-MOUTH ON THE WEB
6 0 -
5 0 -
4 0 -
3 0 -
2 0 -
1 0 -
Base:
13 -17 18 -24
148
Users of message boards,
2 5 - 3 4
chat rooms
35 -44
listservs, and
45 -54
wikis
- Male
Female
55-f
Figure 3 Online Talkers by Age and Gender
strong influencers in the future (Table 3).
The following section provides a descrip-
tion of the attitudes and behaviors that
characterize their orientation to the activ-
ities that foster WOM online.
TABLE 3
Content Creation by Segment
Social lickers
rely on the internet to
maintain relationships with friends and
family, and to seek out new ones. While
a generational divide runs through this
group, all Social Clickers are active com-
Review products
Chat in chat room
Post to forums
Express opinion
Offer advice on listserv
Use a wiki
Post to journal
Publish a blog
Share via P2P network
Create/share audio file
Create/share video file
Create/share podcast
Online
Insider
4
1 8
3 5
1 3
1 9
7
1 8
2 1
1 2
6
5
2
Social
Clickers
3 1
1 5
2 4
7
1 5
1 7
1 9
8
4
1
Content
Kings
2 4
1 5
2 6
6
1 2
1 4
1 7
1 1
2
4
1
Everyday
Pros
3 5
8
1 8
5
1 1
2
1
1
6
2
Fast
Traciiers
2 5
9
1 8
7
1 4
1
8
6
4
2
Do in typical month; N
=
4,190; base; all respondents
municators online, spending over hal
percent) of their time online doing
munication and community-oriented a
ties.
Older Social d ic ke rs rely strict
email. Younger Social Clickers are
text and instant messengers. They are
actively engaged in
content cre tio
ities, for example, creating personal
and posting comments on blogs,
sage boards, and chat rooms. With a
ural interest in connecting with o
Social Clickers are poised to emerg
a key influencer group for the pr
theyc reabout They may not be th
to adopt, but they vocalize their pr
ences more readily than other users
fluencing friends and family indir
through their personal pages, posts
chats.
Online Insiders are more holist
their use of the internet and spend ju
much time on communication acti
as Social Clickers and sometimes m
Insiders do n ot IM as frequently as C
r s but the two groups match in
communication activities. Online Ins
are more inclined than other group
assume an online voice or persona
express themselves online. In fact,
group dominates every content cre
activity measured in our study. O
Insiders are also avid online shop pers
frequently add their opinion via pr
ratings and reviews. They are very i
ential, the first to adopt new pro
and to vocalize their preferences.
ontent Kings
tend to be young,
and addicted to online entertainment.
also spend the least amount of time
municating online, aside from activ
that support their interest in ente
ment, i.e., peer-to-peer file trarisfers,
sonal web pages, and posting comm
to message boards and chat rooms. W
Kings communicate, it is to achieve
ultimate goal of finding more way
have fun on the web.
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WORD-OF-MOUTH ON THE WEB
veryday Pros
participate in activities
we find the Everyday Pro rating or
a
Consequently, they are more likely
ast Trackersare too interested in using
to
meet tbeir imm ediate needs
such as checking tbe news, weather, or
sportsto spend much time communi-
cating or participating with others. This
is a group tbat wants to get on and get
off quickly, acting primarily as receivers
of information rather than creators or
producers.
To sum ma rize, we find Web 2.0 involve-
ment primarily among younger Broad-
banders ( 1 3 to 2 4 year olds), and the early
adop ter segment we call tbe Online In-
siders. We do find some activity among
older users around e-commerce related
activities, specifically product reviews, but
it is unclear whether their participation
will expand into otber areas.
INFLUENCE ON PURCHASE
BEHAVIOREXPANDING BEYOND
THE EARLY ADOPTERS
If UGC is still being promulgated primar-
ily by younger users and an elite group
of netizens, wbat,ifany, impact has
it had on purchase decisions? To help
answer this question, we analyzed over
1,300 broadband shoppers,
subset of
tbe total Netpop sample, and over 100
different types of products purchased in
the last tbree montbs. Respondents
were asked to identify
product they
had purchased in the last three months,
either online or offline, and were then
askedtoanswer questions about the
0
Browsing Retail Stores
Recommendations from Family/Friends
Search Engines
Retail Sites
Brand/Manufacturer Sites
TV Advertisements
Coupons
Magazine Advertisement/Article
User-Generated Sites*
Catal o g s B roch u res
Store/Distributor Sites
Comparison Shopping Sites
Online Advertising**
Radio Advertise me nt/Men tion
Outdoor Advertisement
5 1 0
1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0
2 7
1 5
1 5
7
2
N 1,397
Base: Purchased product in last three months
*lncludes rating/review sites, blogs, forums, discussion boards, social networking sites
**lncludes search advertisements, banner/rich media advertisements
1 7
Office Sou rces
nlinP niirrpQ
User G enerated
e 4 Percent Saying Source Influenced Purchase
D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 7 J D U I l l l I l L O F l U E f l T IS l O GR E S E flf lC H 4 4
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WORD-OF-MOUTH ON THE WEB
sources that influenced their purchase
decision.
First, it is noteworthy that online sources
(e.g., websites, search engines, and com-
parison shopping sites) compare favor-
ably to traditional sources in terms of
their influence on recent purchase deci-
sions: fully balf (50 percent) of all recent
purchases among Broadbanders were in-
fluenced by at least one online source,
whereas 61 percent were influenced by
offline sources. Half of the top 10 sources
are based onlinenoteworthy given tbat
only one-third of the purchases were even-
tually madeonline(Figure 4),
With regard to the influence of WOM,
nine percent of Broadbanders link at least
one user-generated source to a recent pur-
chase decision. (User-generated source is
defined as a blog, rating/review site, fo-
rum, discussion board, and/or social net-
working site.) Consumer review and rating
sites, blogs, and discussion boards are
more likely to be a source of influence
than IM or chat rooms. We suspect IM
and chat to be less helpful in tactical on-
line shopping sessions (Table 4), while
consumer ratings and review sites remain
the most efficient way to obtain consumer
feedback.
Thus Ies5 than 1 in 10 purchases is
influenced by online WOM. The percent-
age may seem low (9 percent), yet only
TABLE 4
Influence of UGC Sources
U G C sources(any)
Consumer reviews/ratings sites 5
Blogs/discussion boards 3
Instant messaging/chat rooms 2
0
Online j ^ H
Kurcnases P ^ ^
Offline ^ B
Purchases ^ ^ H
N = 1,397
Base
Purchased
5
productin
1 0
^ ^ H 8
last three months
1 5
1 1 4
2 0 2
Figure 5 Influence of UGC by Purch ase Ch anne l
Social networking sites 1
Note: N = U9 ; base: purchased product in last three
months
one source measured in our survey influ-
enced more than 20 percent of purchases:
browsing in retail stores (27 percent). Rec-
ommendations from family and friends
influenced 17 percent of purchases. Find-
ings suggest consumer influence is dis-
persed, or splintered as man y would
say, across a mu ltitu de of online and off-
line media channels.
However, findings suggest that online
WOM is still in an early ado pter phase ,
influencing particular types of products
and certain purchase channels more than
others. For example, products purchased
onlineare alm ost tw ice as likely to be
influenced by UGC as products pur-
chased offline (i.e., retail stores or over
tbe pbone) (Figure 5 ). Our research shows
that online purchases tend to undergo
greater scrutiny on tbe web, increasing
the likelihood that buy ers would seek con-
sumer input on UGC sites.
An analysis of four separate product
categoriesPricey Tech-Electronics, No
Touch Services, High-Touch Retail, and
Household Staplesillustrates the rela-
tive importance of UGC sites and online
versus offline sources in general (Figure 6).
Pricey Tech Electronlcs
User-generated content sites play an im-
porta nt role in the purchase ofPriceyTech
Electronics products such as DVD
and computers. In fact, they are the
s
most influential source for purch asing
items, influencing 24 percent of the
ucts purchased in this category.Sear
ginesare most influential and
manufa
brand sitesare third most influential.
stores still play a major role in the
chase decis ion , but browsing in retail
is fourth in influence behind tbe afore
tioned online sources. Our research s
the more expensive and valuable an
tbe more it is researched. The fact th at
technology and electronics items tend
more expensive, more complicated,
highly coveted by their buyers contri
to the time corxsumers' devote to rese
ing them and considering the views of
bm ers prior to purchase.
High Touch Retail
While offline sources dominate the
chase ofHigh Touch Retail product
as clothing, appliances, and furn
online sources also play a surpris
important role in this category. Over
(58 percent) of High Touch Retail
chases are influenced by the intern
specifically, an average of 2.3 o
sources. Yet only 8 percent of purc
in this category are influenced by U
The percentage m ay increase as retail
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WORD-OF-MOUTH ON THE WEB
0
Pr icey Tech-Elec tron ics ^ |
High-Touch Retail H
Household Staples H |
No Touch Services WM
N 1,397
Base: Purchased product in
5
5
^ 4
last three
1 0
8
%
months
1 5 2 0 2 5
24
Influence of UGC by Product Category
rather than evaluate them more
5 percent of House-
ully com bine bricks-and-clicks, taking
rs online and then fulfilling
of Passionates who actively tout
a product's virtues, the average customer
is unlikely to engage.
No Touch Services
The internet dominates the purchase of
No ouch Services such as travel and fi-
nancial servicesindustries that stimu-
lated the growth of e-commerce a decade
a g o .
No Touch Service buye rs rely heav-
ily on search engines and recommenda-
tions from family and friends, suggesting
a desire to balance the ability to pick
and choose from multiple options online
with trusted advice. Yet UGC is less im-
portant in these decisions (4 percent of
all purchases). Buyer age likely dampens
the influence of WOM for No Touch Ser-
vices. Another factor that may limit the
use of UGC in the purchase of these
items includes the personal and confiden-
tial nature of many financial and travel
decisions.
To summarize this analysis of separate
product categories, UGC is more likely to
influence items that are more complex,
higher priced, and highly covetedsuch
as technology and consumer electronics.
But it is less likely to influence low-
involvement products and/or those pri-
marily purchased in stores (e.g., CPG),
products that buyers want to see/feel/
try-on (e.g., furniture, apparel), and prod-
ucts that are personal or confidential in
natu re (e.g., travel, finance). Findings from
Netp op 2007, available starting in Septem-
ber 2007, will identify any shifts in the
results presented here.
An early adop ter phase is also evident
in the types of users who say they are in-
fluenced by
U G C .
Older consumers
4 5
an d
over) are less likely to turn to UGC sites
(Figure 7) than younger users (under 45).
And using the Netpop segmentation model,
we find that Online Insiders are almost twice
as likely to be influenced by UGC as other
broadband user segments (Figure 8).
Heavier
W e b 2 .0
participants
to
begin with.
Online Insiders are the ones driving cur-
rent WOM marketing. As Online Insiders
grow in proportion to other segments, a
trend we are already starting to see, the in-
fluence of online WOM should logically in-
crease. However, this assumes Online
UGC is more likely to infiuence items that are more com-
plex, higher priced, and highiy covetedlike technoiogy
and consumer eiectronics. But it is less likely to influ-
ence low-involvement products and/or those primarily
purchased in stores
(e.g. ,
CPG).
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0
Content Kings
Fast Trackers
l ^ ^ ^ ^ l
S ocia l C lic ke rs I j i ^ ^ ^ ^ g
Everday Pros I ^ ^ ^ ^ H
N 1,397
Base: Purchased product
in
5
^ 6
last three
10
9
8
months
15 20 25
Figure
7
InfluenceofUGCbySegment
Insiders will retain the usage characteris-
tics they share today. It may not be the On-
line Insiders,
but
rather
a
subset
of
this
group, that act as the primary influencers
on the web.
LOOKING AHEADPREPARING FOR THE
MYSPACE AND YOUTUBE GENERATION
In considerationofwhat might lay ahead
for online WOM,it isuseful toexamine
the role of UGC in online entertainme nt.
This
is
an area whe re 13
to
24 year olds,
the heaviest purveyors of Web 2.0, are
highly engaged in online conversations
today. (Online entertainment is definedas
movies, music, games, and television con-
tent or information that is available on the
web.) A natural synergy exists between UGC
and online entertainment, given that enter-
tainment represents the cultural meme
the water-cooler talk that draws people
together. From a marketing p erspective, the
relationship between WOM and online en-
tertainmentiseven more powerful when
we consider how indistinguishable enter-
tainment and media have become online.
Take short online videos or movie trailers,
for example: are they marketing or free di-
versions from the daily grind? Most w ould
argue both.
In point
of
fact. Piper Jaffray recently
coined theterm Comm unitainment in
referenceto a new formofentertai
that combines communication, co
nity,andentertainment online. Co
nitainment is certainly an important
for media companies to embracebo
defense of declining traditional media
its and to discover new waysofeng
audiences. But Corrununitainment c
profound commerci l implications
a
especially as theMySpaceandYo
generation enters adulthood.
Our study shows that one-third
o
learn about newentertainment th
UGC, specifically blogs, social net
ing sites, community sites,andpo
(Table 5). While television remains a
portant channel
for
learning about
entertainment, the num bers of13 to 2
olds influenced by UG C 48 perc
far greater than the percent influence
television (31 percent) (Figure 9).
Findings also suggest that Broad
ers who use these UGC sources rank
influence fairly high. For example,
blog and social networking sites are
by just 19 percent
of
Broadbanders,
two-thirds of these users find these so
influential in deciding what towat
play. The influence of UGC is fairly s
across all genres of entertainment,
the exception
of
movies where
it
d
0
13-24 ^ ^ H
25-44 ^ ^ H
45-H ^ ^ H
N = 1.397
Base: Purchased
5
H
^
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