Reaching Your Audience

in the Digital Age : Key Research Trends to Watch

Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism September 6, 2012

Aaron Smith Research Associate

Pew Internet Project

• Part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based in Washington, DC

• PRC’s mission is to provide high quality, objective data to thought leaders and policymakers

• Data for this talk is from nationally representative telephone surveys of U.S. adults (on landlines and cell phones, incl. Spanish)

• Presentation slides and all data are available at pewinternet.org

Tourism & the 3 Technology “Revolutions”

Computers,

internet and

broadband

Smartphones

and mobile

computing

Social Media

*

The Internet/Broadband

Revolution

85% of American adults (and 95% of teens) are now internet users

Internet use by age group

78%

97%

74%

91%

54%

77%

20%

53%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

18-29 30-49 50-64 65+

% of American adults age 18+ who use the internet (any device/location)

= 94% for all 18-49

= 2.6x increase

66% of Americans are home broadband users

34% 41%

38% 37%

30% 28%

23%

15% 10%

7% 5% 3% 3%

3%

6% 11%

16% 24%

33% 42%

47% 55%

63% 66% 62%

66%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

June 2000

April 2001

March 2002

March 2003

April 2004

March 2005

March 2006

March 2007

April 2008

April 2009

May 2010

Aug 2011

April 2012

Dial-up Broadband

% of American adults age 18+ who have a high-speed broadband connection at home

Roughly 1 in 6 adults do not use the internet, and 1 in 3

adults are not part of the broadband revolution

Internet and broadband adoption are highest among:

The financially secure and (especially) financially well-off

Those under the age of 65

The well-educated (some college, college grads)

Parents w/ children living at home

Whites and English-proficient Asian Americans and Latinos

Urban and suburban residents

Of course, not everyone has joined the

internet/broadband revolution

• Greater overall engagement in online activities

• Search becomes the norm (92% of online adults)

• Multimedia meets the masses:

Watch online video (71%)

Post photos online (46%)

• Content creation and e-commerce take off:

Buy a product (71%)

Share something you created online (30%)

Blogging (14%)

“The Broadband Difference”

Widespread access totally changes how we learn about businesses (even ones in our backyard)

13%

22%

30%

47%

8%

23%

31%

51%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Local TV or radio

Word of mouth

Newspapers

The internet

Restaurants, bars and clubs Other local businesses

The sources people rely on the most for information about local businesses:

Of those who cite the internet as a major source of info…

• About 2/3 say they turn to

search engines

• About 1/3 turn to other online

sources (such as topical or

specialty sites)

• This group skews towards 18-

39 year olds, college grads,

mobile news consumers,

recent transplants & parents

Print sources are particularly

relevant to older adults (esp. those

65 and older)

8 in 10 adult internet users go

online to research a product or

service they’re thinking of buying

2/3 make air/hotel/car reservations

online (2x increase vs. March 2000)

Half have taken a virtual tour of a

location online

1/3 have rated/reviewed

a product, service or person online

Other key trends

One downside to the internet/broadband revolution: information overload

7/10 adults are “overwhelmed by the amount of news and information available

today”, and 1 in 5 are overwhelmed by the number of products (and info about

those products) available to buy (still, ¾ like having lots of choices)

Solutions to info overload: customization/personalization, reliance on friends

and social networks, direct access to relevant info (apps, etc)

Summary: Impact of Internet/Broadband Revolution

Most (not all) are along for the ride

Internet and broadband use widespread

Usage especially high among a few key grps

“E-travel” commonplace

Vast majority of travelers now conducting

pre-trip research and booking travel online

Info seeking

Heavy reliance on search as a starting point

Challenges with info overload

The Mobile Computing

Revolution

Comparing the Broadband and Mobile Revolutions

Internet/Broadband Era Mobile/Social Era

Connection type Stationary (desktop

computer)

Portable (laptop,

tablet or smartphone)

Flow of

information Mainly one way

Built for sharing,

reviewing, &

participating

Info Consumption Discrete, task-oriented

activity

Continuous, always-

on activity

Device ownership tells the story of the mobile revolution

73%

88%

68%

58%

30%

61%

35%

46%

2%

18%

3% 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

April 2006 Dec 2007 April 2008 April 2009 May 2010 May 2011 April 2012

Cell phone (general) Desktop Laptop Smartphone E-reader Tablet

% of American adults age 18+ who own each device

Now more laptops

than desktops

Now more

smartphones than

“regular” cell phones

Tablet ownership up 6x

in just two years

Around 1/3 of the country has given up their landline phones entirely (this is a huge deal for my line of work)

Cell owners are doing more and more with their phones…

% of adult cell owners who use their phones to…

65%

29% 27% 22%

73% 73%

44%

38% 34%

31%

82% 79%

53%

44% 44% 43%

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Take pictures Send/receive text msgs

Access the internet Send/receive email Record video Download apps

Sept 2009 May 2011 March 2012

…as smartphones become more and more widespread

• 17% of all cell owners go online

mostly using their cell phone,

instead of a desktop or laptop

computer

• For many in the under-30 crowd,

smartphones are an essential

purchase—regardless of income

level

• Mobile devices alter the

racial/ethnic “digital divide” story

• Mobile users do more online,

spend more time with content,

share more with others

Smartphone owners use their phones for a range of (complex/sensitive/advanced) activities

% of smartphone owners who use their phones to…

4%

10%

6%

6%

21%

22%

15%

36%

37%

15%

50%

52%

15%

16%

31%

43%

44%

53%

58%

64%

64%

65%

68%

77%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Watch movies or TV shows through a paid …

Use Twitter

Visit a government website

Look for health or medical info

Check bank balance or do online banking

Listen to an online radio or music service

Upload photos online

Get news online

Play games

Get turn by turn navigation or directions while driving

Use a social networking site

Check weather reports or forecasts

% do this on "typical day" % ever do this

Apps provide direct connections to information

% of app downloaders who have downloaded each type of app…

App use is particularly prominent among 18-29 year olds (65% of cell owners)

Most app users turn regularly to just a small handful of apps…

…but tourism-related activities (trip planning, exploration of physical location,

reservations, reviews) are well suited to the apps world

Apps can provide direct pathways to discovery and

exploration of physical spaces

Tourism-specific examples of mobile devices and

exploration of physical space/location

6%

8%

12%

15%

16%

View/download info or images from a museum

Download or listen to audio tour at a museum, gallery or historical site

View or download info/images from a historic site, park or monument

Watch or download a music, dance or theater performance

View or download visual arts content

% of all adults who have used a handheld device (phone/e-reader/tablet) to…

74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get

directions, recommendations or other info based on their

present location, and 21% use their phone to get coupons

or deals to use at local businesses

• 41% of cell owners have used their phone

recently to coordinate a gathering or get-

together

• 30% have used their phone recently to decide

whether or not to visit a particular business,

such as a restaurant

• 20% have recently used their phone to visit a

website that was mentioned on television

(overall, half are “connected viewers”)

Key words of the ubiquitous mobility era: just-in-

time and spontaneous

% of cell owners in each age group who have performed these real-time activities in the previous 30 days

Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Mobile Survey, March 15-April 3, 2012.

16

4

5

4

12

15

23

18

11

14

15

18

26

27

21

23

29

31

37

39

45

21%

31%

33%

45%

43%

49%

60%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Get help in an emergency situation

Get up-to-the minute traffic or public transit info

Look up sports score

Look up something to settle an argument

Decide whether or not to visit a business, such as restaurant

Solve an unexpected problem

Coordinate a gathering

18-29

30-49

50-64

65+

Age comparisons: just-in-time info

Summary: Impact of Mobile Revolution

Just in time information

Where can I get a deal?

What’s something fun to do here?

“Networked Info” packed into the

physical travel experience

Apps, QR codes, real-time deals

Announcement and validation

Sharing travel successes (or failures) in real

time

“Check out this awesome place I found!”

The Social Media “Revolution”

2/3 of online adults use social networking sites, and

nearly half do so on a typical day

8%

16%

29%

46%

61% 65% 66%

2%

9% 13%

27%

38%

43%

48%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Ever Typical day

% of adult internet users who use social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+

Only search and email are more popular than social

networking on a “typical day” basis

% of adult internet users who do the following on a typical day

Use a search engine to find information 59%

Send or read e-mail 59

Use an online social networking site 48

Get news 45

Go online just for fun or to pass the time 44

Look for info on a hobby or interest 35

Check the weather 34

Look online for news or information about politics 28

Look for information online about a service or product you

are thinking of buying 28

Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo 28

Young adults lead the way on social network use,

but older users are gaining ground

80%

92%

73%

57%

38%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Teens 12-

17

Adults

18-29

Adults

30-49

Adults

50-64

Adults

65+

% of internet users in each age group who use SNS

Since 2009, use by 50-64 year

olds has doubled; use by

those 65+ has grown three-

fold (13% to 38%); women

bigger users than men

Teen Data July 2011 Adult Data August 2012

16%

32%

15% 9% 4%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Teens 12-17

Adults 18-29

Adults 30-49

Adults 50-64

Adults 65+

Teen Data July 2011 Adult Data August 2012

Twitter is not as popular as other sites, but

is growing steadily

16% of online

adults now use

Twitter, up from

8% in late 2010

% internet users in each group who use Twitter…

Main Reasons American Adults Use SNS

Stay in touch with current friends (67%)

Stay in touch with family (64%)

Reconnect with old friends (50%)

Connect with people with shared

interests or hobbies (14%)

Make new friends (9%)

Follow celebrities, athletes

or politicians (5%)

Find romantic partners (3%)

Social networks give rise to “News Participators”

As of Jan 2010, 37% of internet users

contributed to, commented on, or

disseminated news content via SNS

71% got news/info through email or SNS posts

As of Jan 2011, 41% of adults were “local news

participators”

Share links to local news stories/videos

Comment on local news stories/blogs

Post info about their community on SNS

Contribute to online discussions about their community

Tag or categories local content

Social networks allow for personal connections with

public figures and entities…

% of SNS/Twitter users who follow…

8%

11%

29%

41%

Museums

Arts galleries or other visual arts orgs

Musical, dance or theater groups/venues

Individual artists, musicians or other performers

…and those personal connections can help you find

and engage with your “Superfans”

44% of all adults have attended a live music, dance or theater

performance in the last 12 months; it’s 77% for people who

follow a music/dance/theatrical group or venue on a social

networking site

35% of all adults have visited a museum in the last 12 months;

it’s 82% for people who follow a museum on a social networking

site

35% of all adults have attended an arts, craft or music festival in

the last 12 months; it’s 55% for people who follow individual

artists, musicians or performers on a social networking site

29% of all adults have visited an art gallery, show or exhibit in

the last 12 months; it’s 82% for people who follow an art gallery

or other visual organization on a social networking site

Summary: Impact of Social Media Revolution

For users/consumers

Cutting through the clutter by getting advice

from “people like me” (note: just one

element of many in decision process)

Helping others with recommendations

Announcement/validation, part II

For vendors/producers

Forge direct connections with current &

potential fans

Variety and scale is a huge challenge—

choose where to actively engage, where to

lurk, where to ignore

Current Impacts and Future Trends

The New Reality: consumer

expectations for information

Information is free

Information is “at my

fingertips”

Information is available

whenever and wherever

I want or need it

Information is available

from multiple sources

Information is all around me

Information is Woven Into Our Lives

Mobile is the needle, Social Networks are the thread

Social Networks…

Surround us with

information through our

many connections

Bring us information

from multiple, varied

sources

Provide instant feedback,

meaning and context

Allow us to shape and

create information

ourselves and amplify

others’ messages

Mobile…

Moves information

with us

Makes information

accessible ANYTIME

and ANYWHERE

Puts information at

our fingertips

Magnifies the demand

for timely information

Makes information

location-sensitive

Next Generation “Info Weaving”: Augmented Reality

People today have access to more info than at any

time in history. What they need is…

Trusted experts and filters

to help them find, identify and utilize the best and

most accurate information

Someone to show them how/why information

relates to them and is relevant to them

Information purveyors can…

Let people customize info

to meet their own needs

Provide people with direct access to the

information that is most important to them

Be a one-stop shop by aggregating info, providing

links to related material, and

recommending other sources

Participate in online social networks and

make information easy to share

You can be a…

Filter

Curator

Node in a Network

Community Builder

Lifesaver

Tour Guide

What does all of this mean for YOU?

Information Purveyors Can…

Create networks/communities around their info

Facilitate connections between people with shared interests

Get, listen to, and respond to feedback

Identify and meet needs by tuning in to the online

conversation

Provide timely information when and where

people need it most

Make their information portable

Operate in a 24/7 world, be constantly connected

Connect their information to real-world places

Create opportunities for information immersion

and augmented realities

Aaron Smith Research Associate

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

asmith@pewinternet.org

Twitter:

@pewinternet

THANK YOU!!

All data available at: pewinternet.org