A handful of media usage surveys caught my eye today, and while the stories about them don't mention the political implications and applications, it doesn't take more than a few seconds to realize that those implications are there and political organizations and campaigns will need to factor them into their media strategery.
A Scarborough Research study commissioned by the Newspaper National Network has found a high degree of overlap in the use of online and print versions of newspapers, with 81% of respondents saying they regularly consume both kinds of media, reports MediaPost.com today.
The "Integrated Newspaper Footprint Study," a telephone re-contact survey of individuals in Scarborough's syndicated research database, sought respondents who had previously indicated that they had visited a newspaper Web site in the "last seven days"--and focused on the 81% of them who said they also read the newspapers in their print versions.Within this group, 63% read printed newspapers in the morning (before 10 a.m.), versus just 34% who visit newspapers' Web sites in the same time period. Conversely, 46% of these "crossover" users visit the Web sites in the afternoon or evening, versus a relatively lower 41% who read printed newspapers in those time periods.
Jason Klein, president and chief executive officer of NNN, speculated that this was due to the easy morning availability of newspapers that are either delivered to homes or sold (or given away free) at commuter hubs. It may also reflect a usage pattern in which the print newspaper anchors stories in readers' minds, which they then follow up on the Web.
At the same time, 96% of crossover users said they use newspaper Web sites for breaking news, and 85% to find articles seen previously. Other popular uses were for weather updates (75%), finding things to do (72%) and community events (70%).
Implication: If you're targeting the web audience, afternoon is when you're likely to find a larger audience.
Meanwhile, in a separate story, MediaPost.com reports that online "social networks" such as MySpace are a growing source of competition for newspapers, though less obviously than online news aggregators like Google News and Yahoo, "according to a global study of youth media behavior commissioned by the World Association of Newspapers and performed by research firm D-Code."
The study, titled "Youth Media DNA," found that "the importance of the social network as a disseminator of news and information is on the rise." The survey elaborated: "Many participants in this phase listed 'discussion with friends' as a top source for news and information, sometimes ranking higher than TV or newspapers."
In this context, the study said, the best strategy for newspapers may be inserting themselves into the social networks, where their content will appear alongside--and perhaps become absorbed into--the online discussion and debate.
The Implication: Well that's pretty obvious, isn't it?
Also: Maxim studies the media-consumption habits of men and finds, shockingly, that half of men said a sexy woman in an ad attracts their attention. Interestingly, about four in ten said they want product info.
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