Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Business Decision Makers Online
Usage & Opinions of a Critical
Online Audience
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Methodology
• washingtonpost.com partnered with MORI Research and
Nielsen//NetRatings @Plan to understand how business decision
makers (BDMs) use the Web
• An online survey was administered to 1,572 random visitors to
washingtonpost.com
• MORI Research and @Plan provided survey design and analysis
services
• Using the @Plan definition of a ‘business decision maker,’ 573
respondents were screened out of the survey, leaving a complete
sample of 999 individuals (Appendix i)
• washingtonpost.com’s decision makers approximate the average
online decision maker in terms of organization size, position, and
purchasing influence (Appendix ii-iv)
• Data analysis performed and results compiled by @Plan and
washingtonpost.com
2
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Key Findings
• The Internet is the most powerful advertising medium for
reaching and influencing business decision makers
• The Internet is the dominant media vehicle consumed by
business decision makers during the week and second only to
TV on the weekend
• Increased Web usage by business decision makers has resulted
in decreased consumption of Television, Newspapers,
Magazines, and Radio programming
• Business decision makers use the Web for General News and
Current Events far more than for any other reason
3
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
The Web is the Best Place to Reach
Decision Makers
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Internet
Magazines
Newspapers
TV
Radio
% Definitely/Probably Include
• When asked which media to include in an advertising campaign
aimed at reaching them, over 60% of business decision makers
recommended the Internet (Appendix v)
• Less than 40% of BDMs recommended using radio or television
advertising to reach them
4
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
The Web is the Most Powerful Advertising
Medium
• Online and advertising helps BDMs make purchasing decisions
more often than advertising any other medium (Appendix vi & viii)
• An overwhelming majority of business decision makers view the
Web as the best medium to find out about new products and
companies (Appendix vii)
• 77% say the Web is the place to find out about new products and
companies – more than twice as many as the next highest medium
• According to a majority of BDMs, advertising on the Web gives
products and services a more modern and up-to-date image than
advertising on traditional media (Appendix vii)
5
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Online Advertising Leads to Purchases
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Internet
Magazines
Newspapers
Television
Radio
None of these
% Influenced (past year)
• 47% of business decision makers say that the Web has
influenced them to make a purchase or obtain a service for their
business (Appendix viii)
• Compare this to 35% for magazines, 24% for newspapers, and only
20% for television
6
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Internet Dominates During the Workday
0%
4%
8%
12%
16%
20%
Internet
(excluding
email)
Radio TV Newspapers Magazines %
using 5+ hrs. per weekday
• 17% of business decision makers use the Web at least 5 hours per
weekday (Appendix ix)
• Compare this to only 9% for Radio and 7% for TV
• An insignificant proportion of BDMs spend 5 or more hours reading
newspapers or magazines on an average weekday
7
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Internet and Television Dominate On the
Weekend
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
TV Internet
(excluding
email)
Radio Newspapers Magazines
% using 5+ hrs. per weekend day
• 7% of business decision makers use the Web at least 5 hours per
weekend day (Appendix x)
8
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
BDMs Expect Continued Increases in Web
Usage
• 40% of business decision makers expect their Web usage to
increase over the next 12 months (Appendix xi)
• Only 4% expect their Web usage to decrease over the next 12
months
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Increase
significantly
Increase
somewhat
No change Decrease
somewhat
Decrease
significantly Web usage (
next 12 months)
9
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Increased Web Usage Inversely Effects
Other Media
• 55% of business decision makers have increased their Web
usage over the past 12 months. As a result of this increased
Web usage (Appendix xii):
ÿ 50% have experienced a decrease in TV viewership
ÿ 47% have experienced a decrease in Newspaper readership
ÿ 45% have experienced a decrease in Magazine readership
ÿ 18% have experienced a decrease in Radio listenership
10
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Decisionmakers Read News Online
• Over 90% of business decision makers use the Web to read
general news and/or current events (Appendix xiii)
• More than twice as many use the Web to read general news and
current events than for any other reason
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other
Research competitive companies
Purchase business related products and
services
Research possible business related
purchases
Read financial news/stock lisings
Read general news/current events
11
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Appendix
Sample Characteristics
& Detailed Findings
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Defining the Business Decision Maker
The following question was used to define a business decision maker for
the purposes of this survey:
Do you, personally and directly, participate in or influence the decision to purchase any of
the following for your company? (Click all that apply. If you click one or more categories
inadvertently, you can correct the error by simply re-clicking on any incorrect categories.)
• ASPs/Internet Access Services/Website Hosting
Services
• Computer Software/Hardware
• Human Resource Services – employee (full &
part time) recruitment, benefit packages, insurance
• Legal Services
• Office Supplies, including paper, pens, etc.
• Telephone Services (local and/or long distance),
including Internet access lines such as T-1 lines
• Business Consulting Services - corporate
strategy, product development, market research
• Financial Services - commercial banking,
accounting, investments, investment banking
• IT Technology Consulting Services - software
programming, IT development
• Marketing Services - advertising, media
• Telephone Equipment (land-based and/or
cellular)
• Travel Services - airline, lodging, train and car
reservations; meetings and convention services
• None of the above*
* Respondents who indicated they do not participate or influence purchase decisions were screened out of the survey.
i
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Purchasing Influence
Web
Access/
Hosting
Svcs.
Business
Consulting
Svcs.
Financial
Svcs.
HR
Svcs.
IT Tech
Consulting
Svcs.
Mktg
Svcs.
Office
Supplies
Tele
Equip.
Tele
Svcs.
Travel
Svcs.
Online
BDMs 24.0% 21.0% 20.0% 22.2% 20.1% 21.3% 56.9% 27.1% 28.2% 26.8%
WP.com
BDMs 29.7% 23.9% 20.0% 26.3% 27.9% 23.8% 47.6% 27.3% 30.6% 32.3%
• washingtonpost.com’s BDMs are more likely to approve the
purchase of technology related products and services than
online BDMs
• This may result from washingtonpost.com’s high concentration of
coastal residents, with over half of readers residing in the techcentric
South Atlantic or Pacific census divisions
• washingtonpost.com BDMs are less likely to approve the
purchase of office supplies than online BDMs
ii
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Organization Size
<10 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-499 500-999 1000-1999 2000+
Online BDMs 26.5% 6.4% 6.3% 5.4% 11.5% 5.0% 4.5% 31.7%
WP.com BDMs 27.1% 6.7% 5.9% 4.8% 13.2% 5.7% 4.9% 31.6%
• washingtonpost.com’s BDMs roughly approximate the average
online BDMs in terms of organization size
• Both washingtonpost.com BDMs and online BDMs tend to
work in either small or large organizations
• Less than 20% of online BDMs work in organizations with 50-500
individuals
iii
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Job Industry
Arts/Ent/
B'casting/
Publishing
Auto/
Aero
Computer
Software/
Prog
Labor/
Trade Edu
Finance/
Banking
Medical/
Health Care Gov’t
Manufacturing
/Operations
Retail/
Wholesale Telecom
Online
BDMs 3.0% 2.8% 3.1% 7.0% 7.2% 4.2% 7.4% 13.3% 5.5% 5.1% 2.0%
WP.com
BDMs 6.0% 2.0% 11.5% 1.8% 9.0% 4.2% 5.3% 11.5% 4.6% 2.7% 5.3%
• washingtonpost.com’s BDMs are more likely to work in
Computers and Technical industries than online BDMs
• This may result from washingtonpost.com’s high concentration of
coastal residents, with over half of readers residing in the techcentric
South Atlantic or Pacific census divisions
• washingtonpost.com’s BDMs are less likely to work in Retail or
Labor industries than online BDMs
iv
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Internet TV Radio Newspapers Magazines
Definitely include 36% 20% 12% 21% 25%
Probably include 25% 13% 19% 26% 30%
Might or might not include 14% 15% 18% 19% 14%
Probably not include 6% 12% 13% 7% 6%
Definitely not include 5% 16% 14% 8% 6%
Don't know/refused 7% 8% 8% 7% 8%
If you were planning an advertising campaign to reach a business
decision maker like yourself, which of the following media would you
include?
v
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Internet TV Radio Newspapers Magazines
None of
these
Don't
know/refused
Is where I prefer to
find out about new
products
65% 11% 6% 25% 35% 7% 3%
Has advertising I
notice at work 45% 3% 8% 18% 17% 30% 6%
Has advertising that
helps me decide what
to buy
40% 20% 14% 41% 38% 20% 4%
Has advertising that
is relevant to me 40% 35% 30% 54% 46% 13% 3%
Has advertising I
remember for a long
time
17% 43% 18% 15% 22% 25% 6%
Please select the media you think apply to each of the following
statements. You may choose as many or as few as you wish.
vi
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Internet TV Radio Newspapers Magazines
None of
these
Don't
know/refused
Where to receive
information about
products
77% 7% 6% 23% 32% 4% 4%
Where modern and
up-to-date companies
advertise
72% 53% 28% 31% 58% 2% 5%
Has advertising that
is rich in information 47% 8% 5% 29% 42% 15% 5%
Has innovative
advertising 43% 50% 13% 8% 23% 11% 8%
Has interesting
advertising 30% 54% 21% 16% 38% 13% 6%
Where traditional
companies advertise 20% 78% 49% 68% 58% 1% 5%
Please give your personal impressions about the nature of
advertising you see on each of the following media. For each
statement, please select the media you think apply.
vii
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
In the past year, which media’s advertising has influenced you to
make a purchase or obtain a service for your business?
Frequency Percent
Internet 468 47%
Magazines 347 35%
Newspapers 236 24%
Television 199 20%
Radio 102 10%
None of these 278 28%
viii
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Newspapers Magazines
Internet
(excluding email) Radio TV
< 15 minutes 24% 38% 3% 12% 7%
16 - 30 minutes 30% 27% 10% 18% 10%
31 - 60 minutes 23% 13% 21% 19% 19%
1 - 2 hours 10% 6% 24% 19% 27%
2 - 3 hours 3% 2% 15% 8% 17%
3 - 5 hours 1% 0% 9% 6% 8%
> 5 hours 1% 1% 17% 9% 7%
None 6% 6% 0% 4% 4%
Thinking about an AVERAGE WEEKDAY, how much time do you
spend with each of the following media?
ix
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Newspapers Magazines
Internet
(excluding email) Radio TV
< 15 minutes 16% 29% 9% 21% 6%
16 - 30 minutes 23% 25% 16% 20% 7%
31 - 60 minutes 27% 17% 18% 14% 14%
1 - 2 hours 18% 10% 19% 12% 23%
2 - 3 hours 4% 3% 13% 8% 22%
3 - 5 hours 1% 1% 7% 6% 13%
> 5 hours 1% 0% 7% 4% 8%
None 7% 7% 5% 7% 4%
Thinking about an AVERAGE WEEKEND DAY, how much time do you
spend with each of the following media?
x
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Frequency Percent
Increase significantly 58 6%
Increase somewhat 346 35%
No change 548 55%
Decrease somewhat 30 3%
Decrease significantly 5 1%
Don't know/refused 12 1%
Thinking about the NEXT 12 MONTHS, do you expect the frequency
with which you use the Internet to:
xi
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
As a result of your increased Internet use, how has your use of the
following media changed?
Frequency Percent
Increased significantly 5 1%
Increased somewhat 20 4%
No change 236 43%
Decreased somewhat 171 31%
Decreased significantly 102 19%
Don't know/refused 2 0%
Frequency Percent
Increased significantly 6 1%
Increased somewhat 29 5%
No change 249 45%
Decreased somewhat 158 29%
Decreased significantly 91 17%
Don't know/refused 4 1%
Frequency Percent
Increased significantly 10 2%
Increased somewhat 36 7%
No change 236 43%
Decreased somewhat 146 27%
Decreased significantly 110 20%
Don't know/refused 2 0%
Frequency Percent
Increased significantly 20 4%
Increased somewhat 37 7%
No change 375 68%
Decreased somewhat 65 12%
Decreased significantly 31 6%
Don't know/refused 4 1%
Watching TV:
Reading Magazines: Listening to the Radio:
Reading Newspapers:
xii
Business Decision Makers Online: A study of 999 people on washingtonpost.com who met the @Plan definition of a “business decision maker.”
Frequency Percent
Reading general
news/current events 916 92%
Reading financial news/stock
lisings 454 45%
Researching possible
business related purchases 444 44%
Purchasing business related
products and services 327 33%
Researching competitive
companies 302 30%
Other 245 25%
None of the above 22 2%
Excluding e-mail, how do you use the Internet during the workday?
xiii |
|
