A study carried out by GfK Roper Consulting for the World Media Group

July 2008 Who are The Influentials? The Influentials is a unique group that was first identified in the 1970s within the Roper Reports study. Roper, one of the foremost market research companies in the USA, had been tracking levels of social and political activism going back to the 1940s, and during some routine cross-tabulation analysis it was noticed that the group that was most active socially and politically were also people who find out about and try new ideas, products, services, volunteer their opinions to the rest of their social network and are asked for recommendations because they are regarded as “the kind of person who will know what’s good and what’s not.” This group has, over time, been described as follows: • The most active 10% of the public • Someone you know and rely on • Well-connected, well-informed, trusted • Word-of-mouth leaders • A vital centre of society and marketplace • Opinion leaders for products, services and ideas • Twice as likely as average to be sought out for opinion • Twice as likely as average to make recommendations • Leading indicators on trends (3-5 years ahead)

Aims of this Study It was believed that the international publications and associated websites whose members comprise the World Media Group are consumed by a high proportion of ‘influencers’: individuals whose importance as an audience to the advertising market cannot be described in demographic terms alone, rather their influence is a consequence of their attitudes, behaviour and personal and professional network of contacts. It was also decided to investigate new types of Influentials that would be relevant: Business and Digital Influentials. The World Media Group decided to test this hypothesis, and chose to team up with GfK Roper Consulting, the modern incarnation of the company who first developed the term. The research needed to be of sufficient size and quality to obtain reliable data across five markets: UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Social Influentials Who are they? This group fits the classic Influentials definition, honed over 30 years of research and refining. It is designed to identify the top 10% of the entire population - the one in ten who tells the other nine how to vote, where to eat and what to buy - and is based on the number of activities carried out from a list of 12*. The number of activities required to classify as a social influential differs by country, and is based on Roper Reports Worldwide 2006 findings. In the UK the figure is five activities, in France and Italy four and in Germany and Spain three. Findings

The hypothesis that readers of World Media Group publications are more likely to be Influentials is certainly borne out by the results. Thirty four percent of WMG readers met the definition requirements, compared with only 25% of the sample as a whole. The corresponding figure for nationally representative samples covering all income groups, gathered in our Roper Reports 2006 study, was by contrast only 15%. Looking at specific activities, WMG readers are more likely to regularly attend business lunches or dinners than non readers (61% vs. 37%), to make speeches or give talks to groups (42% vs. 25%) and make donations to local or national organizations (35% vs. 15%). Percentage of Social Influentials in Each Group* ‘All consumers’ and ‘all web users’ figures from Roper Reports Worldwide 2006

15

2518

34

22

40 41

All consumers Total Sample WMG non-readers

WMG readers All web users WMG webusers

WMG printand web

15

2518

34

22

40 41

All consumers Total Sample WMG non-readers

WMG readers All web users WMG webusers

WMG printand web

Category Influentials Who are they? Once the Influentials model had been validated globally, it was then extended to look at Category Influentials. These are individuals who have a diverse social network (defined at the country level in terms of the number of groups of people they have been in contact with in the past month), and product passion*. The number of types of people whom respondents must have been in contact with differs by country, and is based on Roper Reports 2007 figures. The figure is seven in Germany and six for the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Business Category Influentials were also identified in this study. These are Business Influentials (see next page) who also display passion for a particular product category. Findings As shown in the table below, a significantly higher percentage of World Media Group readers are Influentials in a variety of social and business categories.

186207Business solutions

214227Financial services

156239Telecoms/IT hardware/software

Business Category Influentials

602415Hotels

562818Banking or financial products

523221Electronics/technology

%%%Social Category Influentials

Percentage UpliftWMG ReadersWMG Non-readers

186207Business solutions

214227Financial services

156239Telecoms/IT hardware/software

Business Category Influentials

602415Hotels

562818Banking or financial products

523221Electronics/technology

%%%Social Category Influentials

Percentage UpliftWMG ReadersWMG Non-readers

*See page 4 for details

Business Influentials Who are they? This is a new definition for a new group of people, and comprises the most connected 25% of business people in our sample. On average, they are more likely to be company owners or senior management. They keep up to date with developments in their sector and are twice as likely as average to make recommendations to colleagues in a number of business categories. The definition is based on a number of activities carried out from a list of 15*, and differs by country. Eight activities are required in Spain, seven in Italy and the UK and 6 in France and Germany. Findings To an even greater extent than Social Influentials, WMG readers are more likely to meet the definition for Business Influentials. Forty-two percent qualify as Business Influentials, compared with only 29% of the total sample and 19% of those who do not read the publications regularly. WMG readers are more likely to circulate articles to colleagues than non readers (49% vs. 26%), as well as take strategic business decisions (49% vs. 26%) suggest innovations to benefit their company (33% vs. 19%) and raise capital for a new business venture (12% vs. 4%). Percentage of Business Influentials in Each Group*

29

19

42 41 43

Total Sample WMG non-readers WMG readers WMG web users WMG print and web

29

19

42 41 43

Total Sample WMG non-readers WMG readers WMG web users WMG print and web

Digital Influentials Who are they? Another ground breaking new category, the Digital Influentials definition has been designed to identify the 25% most digitally active of our high income sample. These people are at the forefront of the online Influential revolution, and not surprisingly are more likely to be either a social or business influential too. They make recommendations to others on a wide range of social topics, including electronics and technology and are more likely to recommend on many business categories; not just telecoms and IT. They are defined as having carried out six or more of eleven online activities in the past 30 days*. Findings Digital Influentials account for 32% of WMG readers sampled, compared with only 25% of the total sample, and 20% of non readers. WMG readers are more likely to carry out a number of influential activities online.

50128Maintain my own blog

421712Add a review or comment to a website such as Amazon

422719Contact someone via a social networking site

414532Download music, radio, audio or video files

535234Forward news and website information to others

405942Share documents, photos or videos using email or online

%%%Digital Influential Activities

Percentage UpliftWMG ReadersWMG Non-readers

50128Maintain my own blog

421712Add a review or comment to a website such as Amazon

422719Contact someone via a social networking site

414532Download music, radio, audio or video files

535234Forward news and website information to others

405942Share documents, photos or videos using email or online

%%%Digital Influential Activities

Percentage UpliftWMG ReadersWMG Non-readers

*See page 4 for details

Appendix: Methodology and Definitions Methodology Interviewing took place in March and April 2008 and was conducted by ICD Research. The number of online interviews conducted in each country was as follows: UK: 1,364, France: 1,119, Germany: 1,088, Italy: 1,497, Spain 1,415. In each country, the sample consisted of World Media Group subscribers and members of ICD Research’s online panel. Minimum income levels were applied to reach a high income sample that best reflected the readership of WMG titles. Weights were applied ensure that each country had equal representation in the total sample, that the income profile of the non-reader sample was in line with that of the WMG reader sample and to give equal weighting to each of the 8 WMG titles in each country. Social Influential Activities:

1. Attended business lunches/dinners on a regular basis

2. Made a complaint to a store, company, or organisation

3. Attended a public meeting on town or school affairs

4. Made a speech or gave a talk to a group 5. Made a sizable donation to a local or national 6. Attended a political rally, speech, or event 7. Led or served on a committee of some local

organisation

8. Written a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine or called a live radio or TV show to express an opinion

9. Asked a question in a public meeting 10. Organised a special social event such as a

reunion, etc. 11. Written to or called any politician or contacted

any government official at local, regional, or national level

12. Been an active member of a group that tries to influence public policy or create change in the community

Category Influentials: Social Network

1. Relatives who live outside your household 2. Neighbours 3. People you know through your family’s or

children’s activities 4. People you know from work or school 5. People you know through a civic organisation

or community group 6. People you know through church, mosque,

temple, or other place of worship 7. People you know through a sports, hobby, or

other social organisation or club 8. People you haven’t personally met, but know

through social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo, etc.

9. Other people who are just friends

Product Categories

1. Cars or other motor vehicles 2. Banking or financial products 3. Luxury goods eg. Jewellery, watches etc. 4. Personal appearance/fashion/beauty 5. Out-of-home entertainment (restaurants,

films, etc.) 6. Electronics/computers/technology (TV, PCs,

music players, cell phones, cameras, etc.) 7. Wellness/fitness/exercise 8. Hotels 9. Airlines 10. Environmentally sound purchases 11. Ethically sound purchases

Business Influential Activities:

1. Attended a work related conference 2. Attended business lunches/dinners on a

regular basis 3. Circulated documents or articles that I have

found in the media or other sources to my colleagues that I think they may find useful in their work.

4. Delivered presentations to other members of staff in your organization

5. Taken or influenced a significant decision on the future direction of my organization

6. Delivered presentations to people outside your organization

7. Offered advice to more senior members of staff in your organization.

8. Spoken at an industry conference 9. Suggested an innovation to benefit my

company 10. Been involved in writing an industry paper 11. Been involved in the organisation of social

activities for colleagues 12. Exhibited at a conference/trade show 13. Sat on an industry committee or other

professional body 14. Raised capital for a new business venture 15. Set up a new company

The following Business Category Influentials were also identified: financial services, recruitment solutions, telecoms, business solutions, corporate/social responsibility, business travel, marketing and advertising. Digital Influential Activities

1. Find out information about products they want to purchase

2. Make purchases 3. Download music, radio, audio or video files 4. Instant messaging 5. Share documents, photos or videos using

email or a web based photo service 6. Maintain their own blog or web log

7. Comment on someone else’s blog or web log 8. Contact someone via a social networking site

like MySpace, Facebook etc. 9. Add a review or comment to a website such

as Amazon 10. Forward news and website information to

others 11. Listen to a podcast

Base Sizes & Definitions: All consumers: From Roper Reports Worldwide 2006 Total Sample: Total weighted sample from this research N=5000 WMG non-readers: Do not read any WMG publication frequently (at least 3 out of 4 issues) N=2733 WMG readers: Read one of the 8 WMG publications frequently (at least 3 out of 4 issues) N=2267 All web users: From Roper Reports Worldwide 2006 WMG web users: Visit at least one of the 8 WMG publications websites frequently (at least several times a week) N=1170 WMG print AND web: Read a WMG publication frequently AND visit a WMG publication website frequently N=996