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
Twitter:
@pewinternet
THANK YOU!!
All data available at: pewinternet.org