Читать книгу Marketing in the New Media - Holly Berkley - Страница 20

So, who exactly do new media marketing strategies target? Well, almost everyone, actually. According to Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than 400 million people globally are online (Madden, April 2006). In the US alone, more than 172 million people (77 percent of the adult population) are regular Internet users according to a Harris Interactive poll (eMarketer, May 2006f).

There is a direct correlation between higher education/higher income and using the Internet more frequently. For example, the Internet Penetration and Impact report by Pew/Internet found that 91 percent of college graduates regularly go online while only 40 percent of adults with less than a high school education do so. As income level rises, so does the likelihood of having an Internet connection at home and using it frequently. Households with an annual income of less than $30,000 are only 53 percent likely to be online, while households with income between $30,000 and $50,000 are 80 percent likely to be online. And that percentage continues to increase as income level rises (Madden, April 2006).

Another important statistic for marketers to consider is that about 84 million Americans have broadband connection in their homes. That is almost double the number from the previous year. This growing number of high speed Internet connections allows marketers to get much more creative with their online promotions, which were once limited by file size and slow downloads with dial-up connections.

Breaking down the Internet usage numbers even further, by age group, shows that nearly everyone is an active part of the digital lifestyle (Madden, April 2006). Here are the current statistics:

• 12–17-year-olds: 87 percent online

• 18–29-year-olds: 88 percent online

• 30–49-year-olds: 84 percent online

• 50–64-year-olds: 71 percent online

• 65+ years old: 32 percent online

(See Chapter 5 for more details on ways to reach these specific target audiences and how different demographic segments differ in their use of new media technology.)