BE:USA 2008/2009: The Media Survey of the United States Business Elite
By Ipsos Mendelsohn
Archive [Dated Content]
"Senior executives are savvy at using a mix of traditional and new media to get the information they need."
Year: 2008
Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested: Media habits and technology usage of senior business executives in the U.S.
Sample Population: 2,251 respondents, representative of some 630,000 senior executives in over 70,000 U.S. businesses covering a number of different industries, including information technology, telecommunications, financial services, and insurance. The average BE:USA senior decision-maker is overwhelmingly male (87%), possesses at least one degree (74%), has an average personal (not household) income of over $400,000 and a net worth – excluding real state holdings – exceeding $1.7 million. The BE:USA sample universe represents 1.7 trillion dollars of business purchasing decisions.
Methodology: Self-completed written survey. Ipsos employed a multi-step process to ensure the integrity and relevance of BE:USA data. Using a sample from Dun & Bradstreet, they qualified this sample further by telephoning companies to confirm suitability and identify the most senior executives to be surveyed.
Metrics: This survey measures the media consumption, business decision-making responsibilities, and personal profile of America's most influential business executives.
Top Line Results:
-
89% of senior executives surveyed said they keep up with the news; 63% said advertising plays a role in influencing their business purchases; 62% said keeping up with technology is important to them.
-
Senior executives are heavy consumers of all media and are tech savvy:
-
88% said they read the latest issue of any print media named (e.g. WSJ, Newsweek)
-
63% used email/IM to read news/sports on a mobile device in the past month
-
59% watched cable TV the day before
-
51% streamed or watched broadband video on a computer in the past month
-
41% listened to satellite radio in the past month
-
18% have downloaded a video podcast
-
6% contributed to a blog or posted to their own blog
-
-
When asked which media vehicle is their main source of information for business news, the top response was the Internet (34%), followed by cable TV (24%), national newspapers (21%), business magazines (18%), local newspapers (14%), and network TV (11%).
-
For industry news, the top media vehicle was the Internet (38%), followed by business magazines (30%), national newspapers (10%), cable TV (9%), local newspapers (7%), and network TV (5%).
-
Print readership remains stable compared to past BE:USA survey results:
- 88% say they have read the latest issue of any print media named
- 63% have read the latest issue of a weekly publication
- 60% have read the latest issue of a daily publication
-
57% have read the latest issue of a monthly publication
-
Actions business decision-makers have taken as the result of seeing print ads:
Actions
Local Newspapers
National Newspapers
Magazines
Visited a website
23%
21%
38%
Purchased a product
26%
12%
34%
Contacted the advertiser's company
11%
6%
14%
Visited a retailer/dealer
29%
9%
17%
-
54% of business decision-makers said they have purchased a product after seeing an ad online. Advertising on other media that have prompted purchases: TV (42%), magazines (34%), local newspapers (26%), and national newspapers (12%).
-
Half of all respondents say they have visited a company's website after seeing an ad online, followed by TV (43%), magazines (38%), local newspapers (23%), and national newspapers (21%).
Complexity rating: 1 (complex statistical analysis scale: 1=none, 2=moderate, 3=difficult)
Source: BE:USA 2008/2009: The Media Survey of the United States’ Business Elite (free registration required).
