comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, on Wednesday released a study which provides insight into the demographic characteristics, interests and media usage habits of online consumers who own digital music players (DMPs), including devices such as MP3 players, iPods (and starting Nov. 15, Microsoft’s new Zune music player, according to comScroe). Based on findings from comScore’s new Plan Metrix media planning tool, the study revealed that these tech-savvy consumers, who typically have an above average income, represent an attractive target for consumer electronics advertisers.
Twenty-seven percent of all Internet users currently own one or more DMPs. Online DMP owners are slightly more likely to be male (53 percent) and more than one-third (37 percent) are between the ages of 18-34. Moreover, they are nearly twice as likely as the typical Internet user to be enrolled as full-time college students.
Thirty-six percent of online DMP owners have an annual household income above $75,000, and they are 66 percent more likely than the average Internet user to have an annual household income above $150,000. They show a high affinity for online shopping; with 49 percent agreeing that the Internet is the easiest way to shop, and 94 percent reporting they shopped (i.e. researched and/ or purchased) online in the past six months.
“With the launch of Zune, Microsoft is targeting a highly desirable audience segment,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix, in the press release. “As Zune gains in popularity, it will be interesting to observe how this segment of DMP owners differs from those who own iPods and other DMPs already in the marketplace.”
MacDailyNews Take: And here’s what will be found: Zune owners, all 937 of them, will be 100% more likely to own a PC infected with one or more distinct instances of self-replicating malware, they will be nearly forty-four times as likely as the typical iPod user to be the result of inbreeding, and they will prove to be a highly desirable, yet infinitesimally small target market for beef jerky makers (all varieties), low-end consumer electronics outfits, Big Mouth Billy Bass, Symantec, Wal-Mart, Dell, NASCAR, and David Alan Coe.
comScore says that echnology is an important part of online DMP owners’ lives and they have a higher-than-average propensity to own many types of consumer electronics products, including entertainment-related devices. They are more than twice as likely as the norm to own Web-enabled video game consoles, 80 percent more likely to own a satellite radio system and 57 percent more likely than the norm to own a plasma/ flat screen TV.
Ownership of Consumer Electronics Products, among Online DMP Owners Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+
(Consumer Electronics Owned, Index)
Web-enabled video game console, 205
PDA, 189
Handheld video game. 185
Satellite radio system, 180
Digital Video recorder (e.g. TiVo), 172
Plasma/Flat screen TV, 157
Digital TV/HDTV, 149
Home theater system, 149
Digital still camera, 136
Digital video camera, 135
Note: Composition index is the propensity of online DMP Owners to own specific electronics devices, compared to the average Internet user. An index of 100 represents parity. An index of 205 should be read as “DMP owners are 105 percent more likely than average to own that particular electronic device.” Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
Not surprisingly, the technology-adept online DMP owners are also highly Internet savvy individuals. These consumers tend to be medium-to-heavy Internet users, with 83 percent going online seven days a week. They are 58 percent more likely than the average Internet user to be the first among their peers to buy new gadgets, and are 13 percent more likely to have purchased goods and services online in the past six months.
Notably, comScore’s Plan Metrix analysis revealed that online DMP owners are more prone to simultaneous media usage than the average Internet user, and are especially likely to surf the Internet while watching TV. This group is 50 percent more likely than the average Internet user to visit a related chat room while watching a TV show, and 49 percent more likely to visit a related Web site during a program. Importantly, DMP owners are 40 percent more likely than the average Internet user to research or browse products featured in a TV show or ad shown within the program, and are 17 percent more likely than the norm to purchase a product featured in a TV show or ad.
Digital Music Player Owner’s Online Activity While Watching TV Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+
(Online Activity, Index)
Visit a chat room about a TV show watched, 150
Visit a Web site about a TV show watched, 149
Research/ browse products featured in a TV show or ad, 140
Search for TV listings/ show reviews, 133
Purchase products featured on TV show or ad, 117
Send e-mail/instant message about show watched, 112
Note: Composition index is the propensity of a specific segment to visit a site compared to the average Internet user. An index of 100 represents parity. An index of 150 should be read as “50 percent more likely than average to conduct the particular online activity while watching TV.” Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
While online DMP owners use the Internet while watching TV, they tend to be light TV viewers overall, with 45 percent watching TV less than 19 hours a week. In comparison, only 38 percent of Internet users watch less than 19 hours of TV programming per week. Not surprisingly, these avid music fans are not heavy radio listeners, spending less than 14 hours per week listening to the radio. When it comes to readership of publications, they fit the norm in newspaper readership, but show a partiality for magazines. In fact, they are 79 percent more likely than the average Internet user to subscribe to 10 or more magazines, with 56 percent subscribing to at least two magazines and one-quarter subscribing to more than four magazines. Advertisers seeking to target DMP owners through offline vehicles should consider a variety of magazine formats, from entertainment to news.
Magazines Read – Past 30 Days, among Online DMP Owners Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+
(Publication, Index)
Seventeen, 213
The Economist, 209
Rolling Stone, 208
Fitness, 189
Maxim, 182
New York Times Magazine, 180
YM, 177
Men’s Health, 173
Vanity Fair, 171
Forbes, 170
Note: Composition index is the propensity of a specific segment to visit a site compared to the average Internet user. An index of 100 represents parity. An index of 213 should be read as “113 percent more likely than average to read a particular magazine.” Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
comScore says this analysis was conducted using the recently released Plan Metrix service, comScore’s consumer analysis and online media planning tool. Plan Metrix combines more than 4,100 in-depth lifestyle, product usage and demographic characteristics with comScore’s continuously and passively captured behavioral measurement, which spans more than 10,000 online entities.
The foundation of the Plan Metrix service is an extensive lifestyle and product usage survey fielded to comScore panelists, which is integrated with the passively observed online behavior at the respondent level. By using this methodology, Plan Metrix provides granular insight without relying on consumers to recall the complete details of their online browsing behavior.
Plan Metrix is delivered as a component of the comScore MyMetrix service. This integrated approach, consistent with other comScore Media Metrix applications, provides users with the advanced capabilities of the Plan Metrix database while maximizing efficiency and ease of analysis.
Plan Metrix is used by leading publishers, adverting agencies and ad networks, including Advertising.com, AOL, AvenueA, Belo Interactive, Burst! Media, Careerbuilder, Clear Channel, Cox Communications, Digitas, GameDaily, Knight-Ridder, Leapfrog Online, Media Contacts, Modem Media, Moxie Interactive, OMD, Starcom IP, Terra, Universal McCann, ValueClick Media and Yahoo!.
That the Economist is the #2 magazine (and Forbes is #10) is the thing that stands out the most to me. It suggests that the marketing focus on the 18-34 crowd may be misplaced.
MDN Take: Zune owners… will be nearly forty-four times as likely as the typical iPod user to be the result of inbreeding, and they will prove to be a highly desirable, yet infinitesimally small target market for beef jerky makers (all varieties), low-end consumer electronics outfits, Big Mouth Billy Bass, Symantec, Wal-Mart, Dell, NASCAR, and David Alan Coe.
Hey MDN, you are making all of us Mac fans look like nasty jerks
If they are right and high income earners are tech savvy and buy products based on overall quality, features, price and ease of internet purchasing, then there is only one choice to be made. Sorry Microsoft, however take solace in the fact that there are still quite a high number of STUPID people out there with access to enough cash to make uninformed decisions. The bad news is that you will have to fight for that 30% of the STUPID market with some other non-apple competitors.
There are not enough O’s in stoopid to describe the Zune
Please don’t forget to give a review of the ZUNE at amazon.com!
It already looks like Microsoft has all of its employees giving glowing reviews.. I think us MDN readers need to help balance all those 5-stars out!
Black Zune
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Digital-Media-Player-Black/dp/B000EPLP3C/sr=8-1/qid=1163775622/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5699143-7099362?ie=UTF8&s=electronics
Brown Zune
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Digital-Media-Player-Brown/dp/B000H0QDCC/sr=8-2/qid=1163775622/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-5699143-7099362?ie=UTF8&s=electronics
White Zune
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Digital-Media-Player-White/dp/B000FMZE7W/sr=8-3/qid=1163775622/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/102-5699143-7099362?ie=UTF8&s=electronics
DanielN,
Lighten up, it’s a joke. And an exaggeration to make a point: the few people who do end up buying Zunes won’t be the most tech-savvy CE buyers in the world, so Zune’s demos won’t be nearly as desirable as iPod’s.
“As Zune gains in popularity…”
I’d be willing to bet that the Zune’s popularity peaked before it was even released.
MDN’s take is right. You would have to be really stupid to buy into Zune G1. If you hate iPod & Apple have a good look at the Sandisk Sansa/BestBuy combo. It’s not iPod/iTunes/iTS but it’s a hell of a lot better than Zune/Zune Marketplace.
iPod’s are cool and only a baboon would use a zune.
Microsoft represents everything dull and mediocre, boring and corporate to the point you hate it, like a job.
Apple represents fun, vacations, personal, enjoyment and sexiness.
From Rabid Dog
“iPod’s are cool and only a baboon would use a zune.”
What a persuasive argument. What are you, 5 years old?
From the Brown Zune reviews on Amazon…
” I was admittedly apprehensive about their music selection but was pleasantly surprised that they seem to have all 30 or so artists that I enjoy (from White Zombie, Puddle of Mudd to Hoobastank).
I did have to re-download a couple of songs from the marketplace (free unlimited downloads thank god) that would not transfer from Itunes due to Apple’s annoying need to utilize their exclusive m4p filetype.”
“Apple’s annoying need to utilize their exclusive m4p filetype”… Very… technically obscure of you.
And you like White Zombie?
All the good reviews sound the same. I think Amazon should really look into it, I’m sure they have IP address of posters. Did they all come from Redmond?
-c
MW: ‘very’ (pathetically transparent)
As a Mac user and NASCAR fan, I think MDN has this one just slightly wrong…
“due to Apple’s annoying need to utilize their exclusive m4p filetype”
compared to Microsoft’s annoying need to utilize THEIR DRM-WMP (or whatever) format?
Hells, yeah!!! MS is so gonna stand up to those labels!!! Can I get an amen!!!!!!!!!! By “stand up to”, I mean “roll over and expose their belly to”, of course. I’m vaguely surprised that songs purchased from the Zune store do not expire after 10 plays or 10 days, whichever comes first.
The fact that someone can make a paycheck by coming up with a study that says that Tech-savvy peole are a good target for high-tech electronic manufacturers blows me away. I’m in the wrong racket.
Yeah, that take was a bit harsh I thought.
Hey, don’t knock David Alan Coe!
Ouch! Man that was a bit tart. Inbreeding? Wal-Mart? Joke, I’m sure, but damn! We Mac users aren’t all damning to that extent; are we?
“Apple’s annoying need to utilize their exclusive m4p filetype”
Of course, it has nothing to do with the newcomer to the market being unable (or unwilling) to handle the file type most associated with legally downloaded music. Or the user being too thick to figure out that (s)he just had to burn a CD in iTunes, then import it into the Zune litterbox…
“Thirty-six percent of online DMP owners have an annual household income above $75,000, and they are 66 percent more likely than the average Internet user to have an annual household income above $150,000.”
Interesting. The US average income is just a little over $40,000. Seems to me this survey is saying there are quite a lot of people in the ‘not making butt-loads of money’ bracket who aren’t buying as many iPods as they could be.Smells like a marketing opportunity to me.
The assumption would be now that there’s a sizable number of people who don’t like the price of the iPods worth owning (iPod & Nano), based on their income, and don’t want the more limited Shuffle even if it is cheaper. and that these people either aren’t buying DMPs at all, or are buying cheaper non-Apple alternatives. Either way, Apple isn’t pulling them in when in they could be.
Maybe, when Apple finally unveils it’s big screen uberiPod, whenever that is, the original formfactor models can finally come down in price. It’d be worth a shot for Apple to attempt anyway. If it doesn’t work and Apple’s sales numbers don’t bounce 15-20% (my estimate), if nothing else I guess that’ll tell us how much this survey is worth.
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Interesting…!!. there are quite a lot of people in the ‘not making butt-loads of money’ bracket who aren’t buying as many iPods as they could be.Smells like a marketing opportunity to me.