New York, N.Y., December 11, 2008 — Experian® SimmonsSM recently looked at the way Americans engage with their news media. The findings are drawn from the latest release of the Simmons Multi-Media Engagement Study (MME), conducted between July 2007 and June 2008.
Experian Simmons has identified and continuously tracks five key ways that consumers engage with the content of the media they consume across more than 1,000 different television, magazine and Internet media vehicles. These key dimensions of engagement (Trust, Inspiration, Life Enhancement, Social Interaction and Personal Timeout) play an important role not only in how media connects with its audience via content, but also in getting consumers to notice and pay attention to the advertising messages that support and make possible most major media.
In the study, Americans gave news media the highest marks for Social Interaction, meaning they regularly talk with friends and family about things they see on news programs or read about in news magazines or on online news sites. Interestingly, news media also got high scores for Trust, indicating that while other research has shown Americans don’t necessarily trust “the media” at large, consumers mostly believe that the news they personally consume provides them with accurate and trustworthy information.
Oddly, Trust and Social Interaction don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. Of 48 news properties included in this analysis, the most talked-about was the popular Drudge Report, which scored 12 percent above average for Social Interaction. Meanwhile, Drudge scored 10 percent below average for Trust, putting it 46th in the ranking.
With the increasing seriousness and gloom of world events clearly weighing on Americans, it’s no surprise that news media got its lowest marks for Personal Timeout, meaning that when Americans want to escape, the last place they’ll turn to is the news.
When it comes to connecting consumers with advertised products and services, Experian Simmons found that 28 percent of the audience of the average news program, magazine or Web site say they get valuable information from the advertising they typically see there. For additional information on how consumers engage with the news media, download the free analysis report.
About Experian Simmons
Experian® SimmonsSM is a full-service market and consumer research organization dedicated to enabling clients to optimize communications with their customers and prospects across multiple channels by providing a robust description of the American consumer. For more information, visit www.experiansimmons.com.
About Experian
Experian is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.
Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organizations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.
For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence. Clients include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.
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Contact:
Patricia Lao
Experian Simmons
1 212 471 2881
patricia.lao@experian.com