Amidst the Cuts, UK Spend on Social Media Soars
Like the rest of the country, I’ve been watching today’s ‘Spending Review’ announcement with great interest and although the general view seems to be that the cuts weren’t quite as bad as expected, £81bn has been axed from public spending over the next four years.
It’s with relief that I read some good news for a change…online ad spend in the UK has increased by 10% year on year. IAB UK has recently published the new online ad spend figures and they show that nearly one quarter of the total UK advertising market is now spent online.
Other highlights from the IAB report are:
- UK online ad spend for the first half of 2010 measured £1,968.6 million.
- Online ad spend hit another new record, earning digital a market share of 24.3%.
- Over same period, total UK ad spend (across all media) rose 6.3% to £8.1 billion.
- Advertising on social media sites account for an estimated 13% of all online display advertising.
- How much of this was social media spend? Well Social Media Influence calculate that it amounts to £43.4 million, taking 13% of display ad total (£334.6 million in H1 2010).
And Amy Kean, one of the Authors of the report believes the social media contriubtion may be understated as she comments on the IAB blog.
Posted in: Communications, Social Media
The Average US Teenager Sends 3,339 Texts Per Month
If you needed more proof that texting is on the rise, here’s a stat for you: the average US teenager sends over 3,000 texts per month. That’s more than six texts per waking hour.
According to a new study from Nielsen, our society has gone mad with texting, data usage and app downloads. Nielsen analyzed the mobile data habits of over 60,000 mobile subscribers and surveyed over 3,000 teens during April, May and June of this year. The numbers they came up with are astounding.
The number of texts being sent is on the rise, especially among teenagers age 13 to 17. According to Nielsen, the average teenager now sends 3,339 texts per month. There’s more, though: teen females send an incredible 4,050 text per month, while teen males send an average of 2,539 texts. Teens are sending 8% more texts than they were this time last year.
Other age groups don’t even come close, either; the average 18 to 24-year-old sends “only” 1,630 texts per month. The average only drops with other age groups. However, in every age bracket, the number of texts sent has increased when compared to last year. Texting is a more important means of communication than ever.
In 2008, the main reason anybody got a phone was for safety, even among teenagers. That’s not true anymore. 43% of teenagers now say texting is the #1 reason they get a cell phone. Safety is #2 with 35%, while 34% of teenagers say they get cell phones to keep in touch with friends.
Texting is also supplanting voice calls — 22% say SMS is easier than a phone call and another 20% say it’s faster. Voice usage has decreased by 14% among teens and is decreasing in all age groups under 55. 18 to 24 year olds use the most minutes, but every age group between 18 and 55 talks on the phone more than the average teenager.
While voice may be on the decline, data and app usage is on the rise. According to Nielsen, data usage among teens has quadrupled, from 14 MB to 62 MB per month. In a role reversal, teen males use more data than their female counterparts: 75 MB vs. 53 MB of data. App and software downloads also increased by 12% among teens in the last year
These stats are eye-popping, but what’s even more amazing is that these numbers only keep rising. Texting, data usage and app downloads are nowhere near their peak, but one has to wonder: how many texts is the average teenager actually capable of sending? What’s the limit?
Source: Nielsen
Posted in: Web Stats
Gap Reverts to Original Logo After Social Media Backlash
Gap has announced on its Facebook Page that it is scrapping its new logo design efforts, acquiescing to a torrent of criticism coming primarily from Facebook and Twitter users.
Last week, Gap unveiled a new logo, one it called “a more contemporary, modern expression.” The retailer’s customers were not so thrilled about the change, and Gap decided to ask users for their logo design ideas instead. However, that course of action has now been reversed, as well.
“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback,” the company said on its Facebook page. “We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowdsourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight.”
According to Gap, the original logo will make its return “across all channels.”
The backlash against the Gap’s new (and now defunct) logo was intense. Beyond the thousands of tweets and Facebook status updates deriding its design, people found other creative ways to protest the new logo. A fake Twitter account has gathered thousands of followers, while Gap logo generators have quickly gone viral.
While social media wasn’t the only reason that Gap felt compelled to revert to the old logo, it definitely was a major factor. Social media mobilized and spread the word about the logo change. In this case, the company listened to its customers and avoided a consumer backlash of Tropicana proportions.
Source: AdAge
Posted in: Social Media
