Well I just had to drop in and post an article I read. As those whom have the misfortune of knowing me personally can attest, I am a bit of a ‘numbers freak’. So this lovely bit of numerical dissemination that gives us a glimpse into the mind of the consumer, should not be missed.

While I advise you read the article in its entirety, here are some spots of interest to wet the whistle…

Quoteable Quips;

‘57-year-old Jean & Dave has an iPod but no idea what a podcast is. Neither is familiar with RSS.’
‘I love to check the internet for instant news and updates, but I still like reading the paper and magazines’

‘While marketing prognosticators and technophiles rush into the future, raving about the next big content delivery system or ad model, the fact is most Americans -- notably adults with steady incomes -- still get their content the old-fashioned way.’

"We understand that while they're powerful new tools, the bulk of human interaction is still high-touch rather than high-tech,"

"There are some viable opportunities for certain clients, but the harsh reality is podcasting is incredibly nascent, and while RSS is a little further along, we see a very specific type of person using it."

Notable Numbers

Consider: According to Jupiter Research,
7% of American adults write blogs and 22% read them; about 8% listen to podcasts and 5% use RSS feeds.

According to a separate study by WorkPlace Print Media,
88% of the at-work audience doesn't even know what RSS is.

And recent data from word-of-mouth research group Keller Fay;
92% of brand conversations were taking place offline -- far more than the commonly assumed rate of 80%.

Unawareness extends to mobile as well;
1% of the country's 210 million mobile-phone subscribers said, ‘they choose service providers based on entertainment options’, according to Jupiter Research,

Even among the younger 12-17 demographic, the numbers are somewhat surprising. 66% claim they never watch video online

• 41% never listen to or download free music online.
• 84% have never paid to watch or download video
• 71% never pay to listen to or download music.
• 69% never use social-networking sites
• 71% have never posted a comment on a blog
• 79% have never written their own blogs (though 15% do so frequently).

Did you get all that? While understanding technology in marketing terms will certainly be important in the very near future, we’re not quite there yet. I for one welcome this ‘splash of cold water’. I personally believe Blog Marketing, PodCasts and all of their cousins were a ‘tad’ over-hyped. It seems it may just be the case…

Bravo... Let’s find real uses for them and an appropriate value as well.

Full Article;