Why
Gen Y isn’t Twittering
Less
than one-fourth of Generation Y consumers are using
Twitter. However, almost all of them in
the sample group have a profile on at least one social networking site.
The Participatory Marketing Network (PMN), a marketing support outfit,
today (June 2) released results of a new study.
Today, more young people are using online social networks because of
increasing promotional activities around them.
For instance, MySpace, in partnership with
MySpace Records and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, recently announced the
official launch of ‘Rock the Space.’ It’s a competition encouraging
unsigned bands or solo artists to submit an original song for the
opportunity to score a recording contract with MySpace Records, the
company’s full-service independent label. (Read:
MySpace Invites Artists to Rock the Space)
Also, Paramount Digital Entertainment, part
of Viacom, and Gaumont, a leading film production and distribution
company in Europe, announced the development of "Section 8," an
interactive Web series. It’ll be exclusively distributed in the U.S. by
MySpace. (Read:
Now, a Social Thriller on MySpace)
Similarly, to woo more consumers, Facebook
and Adobe Systems have announced a joint effort to enable Web developers
to create applications using the Adobe Flash Platform and Facebook
Platform. The new ActionScript 3.0 Client Library for Facebook Platform
is a free and open source programming language library. (Read:
Free Download: For Apps Using Adobe, Facebook)
AOL People Networks has launched Bebo in
different European territories. It has also roped in emerging media
brands AlloCiné, Clipfish, Telecom Italia owned Yalp!, Diagonal View and
Preview Networks’ Filmtrailer to its Open Media Platform. (Read:
Bebo Connects European Social Networkers)
To rope in more users, Friendster, a leading
social network in Asia, is coming in Tagalog, a language in the
Philippines. Now it supports 11 languages along with a slew of other
offers including the mobile site. (Read:
Friendster Social Network Connects You with
Tagalog)
As most of these campaigns by social sites are targeting
youth, social networks’ popularity is increasing.
"Twitter dominates the news, but clearly we're only touching the surface
of its potential as a marketing vehicle," said Michael Della Penna,
co-founder and executive chairman, PMN. "This is a classic 'glass half
full' scenario for Twitter because it's clear that Gen Y has an appetite
for social networking, but still hasn't fully embraced micro-blogging.
There is a tremendous opportunity now for marketers to develop
strategies to get this important group active on Twitter too."
Other
findings from the PMN Twitter/social networking research include:
Twitter has yet to catch on with Gen Y
-- Only 22% of this group say they use Twitter
-- 85% follow friends
-- 54% follow celebrities
-- 29% follow family
-- 29% follow companies
Online social networks are hot for Gen Y
-- 99% have a profile on a social networking site
-- 89% have downloaded an application to their profile page
-- Photos (89%), games (53%), entertainment (51%), news (32%) and
weather (29%) are the most popular applications
Mobile social networking is heating up for Gen Y
-- 38% have an iPhone or iPod touch
-- Games (53%), entertainment (35%), lifestyle (31%), financial -
"free" (28%), financial "paid" (7%) are the most popular mobile
applications
-- More than one quarter (26%) indicated none
PMN
conducted the study in May 2009 with its research partner, the Lubin
School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab at Pace
University, by questioning 200 PMN panel members and consumers between
the ages of 18-24.
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