WHO: Bloggers, Brands and Consumers - Day 1 SOTB 2010 - Page 3
What Influences the Influencers?
Respondents say that the most common thing that influences the topics they blog about are conversations with friends. However, when asked about the primary influence on their topics, across the board, bloggers say that other blogs they read are the most influential. Of all bloggers, Corporates are most likely to be influenced by other blogs that they read and TV shows they watch. Although bloggers are using social media to market their blog and distribute their posts, only 15% say these sites influence what they blog about; the same number of bloggers say they are influenced by web portals.
Brands and the Blogosphere
42% of respondents say they blog about brands they love or hate, while 34% say they never talk about brands on their blog. Among respondents who do blog about brands, 51% said they rarely review products, services, brands, or companies. Among Corporates who talk about brands on their blog, 48% say they post reviews on a weekly basis.
Around a third of bloggers (33%) and almost a third of Hobbyists (28%) have been approached by a brand to write about or review products on their blog, and 41% say that a brand's overall reputation affects their willingness to write about it. Among respondents who are influenced by a brand's reputation, 13% say they boycott products and 71% say they write only about brands whose reputation they approve of.
64% of respondents believe that brand representatives treat bloggers less professionally than they treat traditional media—a view that is strongest among Hobbyists.
A little over half (55%) of respondents who have been approached by a brand were aware at the time they took our survey of the FTC ruling on disclosure of endorsements for bloggers. Among those aware of the ruling, 59% said it had not had any effect on their blogging activities.
42% of bloggers overall, and 39% of Hobbyists, use social media to follow brands. Among those who use social media to follow brands, 50% are blogging about brands occasionally (once every few weeks or less), while another 27% never blog about brands.
|
Media Habits of Bloggers Overall, respondents are spending more time engaging in online activities than they were in 2009, and spending significantly more time reading social media sites. Bloggers spent an average of 9.9 hours on social media sites each week, compared to just 5.5 hours among the American general population. It is also interesting to note that bloggers were spending more time on social media sites each week than they were reading other blogs. Corporates seem to be more engaged with media online than are other types of bloggers, as they spend an average of 8.8 hours listening to podcasts on their computer and an average of 8.1 hours watching TV shows online. Overall, respondents are least engaged with print media sources, spending an average of 3.5 hours each week reading newspapers or magazines they subscribe to. |
Interview
Social Networking and Blogging for Positive Change"For those that have the 'luxury' and resources to social network and blog, we have an obligation to use it for positive change and great causes."
|
Across audiences, bloggers were more likely to share blog posts with their social media followers than with their blog readership, indicating that social networks are seen as a marketing tool by each group. Consistent with the fact that Corporate bloggers were the most likely to have a separate Facebook page for their blog, this disparity was the largest among that group of bloggers.
Consumers in the Blogosphere
For the first time, we surveyed consumers on their trust of and attitudes toward the media they consume. While the blogosphere has not replaced traditional media, it is becoming more firmly entrenched as an information source, and consumer trust in traditional media is dropping.
Compared with other media, blogs outpace other social media and many traditional media in terms of generating consumer recommendations and purchases. This is reflected by the steadily increasing levels of brands engaging with the blogosphere.
Now you know who's blogging. Coming up on Day 2: Topics and Trends in the Blogosphere.
- Motivations and Consequences of Blogging
- Company Blogging
- Blogging Topics
- 2010 Trends: Moms who Blog
- 2010 Trends: The Impact of Social Media on the Blogosphere
- 2010 Trends: Traction of Tablets and Smartphones in the Blogosphere
Follow Technorati