I’ll say it again: it’s all about the audience.  Your message, the medium you choose and the distribution mechanism you select is all dictated by the audience you want to reach. With the multitude of choices that make up our ever-widening media landscape, choosing the right avenue by which to reach your audience is extremely important and can make or break your campaign.

So where are these splintered audiences and how can you best reach them? There are entire books that have been written about this subject and I only have a few paragraphs, so I’ll concentrate on one demographic parameter alone: age. In future posts I’ll deal with others such as gender, income level and race.

The biggest general observation that can be made about media consumption is that online technologies are increasingly attracting all age groups, especially the younger demos, while traditional media like newspapers, magazines, radio and television continue to skew older.

Newspapers: Newspaper readership has been in a steady decline over the past decade, with only two in five reporting that they obtain their news via traditional newspaper brands on a daily basis (whether print or online). 60% of those 55+ reported reading a newspaper on a daily basis while “less than one quarter of those aged 18-34 (23%) say they read a newspaper almost every day while 17% in this age group say they never read a daily newspaper.”

Magazines: The average age of magazine readers is now 45 at the same time that ad pages continue their downward trend.

Radio (AM/FM): Listenership is declining in the 12-17 age demo, while 86% of those above the age of seventeen still listen to radio.

Television: Although the median age is now 51, two years older than the coveted 18-49 demo, television is still the broadcast medium of choice for reaching a mass audience. However, the numbers speak volumes about the viewership habits of the newer generations. The 55+ age group spent approximately 60% more time watching television than the 18-24 demo.

Internet Video: The 18-24 age group spends the most time watching video online, three times as much as those aged 65+ and almost twice as much as those in the 45-54 age group.

Internet Radio: According to the NPD Group, more than half of teens (52 percent) listened to online radio in 2008, compared to just 34 percent in 2007 and in a study conducted by Big Research, it’s clear that the percentage of users listening to radio online decreases as age increases, with almost three times as many listeners in the 18-24 age group as there are in the 55+ age group.

Instant Messaging & Text Messaging: There are almost twice as many users of instant messaging in the 18-24 age group as there are in the over 55 age group. And from the same chart you can see that use of text messaging is overwhelmingly a youth activity.

Blogs: Those aged 18-24 comprise the largest group reading blogs and compared to those 55 and over, there are almost three times as many of them.

Social Networks: This is where things get fascinating, especially as it concerns the largest social network out there, Facebook. In an interesting analysis by Peter Corbett, head of iStrategyLabs, he reports that “Facebook’s 35-54 year old demographic segment not only continued to grow the fastest, but it accelerated to a 276.4% growth rate over the past six months. That demo is DOUBLING roughly every two months.” Additionally, the second fastest growing age group on Facebook is the 55+ group. In another, more comprehensive analysis on the Royal Pingdom Blog, it’s clear that those in the 25-54 age group comprise the bulk of social network users.

My next post will be about gender differences in the usage of these media.

Image courtesy: http://www.ny3d.org/2008/03/

It’s a bit of a chicken and egg question but some of our blog posts in the past have hinted at the fact that Web 2.0 brings with it not only a change in technology but also a profound change in culture, particularly in the ways that Web 2.0 users are used to doing things.

To buttress this point, I came across an interesting blog post on the confluence of technology, culture and giving and it’s worth bringing it to your attention.  In his post, Peter Dunn points out that the Red Cross has found the right technology (phone texting), for the right purpose (fast fundraising), aimed at the right generation (Gen Y, a group of users who “average 740 texts per month”).

As he points out:

“…often times, charities aren’t meeting the “needs” of those it asks from. No one writes checks, and even online giving isn’t doing the job for Gen Y. The fast-paced, multi-tasking nature of Gen Y often is a hindrance when it comes to charitable giving.

The Red Cross figured it out (or at least I’m giving it credit for figuring it out). It is allowing mobile phone users to simply text the word “Haiti” to 90999. By doing this, it has cracked the code to Gen Y giving.”

I don’t know about the accuracy of the “no one writes checks” statement or whether Gen Y members feel that it’s a hindrance to give online or not but I strongly agree with the underlying meaning of the statement and the overall post.  Gen Y, or more accurately, Web 2.0 users, are used to doing things differently.  Driven by their use of technology first, they expect to be able to get things done online via their computers or increasingly, via their mobile devices.  They want to do things fast, with a minimum of steps and they are used to doing several things at once, with various devices.

I would add that what Web 2.0 has enabled in this case – giving users the ability to help via their cell phones by making a charitable contribution via texting – is not the end of the story in Haiti—or in this case, the beginning.  Most of the reports of the tragedy first surfaced via Twitter and social networks such as Facebook, as most other forms of communication in the country were wiped out in the earthquake.  As reported by James Morgan of BBC News, these social networks were then used very effectively to raise record sums in record time by non-profits helping in Haiti.

It is the confluence of users, their behaviors (and expectations) plus the technology that is giving rise to a completely new way of doing things…the Web 2.0 way.

“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. “

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Image courtesy therainbowfish

There’s been a lot of talk about transparency and collaboration in Government lately and some of you may be wondering if it’s just all talk, but there is clear evidence that the tools, technology and ethos of Web 2.0 are making headway in the Government space.

Here are some websites that are using Web 2.0 tools to communicate with the public and within Government:

1. The White House: If you want to see a leading example,  look no further than the White House website.
2. The Collaboration Project: This site, created and maintained by the National Academy of Public Administration, is a great window into how different Government agencies are using Web 2.0.
3. GovLoop: This social networking site for Government workers, contractors and anyone interested in Government boasts thousands of participants and has a very robust online community.
4. GovTwit: This Twitter directory lists agencies and Government personnel using Twitter.
5. Young Government Leaders: This Drupal site is a social networking community for Government workers (and up and coming leaders) under the age of 40.

These websites are only a small sampling of how Web 2.0 is being used within and without Government circles. Use these links to connect to other sites and examples of how Government is using these powerful new tools to better engage with the public and within Government agencies.

For those of you interested in attending gov 2.0 Summit, early registration ends today:

For the last couple of years, Mind & Media has been taking steps to become a green organization and we’ve found out that doing so is not only good for the environment but it’s also good business.  As we take steps to become more energy efficient and implement conservation measures up and down the organization, we are not only seeing the expected savings (of energy and $$) but also realizing some unexpected gains.  As a conservation mindset sets in among the staff, we are realizing that a “no waste” ethos is becoming a part of the way that we conduct business and that this new way of seeing the world is also improving efficiency and increasing productivity.

When we first embarked on this path, we did some research and also wrote an action plan (something we always do for our clients), which served as our playbook going forward.  I’m proud to say that we’ve instituted most of the suggestions in our own internal guide and some that are outside of it (for example, we’ll be painting the roof white, which not only reflects 98% of the sun that hits it but also has the added bonus of extending the natural life of the roof…resulting in less expense and less waste).

As I was reviewing the guide yet again, I thought it might be a good idea to share it with the world…so here it is…attached to this blog post.  Enjoy…and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

It’s Easy Being Green! Recommendations for the Greening of Mind & Media

We’ve been following the Air Force’s moves with Web 2.0 for a while now — even going so far as to include their blog assessment flowchart (which I think is fabulous) in a white paper we recently published — so when I read David Meerman Scott’s blog post:

Free social media ebook and video: New Media and the Air Force

I thought I’d share it with you…because this information needs to be put to good use!

Government 2.0 Camp is happening right now and if you’re not there, no mattter…you can keep up with everything that’s going on through Twitter.  Follow the tweets at: #gov20camp.

And if you want to stay tuned post barcamp, follow the conversation at Government 2.0 Club.

Are you going?

It seems as though everyone’s talking about Twitter these days, the social media tool du jour.  But what is this tool really all about?  Since there’s been a lot of chatter about this very topic lately, I thought I’d include excerpts and links to some good articles and blog posts that should provide newbies with some guidance.

Here’s a succinct definition, which I found at the Capitol Communicator website:

“First things first, what exactly is Twitter? Twitter is a 140-character statement or update, sometimes referred to as a microblog. If you use Facebook, think of a whole application that revolves around your status update. However, unlike Facebook where you need to accept a friend, people on Twitter simply follow you and can read your updates. Conversely, if you want to read a users updates or “tweets” you simply follow them. Twitter users follow friends, companies and influential people in their fields and industries.”

The post goes on to explain why you should consider using the tool, which can be used as a way of increasing awareness for you, your organization (i.e. agency) and/or issues that you care about (for instance, creating public awareness of government initiatives).

Additionally, here’s a good list of tips for how to use Twitter, courtesy of Stacey Parks from Film Specific:

1.  To really get the hang of it, start following others and do what they do.

2.  Be honest.  Have fun.  Don’t be preoccupied with selling anything.

3.  Share links, share ideas, ask questions, answer questions — anything but “What are you doing?”  Unless it’s really interesting.

4.  Get active and follow others.  Great tool for tossing around ideas.

5.  Join the conversation…there are too many promoters on twitter who just broadcast.  Learn and start networking.

6.  Always give value in your Tweets.

7.  As far as getting followers goes, being friendly and helpful does wonders.

8.  Keep your profile updated and the followers will come.

9.  Contribute positively to conversations.

10.  Instant feedback from readers is the best part of Twitter.  Listen to others; engage them; have a conversation.