Yet another example of the shift in influence … a new type of holiday shopping resource is emerging as consumers turn to “social shopping” communities (e.g., ThisNext, Yahoo Shoposphere, Stylehive.com and Crowdstorm.com) that offer interactive, peer-driven product reviews.

Gift recommendations dominate online holiday discussions on blogs and range from one-off reviews to comprehensive shopping guides, according to (pdf) a Nielsen Online analysis of 1,000 influential blogs* during November.

If as a brand you are not reaching out to get involved with these .. you are missing out!

You know you are onto something when everyone else starts to climb on your band wagon – especially when it’s the old guard who are now claiming to have what you are offering after “poo-pooing” it.

Today the Newspaper National Network LP came out with research that claims that their web readers are more likely to be Influencers than people who don’t read their news websites.

I nearly fell on the floor laughing.

But then I thought about it – yes, it is a characteristic that Influencers like to be more informed – and they will invest way above average time and effort to remain so.  And most of that is done online.

BUT in the other (Nielsen) research out recently – the credibility of adverts has reached an all time low for all traditional media.

So the poor old newspaper industry is in the position that yes, maybe Influencers do visit them – but I got news for you – its to read the news. Not to look at the ads which they barely notice and those they do, they don’t believe.

Sorry guys – I don’t think anyone with half a brain is going to believe you are they way of the future!

Full story here

Survey Reveals Communicators Are Out of Sync with the Way Consumers Use Media

The way communicators dispense information is out of sync with the way consumers use media, according to Media, Myths & Realities, a comprehensive survey of media usage among consumers and communications professionals conducted by global public relations firm Ketchum and the University of Southern California Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center.

Advice from family and friends is the No. 1 source that consumers turn to when making a variety of decisions – ranging from purchasing consumer electronics to planning a vacation – and advice from an expert rates highest when making medical decisions and purchases based on a product’s environmental impact. Despite the strong evidence that friends, family and experts play a key role in influencing decisions, only 24 percent of communicators report having a word-of-mouth program in place.

"This year’s findings magnify the point of last year’s benchmark survey, which showed that communications professionals need to vigorously reassess their communication priorities to meet consumers’ needs in this multimedia channel world," said Nicholas Scibetta, Ketchum senior vice president and global director, Global Media Network.

"The survey results also show that today, more than ever, each consumer can search out the specific information he or she is seeking while tuning out the media sources that aren’t personally relevant or meaningful," Scibetta added. "Communicators must focus on speaking to individuals, not just broadcasting to the masses, when getting their messages across to this new ‘public of one.’"

TYpically consumers are

• more skeptical of nearly all media outlets
• using more media sources than ever before
• less likely than they were a year ago to trust them
• 22 % use social networking sites, up from 17 % in 2006
• 19 % of consumers use blogs, up from 13 %
• Among consumers over the age of 55, use of blogs and social networking sites more than doubled
• At the same time, use of most other media slipped from a year earlier

Takeaways for Communicators

• Put word-of-mouth and search-engine-optimization strategies in place or miss out on tremendous potential for audience reach and sales. In addition to advice from family and friends being the No. 1 source that U.S. consumers turn to when making select decisions, search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, Cade, Yandex, Baidu, etc.) rank No. 1 or 2 among all media channels in overall usage for BRIC countries and No. 3 in the U.S. among influencers.
• A company’s own Web site should not be the primary choice when communicating to stakeholders. While a company Web site provides communicators with a high degree of control over their message, consumers often turn elsewhere for information.

About the survey:

The survey compares the media usage habits of 1,229 adult Americans, In Brazil, Russia, India and China, 300 consumers and 200 influencers were surveyed in each country.

Full article at CNN Money