Ipsos today released its annual version of The Business Elite Study http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3922, which tracks the C-suite and its media preferences. Those of us who are interested in reaching the C-suite for the most part still choose to do it via print. While it’s true that print is the perfect vehicle for conveying a high-quality image and for creating a lasting impression, the assumption that C-level executives do not use digital media is false.
The study shows that using a publication’s website is a part of the daily routine for 38% of those surveyed. The number who consider a website an important part of a publication’s overall offering jumped from 50% last year to 73% this year.
The embrace of digital media has not diminished executives’ reliance on magazines. Rather they have become greater consumers of business-related media by adding the Internet and cable TV to the mix.
The feeling that C-suite executives do not use the online medium is usually based on the assumption that they are older and, therefore, not as tech-savvy as younger, possibly more junior managers. That is also not the case.
- Almost three out of four own a cellphone with a camera and multi-messaging. More than half own HDTV and almost half own iPods.
- More than a third own Blackberries and satellite radio.
- A very healthy percentage (68%) download videos and 49% have streamed or watched videos on their computers.
- The use of blogs is increasingly steadily, with almost a third of those surveyed reading them and a small number contributing.
The study shows that we can’t rely on one medium to reach this highly influential audience. The use of blogs alone should compel us to look at adding such functionality. The marriage of print and digital media seems ideal for the audience—not one or the other but both working together.
