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As Kids Grow, Parents Spend Less Time on Social Media

posted on January 20, 2011

Parents with children under six years old spend more time using social media than those with older children. This is one of the findings of a new survey conducted by Media Audit and featured on eMarketer.

Starting with 67.1% (for parents with kids under six), the study saw a gradual but steady decrease in usage ending at 55.2% for parents with kids over 18. My guess is that the decrease is based on two factors, parental age and lifestyle.

Though there are exceptions to the rule (Elton John), most sources quote the mean age for a first baby at 25 to 27 years old. So the top level of responders in this survey are in their early-thirties and under. That alone, will account for more social media usage.

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If Mobile Is So Important to Facebook, Why Does Its Android App Suck So Much?

posted on January 20, 2011

Yesterday, Facebook made the announcement that they have created a new app for feature phones which can spread the use of Facebook in other mobile environments.

The Facebook blog post from Mark Heynen tells us

We want people to have a great mobile experience no matter what type of phone they carry. Smartphones have offered better features for sharing with friends but aren’t used by most people around the world.

Today, we’re launching a new mobile app to bring Facebook to the most popular mobile phones around the world. The Facebook for Feature Phones app works on more than 2,500 devices from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and other manufacturers, and it was built in close cooperation with Snaptu. The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.

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Twitter Reports 200 Million Accounts. So What?

posted on January 20, 2011

Twitter is an interesting character in the social media space. It is rock solid in its position because there is no other service that is just like or has grown to the ‘importance’ it currently has (or is perceived to have).

Where one can get confuzzled is in pinning down just how influential and widespread the actual use of Twitter is. On Tuesday, it was announced that they have entered into their seventh language for the service (Korean and most will need Google Translate to read it) and that international growth is moving right along. Twitter also has some new stats for the service as Forbes’ Oliver Chiang reports

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Parade Launches Opt-In Video Ad Program

posted on January 19, 2011

Video ad network AdGenesis has teamed up with Sunday supplement, Parade Magazine for an opt-in program that offers rewards to consumers who agree to watch a video ad.

The program is called PARADE Video Rewards and it’s pretty simple. You sign up, tell them a little about yourself and then you’re presented with a variety of video ad choices. If you watch, you get reward points and potentially a bonus reward such as a discount or coupon.

The program is currently being advertised on Parade’s homepage and the initial sign-up form is very short. Name, email, date of birth, zip code and that’s followed by a few questions about your interests. I don’t know if they’re the same for everyone but I was asked to check boxes pertaining to the types of things I buy online, and what kind of movies and music I like. The whole sign-up process took less than a minute if you don’t count waiting for the email confirmation.

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Study Shows Internet Users to Be More Community Minded

posted on January 19, 2011

There are people who think internet users are solitary souls who communicate virtually in order to prevent having actual human contact. But according to the most recent study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, internet users are much more likely to be involved in community, political and religious groups.

Says the study:

80% of internet users participate in groups, compared with 56% of non-internet users. And social media users are even more likely to be active: 82% of social network users and 85% of Twitter users are group participants.

The majority of group members who used the internet said that the internet was an important communication tool, it helped them draw attention to their issues and aided them in connecting to other groups.

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LivingSocial Flexes Amazon Muscle

posted on January 19, 2011

It’s interesting here at Marketing Pilgrim to watch what our readers will push out to their social network through retweets and what they comment on. One thing I noticed is that whenever we talk about Groupon there is great interest but crickets if we talk about LivingSocial.

Well, here’s something that will catch your attention. Remember the $183 million investment that LivingSocial received? Did you notice that $175 million of it came from Amazon? Do you think that Amazon might have the muscle to make Groupon flinch? If they make offers like this one today they will (Hat Tip to Business Insider).

You may miss the deal but it might be worse to think Groupon will continue to have no real competition. I suspect Amazon might have something to say about that, don’t you?

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Starbucks Rolls Out Mobile Payment System to 6,800 Stores

posted on January 19, 2011

Starbucks is busy keeping itself ahead of the curve. First, there is the Starbucks logo change ‘controversy’ (I use the term very lightly but it did get people talking). Now, the retail and branding giant has rolled out the mobile payment plan it forst introduced in 2009 to 6,800 Starbucks locations and outlets.

According to the Seattle Times

The clever mobile payment system that Starbucks has been testing in a few stores in Seattle, New York and Silicon Valley is going national.

Starbucks is announcing that it has expanded the “pay by phone” program to 6,800 of its stores, plus more than 1,000 outlets inside Target stores. It began testing the system at a few stores in September 2009.