MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

We live in an age of gizmos and gadgets, where the people with the latest and most expensive toys get to lead a growing group of technophiles. Technophilia, far from being the depraved practice it sounds, is a much coveted and envied state throughout the world. As revealed in a report by consumer and media research firm, Scarborough Research, these are the people who drive trends and influence the behaviour of others, especially online. According to the report, this makes them important people to watch.

Scarborough Research set about determining who the technophiles, or as they called them, the digitally savvy, are in the United States. To start off with they defined “digitally savvy” as those who are likely to own high-tech equipment such as DVRs, satellite radios and VoIP phones. They are likely to rely heavily on wireless technology and use their cell phones for email and internet access. They are also likely to engage in a variety of online activities such as blogging and social networking.

Does any of this sound familiar? It sounds as though I just described half of the global population, when in fact according to Scarborough Research, only 6% of the population of the United States can be classified as digitally savvy. Only 6% of arguably the most technologically advanced country in the world is considered digitally savvy, surely that’s a mistake. Surely more than 6% of the US write blogs on a regular basis and use their cell phones for more than just talking?

Perhaps, but let’s consider some of the other factors about this remarkably small population that Scarborough Research revealed.
· They tend to be focussed on luxury, shop in high-end stores, drive expensive cars and own at least two homes.
· They are 132% more likely to earn $150,000 per year, that’s R1.15 million or £76,378.
· They tend to commute more than an hour to work each way.
· Despite their long commutes and presumably demanding work schedules, they manage to lead active lifestyles, and participate in a range of athletic recreational activities, such as basketball, yoga and jogging.
· They are more likely to be young (under the age of 44) and male.
The very last point doesn’t surprise me. The cliché about boys and their toys may be a tired one, but it is true nonetheless.

Does it still sound familiar? If it does, congratulations, you must be living the dream. If it doesn’t, congratulations, you live in the real world, along with the rest of us.

But what does this mean for the world at large and online marketers in particular? The Scarborough study would have us believe that the digitally savvy bear close scrutiny. As techno-trend setters they have the power to influence the shopping habits of countless others. If you market your products to them, you’ll create a massive demand within the general population.

Pardon me while I choke on the blatant and narrow-minded elitism of that sentiment. By catering exclusively to the whims of a minority group of young males, you sideline a host of other demographic groups, groups which could be larger and far more influential. As Sarah Perez of Read Write Web says, marketers could miss out on important trends by ignoring the needs of others, needs that are probably not felt by rich, young men with time on their hands. No brand ever benefitted from focussing on one (small) group, which is why smart brands don’t even try.

Finally, I would like to include one more interesting finding from the Scarborough Research study. When it came to determining the locations of all these technologically advanced people, they discovered that number one on the list was Austin, Texas. 12% of Austin’s population are technophiles, which is nearly double the national average. Meanwhile, New York City, considered by many to be the heart of the developed world, came in ninth. Washington DC, the nation’s capital, was only fifth. It seems that sophisticated New Yorkers, with all their smarts, may have a thing or two to learn from their country bumpkin cousins.