••• social media research
'I got tired of minding everybody else's business'
Majority of Facebook users have taken a break from the site
Two-thirds of online American adults are Facebook users, making Facebook the dominant social networking site in the country, but not all users are in it for the long haul, according to a study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, Washington, D.C.
In fact, there is considerable fluidity in the Facebook user population, as 61 percent of current Facebook users say that at one time or another in the past they have voluntarily taken a break from using Facebook for a period of several weeks or more. Another 20 percent of the online adults who do not currently use Facebook say they once used the site but no longer do so and only 8 percent of online adults who do not currently use Facebook are interested in becoming Facebook users in the future.
Pew asked the 61 percent of Facebook users who have taken a break from using why they did so and they mentioned a variety of reasons. The largest group (21 percent) said that their “Facebook vacation” was a result of being too busy with other demands or not having time to spend on the site. Others pointed toward a general lack of interest in the site itself (10 percent mentioned this in one way or another), an absence of compelling content (10 percent), excessive gossip or drama from their friends (9 percent) or concerns that they were spending too much time on the site and needed to take a break (8 percent).
Some of the verbatim responses from those who took Facebook breaks include the following: “I was tired of stupid comments.” … “[I had] crazy friends. I did not want to be contacted.” … “I took a break when it got boring.” … “It was not getting me anywhere.” … “Too much drama.” ... “You get burned out on it after a while.” … “I gave it up for Lent.” … “I was fasting.” … “People were [posting] what they had for dinner.” … “I didn’t like being monitored.” … “I got harassed by someone from my past who looked me up.”… “I don’t like their privacy policy.” … “It caused problems in my [romantic] relationship.”
The 20 percent of online adults who have used Facebook in the past but no longer do so said: “It’s a gossipy thing.” … “I didn’t like to talk too much.” … “I’m not social.” … “My account was compromised.” … “I got tired of minding everybody else’s business.” … “Not enough privacy.” … “Got too many communications.” … “Takes my time away.”
When asked in the mid-December 2012 omnibus survey to assess the amount of time they spend on Facebook and the general value of Facebook in their lives, a majority of users said the site is as important now as it was a year ago and about half said they use the site as much now as they did a year ago. Almost 30 percent of Facebook users said the site has become less important to them than it was a year ago and 34 percent of current users said the amount of time they are spending on Facebook has decreased over the past year. Twelve percent of Facebook users said the social networking site has become more important to them than it was a year ago and 13 percent of current users said the amount of time they are spending on Facebook has increased over the past year.
www.pewinternet.com
••• brand research
Tech transcending 
Amazon, Apple and Google earn top honors in reputation rankings
The number of companies with great reputations is declining with each passing year but those few companies that consumers hold in high esteem do share some similarities, according to Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive’s 2013 Harris Poll RQ Study, which engages the general public to measure the reputations of the 60 most-visible companies in the country.
In 2013, only six companies achieved RQ scores of 80 and above (signifying a great reputation), which is 25 percent fewer companies than in 2012 and nearly two-thirds less than just two years ago. However, the three companies that earned the highest reputation rankings in 2013 all began in the tech sector and then parlayed their favorable public opinion into other areas.
Earning the highest reputation in the 2013 study was Amazon.com, edging out last year’s most reputable company, Apple, which ranked second. This is Amazon’s first time earning the top ranking but the fifth consecutive year with a great reputation score. The Walt Disney Company, Google and Johnson & Johnson completed the top five. This is Google’s eighth consecutive top-five appearance.
RQ measures six dimensions that comprise reputation and influence consumer behavior. The dimensions – and the 2013 leaders – were social responsibility (Whole Foods), emotional appeal (Amazon.com), financial performance (Apple), products and services (Amazon.com), vision and leadership (Apple) and workplace environment (Google).
Amazon’s reputation strength runs wide and deep as it ranked in the top five in five of the six dimensions of reputation. Amazon had a five-point advantage over any other company in the study in the dimension of emotional appeal, despite an entirely virtual relationship with the public. Amazon also achieved the top rating in products and services. Amazon earned nearly 100 percent positive ratings on all measures related to trust. More than 50 percent of respondents also recall discussing Amazon with friends and family in the past year and nearly 100 percent of these conversations were positive.
The results for Apple and Google are equally as impressive as those for Amazon and continue a compelling trend that has been developing for the past few years – companies that begin in the technology sector, which is by far the highest-rated industry when it comes to reputation, absorb the reputation equity from the industry, then transcend the industry to become a more multifaceted business. Companies that can do this are perceived to play a valuable social role – a characteristic that has become a key driver of reputation.
AIG and Goldman Sachs returned to the bottom-two reputation positions on the list of the most visible companies, joined by Halliburton, American Airlines and Bank of America. But with a full six-point increase in RQ score, Bank of America had the highest year-over-year increase. Best Buy and Honda experienced the greatest decline in RQ scores with 6.76 and 4.73 points, respectively.
While still in negative territory, the banking industry showed some encouraging signs. Positive ratings of the industry were 25 percent, a more than 50 percent increase from 2012. Wells Fargo became the first of the four big banking companies in the past four years to move from negative to positive equity in the dimension of emotional appeal.
www.harrisinteractive.com
••• packaging research
Forking out for fresh
Forget bells and whistles, consumers want fresh and sustainable packaging
When it comes to food and beverage packaging, consumers are most likely to pay more for value-added features that relate to freshness and sustainability, according to a global study conducted by New York research company Ipsos InnoQuest. Consumers from around the world were given a list of potential packaging features and asked which ones they would be willing to pay more for. On a global basis, consumers were most likely to say they would pay more for packaging that keeps food fresh longer (55 percent) and packaging that is environmentally-friendly (55 percent).
Following freshness and environmental benefits, consumers said they were likely to pay more for packaging that is reusable (42 percent) and easier to use (39 percent). Interestingly, more sophisticated packaging features were less likely to motivate consumers to spend more: packaging that prevents mess or spills, keeps food and beverages at the right temperature and makes it easier to eat and drink on-the-go ranked lowest (34 percent, 33 percent and 31 percent, respectively).
The survey also revealed that certain countries were more likely to say they would pay more for fresh and sustainable packaging. South Africa, Malaysia and India were most likely to say they would pay more for packaging that keeps food fresh longer and Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia were most likely to say they would pay more for environmentally-friendly packing.
www.ipsos.com
••• entertainment research
Popcorn profiles
Staggering draw of the silver screen keeps moviegoing steady
Seventy percent of Americans ages 12+ reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in 2012, which is in line with moviegoing in 2011, according to the 2012 American Moviegoing report from the Nielsen National Research Group, New York. The demographic makeup of the moviegoing audience has remained relatively consistent over the last couple years but the proportion of younger moviegoers (ages 12-24) and oldest moviegoers (65-74) has grown gradually at the expense of middle-aged moviegoers (25-54).
Overall attendance to new-release movies was on par with a year ago (6.8 movies per person on average, compared with 6.9 in 2011), while moviegoing increased among Hispanics (12 percent), people ages 25-to-34 (7 percent), youths ages 12-to-17 (3 percent) and males (3 percent). Although there were slightly more female moviegoers than male moviegoers in 2012 (51 percent and 49 percent, respectively), men accounted for 55 percent of theatrical attendance.
When looking at the moviegoing audience by race/ethnicity, Hispanics were the heaviest moviegoers, as they represented 18 percent of the moviegoing population but accounted for 25 percent of all movies seen. Hispanics were also the only demographic group that went to more movies in 2012 than in the prior year (9.5 movies on average compared with 8.5 in 2011).
Going to the movie theater seems to carry a particularly positive cultural significance for Hispanics, as they were considerably more likely than non-Hispanics to view going to a theater as a way to spend time with their family and friends (86 percent vs. 77 percent). They also were more likely to spend time discussing the movies after seeing them (66 percent vs. 53 percent).
www.nielsen.com
••• hispanics
A look at Latinos
Hispanic men hold sway in household purchase decisions
While the Hispanic population is growing at a fast pace in the U.S. – and with them their purchasing power – it seems much of the focus has been on Latinas, neglecting an equally-important Hispanic shopper: Hispanic men. According to data from Chicago research company Mintel, some 42 percent of Hispanic men and more than half of Hispanic dads are the top decision maker on purchases made in their household.
Influence in the household also varies with age. Fifty-four percent of Hispanic men ages 45-to-64 have the most influence on their household purchasing decisions, as do half of Hispanic men ages 35-to-44, versus 44 percent of those ages 25-to-34.
When it comes to where to shop, 75 percent of Hispanic men shop for food items at a traditional grocery store, making it the leading destination among Hispanic men for food shopping for their household. However, Hispanic fathers are more likely to purchase groceries at mass merchandisers, with 71 percent doing so, compared to 63 percent of Hispanic men without children.
Despite their active role in the household, when it comes to their portrayal in the media, two-thirds of Hispanic men believe they are stereotyped by advertisers. Meanwhile, half of Hispanic men think that Hispanic women are positively reflected in the media.
As for key purchasing factors, Latinos like to play it safe. Some 44 percent of Hispanic men bought a new product after first sampling it in a store, while 42 percent made a purchase after a friend or family recommended the product. Around a third of Hispanic men are more likely to be influenced by ads on Spanish-language TV than ads on English-language TV.
In certain categories, Hispanic men are more brand loyal than Latinas and are often willing to pay a bit more for their preferred brand. Thirty-five percent of Hispanic men think more expensive brands of laundry detergents are more effective than bargain brands – versus 31 percent of Hispanic women – and 58 percent of them only shop at their favorite stores, as they are confident they will find the brands of merchandise they like there.
However, among other ethnic groups, Hispanic men are the least likely to take over grocery duties. Sixty-nine percent of Hispanic men purchased food products in the last 12 months, compared to 83 percent of their white counterparts, 81 percent of Asian and 71 percent of their black counterparts.
The likelihood of Hispanic men buying certain products is also somewhat dependent on household income, as 78 percent of Hispanic men in homes with higher income ($100,000+) have purchased clothing or food products in the last year, compared to 67 percent of those on a lower income (less than $25,000).
www.mintel.com