2005 Digital Readership Study New Platforms, New Opportunities

2005 Digital Readership Study

New Platforms, New Opportunities


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Research Team:

• Mosaic Media Partners: questionnaire development, analysis and presentation (www.mosaicmediapartners.com)

• Proximity Marketing: fielding and tabulation (www.proximitymarketing.com)

Sample:

• Random selection of 37,460 digital and 37,457 print subscribers of four 101communications publications:

Methodology

Applications Development

Trends

Campus Technology

Federal Computer

WeekRedmond Totals

Print Subscribers

10,575 1,488 4,775 20,619 37,457

Digital Subscribers

10,576 1,489 4,777 20,618 37,460


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Methodology

Fielding:

• Internet-based questionnaire• A single email notification with a link to the online questionnaire yielded over 4,000 responses• PIN codes prevented multiple responses

Incentive:

• Respondents from Application Development Trends, Campus Technology, and Redmond were entered into a drawing to win two iPod mini’s.

• Federal Computer Week respondents could direct $1.00 to their choice of five charities

Time of Fielding:

• January 7 – January 13, 2005

Response and Weighting:

• Responses were matched against the original master file and weighted based on their job function/title to properly represent the total population

• The weighted data file contains 4,231 usable cases

Margin of Error

• +/- 2.0 percentage points, 99% confidence level

Respondent Profile

Print and Digital Subscribers Have Similar Demographic Profiles



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1.2%

4.2%

7.9%

9.9%

10.6%

11.4%

12.3%

19.1%

23.2%

0.8%

3.3%

6.5%

8.4%

12.2%

13.9%

10.8%

18.8%

25.3%

327 Digital, 403 Print Respondents

Respondent ProfilePrint and Digital Subscribers Have Similar Title/Function Profile

2.3%

6.7%

7.0%

7.6%

10.1%

11.0%

11.4%

15.0%

28.6%

1.9%

7.8%

6.8%

9.6%

12.3%

8.7%

13.8%

16.3%

22.6%

0.3%0.2%

Redmond Application Development Trends

IS/IT Mgt.

Network Administrator

Systems Administrator

Executive Management

Consultant

Program Developer

Network Management

Senior Systems Administrator

Database Administrator/Developer

Other

App. Dev./IS Mgt.

Sr. App. Dev./IS Mgt.

App. Dev./IS Specialist

Department Management

Application Management

Executive Management

Executive App. Dev./IS Management

App. Dev./IS Consultant/Systems Integrator

Other

Digital SubscribersPrint Subscribers



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1.2%

1.5%

2.3%

12.6%

18.7%

24.0%

39.4%

2.8%

3.5%

3.6%

10.9%

20.2%

19.3%

39.6%


Respondent ProfilePrint and Digital Subscribers Have Similar Title/Function Profile

2.5%

2.7%

7.0%

7.6%

8.6%

10.6%

12.5%

13.0%

25.4%

10.4%

1.7%

9.5%

9.6%

7.3%

6.3%

12.0%

13.0%

19.2%

2.4%1.5%

Federal Computer Week Campus Technology

IT/IS/DP/Network/Systems Mgt.

Exec./Sr./Division Mgt.

Systems Engineer

Admin./Operations Mgt.

Programs/Project Mgt.

Systems Analysis/Programming

C-Level Management

Procurement/Contract Management

Sales/Marketing Management

R&D

Administrative Management

IT Director/Manager

Policy/Top-Level Executive

Other

Institutes

Campus Services/Vendor

Digital SubscribersPrint Subscribers


Instructional Program Management

Reasons for Subscribing to Digital and/or Print Editions

Both Print and Digital Editions Have Specific Benefits to Subscribers;

Both Are Valuable Information Sources



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Reasons for Subscribing to Digital EditionDigital Subscribers Like Archiving, Convenience, and Search Features

What are your reasons for subscribing to the digital edition of this publication? N=2233

Digital

12.1%

26.8%

31.9%

35.3%

37.2%

37.3%

54.2%

51.5%

Saves trees

Other

More convenient than print

Ability to search

Easier to save

Easier to forward

More timely than print

Interactive features

I prefer looking online or on my computer

55.0%


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Other Reasons for Subscribing to the Digital Edition (Verbatims):

• Check email daily so not likely to overlook publication

• I don’t have to remember to bring it with me. It’s available on my machine.

• Transportable, read at work, at home, at school

• I’m already online so ease of getting info, fast

• Less clutter

• No damaged magazines with pages missing

• No disposal issues, which is not quite the same as Saves Trees

• Not obvious I’m reading it at my desk

What are your reasons for subscribing to the digital edition of this publication? N=2233

Reasons for Subscribing to Digital Edition Digital Subscribers Like Archiving, Convenience, and Search Features


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Plans to Continue Subscribing90% of Digital Subscribers Are Likely or Very Likely to Renew Their Subscription

How likely are you to renew your subscription to this (digital) publication? N=4231

Digital Subscribers subscribe to a total of 2.91 digital publications

Print Digital

Very likely

More likely than not

Not likely 58.4%

37.2%

3.7%

52.0%

38.0%

9.2%

Readership Habits

Digital Subscribers Are Avid Users of the Digital Publication and Its Other Resources



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11.9%

5.7%

55.5%

21.5%

4.8%

8.9%

51.4%

31.4%

7.2%

4.8%

49.1%

34.6%

Readership HabitsMost Digital Subscribers Increase or Maintain Their Usage of the Publication’s Resources

As a result of subscribing to the digital publication, please tell us how your use of the publication's resources has changed: N=2233

Increased

Stayed the Same

Decreased

Do Not Use

As a result of subscribing to the digital publication, please tell us how your use of the publication's resources has changed:

Publication’s Email Newsletters

Magazine Publication’s Web Site


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Readership HabitsDigital Editions Include Hyperlinked Tables of Content, Which Let Readers Easily Jump to Interesting Articles

Which best describes your typical readership habits for this (digital) publication? N=2233

Print Digital

I flip through and look at most pages, scanning or reading those articles and ads that interest me

I look at the table of contents and then go only to those articles that interest me

I look at the cover and then go only to those articles that interest me

Other

No Answer

75.5%

16.0%

5.0%2.5%

1.0%

55.8%

33.8%

3.0%0.9%

6.5%


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Readership Habits

Other Readership Habits (Verbatims):

• I look at the cover, then the table of contents, then go directly to articles and ads that interest me. Finally, I re-read everything.

• I read the articles of interest to me and then go back and read the rest but not all at one time. I revisit maybe two or three times.

• I both look at the ToC to identify where specific articles of interest are and read these articles, but then scan the rest of the e-document to see if there might be other articles that might be useful to read.

Which best describes your typical readership habits for this (digital) publication? N=2233


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Readership Habits

The typical print subscriber:

• Has read/looked into 3.19 of the last 4 issues

• Reads/reviews 65% of a typical issue

• Spends an average of 59 minutes with a typical issue

• Shares copies with 1.22 other people

The typical digital subscriber:

• Has read/looked into 2.73 of the last 4 issues

• Reads/reviews 57% of a typical issue

• Spends an average of 51 minutes with a typical issue

• Shares copies with .65 other people

Print Digital

How many of the last 4 issues of the (digital) magazine have you read or looked into? About how much of a typical issue of the (digital) publication do you read or review? About how much time do you spend with a typical issue of the (digital) publication? How many people, beside yourself, read or look into your copies of this (digital) publication?


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Readership HabitsDigital Subscribers Are More Likely to Save/Archive Digital Editions

Are you more likely to save or archive copies of publications that you receive in a digital format, when compared to print publications? N=2233

More likely to save/archive digital publication

More likely to save/archive print publication

Equally likely to save publication in either format

32.4% 23.8%

12.8%


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Readership Habits78% of Digital Subscribers Satisfied or Very Satisfied

Please rate your overall satisfaction with this digital publication. N=2233

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

No Answer

25.6%

52.8%

16.6%

1.9%1.6%1.5%

Features and Benefits of Digital Publications

Subscribers Use and Value the Digital Format’s Features and Benefits



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Popular Digital Edition FeaturesCommonly used features include linking, searching and archiving

Please tell us which features of digital publications you have used in any digital publications that you may subscribe to. N=2233

Digital

8.4%

11.3%

14.9%

20.8%

29.2%

37.4%

53.5%

54.7%

63.9%

43.3%

Links to vendor web sites from the articles

Links to white papers

Searching articles

Links to additional editorial content online

Links to vendor web sites within ads

Archiving digital issues or articles

Ability to send a single article or ad to a colleague

Watching a video about a technology issue

Live surveys about a topic with instant results

Links to audio interviews with industry leaders

Watching video coverage of an event or trade show

54.5%

Features They Have Used

Advertising in Digital Publications

Digital Publication Subscribers

Notice, Read and Respond to Advertising



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Advertising in Digital PublicationsAdvertising in Digital Publications Works

What action have you taken as a result of reading an ad in this digital publication? N=2233

Digital

4.3%

5.9%

9.4%

16.4%

22.2%

23.6%

36.5%

73.5%

Net action taken as a result of reading pub91.9%

Looked at the vendor’s web site

Forwarded info about vendor to colleague

Recommended product/service

Forwarded ad to colleague

Contacted vendor for more information

Purchased a product or service

Other

No Answer

Other Actions Taken as a Result of Reading an Ad in a Digital Publication (Verbatims):

• Adjust our procedures

• Assigned staff to research claims made in an ad that appears of potential use to us

• Compared products

• Downloaded & evaluated various products

• Downloaded a trial edition

• Read White Papers

• Added products/services to my review list


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• Digital subscribers:• Have similar demographic profile to print subscribers

• Are very influential in the buying process

• Are less likely to turn to vendor literature or sales people—can be difficult to reach

• Reasons readers subscribe to digital editions:• Archiving

• Convenience

• Easy to share

• Search features

• Portability/mobility

• Research, links

• Print is preferred by some readers for its more structured format

• Digital editions are a new platform: 90% of digital subscribers plan to renew; typically subscribe to an average of 2.9 digital editions

• Advertising in digital editions works; digital subscribers are very interested in interacting with vendors/advertisers

Conclusions

Documents

2005 Digital Readership Study New Platforms, New Opportunities