Internet matches TV's influence over conversation

June 14th, 2010 | News Next » |

The tube is being upstaged by the web, which now nearly matches it in terms of influence on conversations, according to a recent study. Still, most discussion about brands happen face-to-face, and are influenced far more by traditional media than what happens online.

But that is changing. The internet is growing as the channel that influences or prompts those conversations. In fact, the web influenced nearly 15 percent of consumer discussions about brands in January 2010, up from 12 percent from a year earlier and nearly matching the 16 percent of such conversations inspired by TV ads or shows.

Oddly, the internet doesn't appear to be replacing other media as an influence over conversations. In addition to TV, which remained stable, print drove a fairly constant 10 percent of brand-related conversations over the 18 months from July 2008 to January 2010, while the percentage driven by in-store or point-of-sale displays was roughly nine percent.

– Advertising Age