Of All the Choices

The MIT Advertising Lab pointed to a finding that 51% of all web-using Britons regularly visit only 6 web sites.

Three quarters of people questioned say the internet is indispensable to their daily lives and more than nine out of ten (95 per cent) say they go online with a specific destination in mind. People are now using the internet more smartly, visiting a handful of destination websites that have emerged as 'Supersites' due to their importance to people's lives. [Webuser]

Assuming that these data hold true for users in other countries, the implications for social marketers and others working with the web and social media on public health and social change issues are important.  The Ad Lab noted the importance of identifying these 6 sites for your priority audience to target 'road block' advertising. Other types of Internet marketing and communications would also apply here. The other question that deserves more attention is the sequence of events that leads a person to go on the web with your specific site in mind. And have we found that there are more 'hunters' than 'gatherers' in cyber world - and is that a gender thing?

Without the full study report to review, it's a hard call as to whether these "core sites" are similar to Steve Rubin's Centers of Gravity idea. Right now I'm looking at the difference between sites associated with daily living versus the 'entertainment' COGs that may be a b'sphere version of the arcade at the mall.

Technorati Tags: Audience Research, Internet Marketing, Web Use