globalmediaconsumptiontrends · the primary media for lead generation because there are no privacy...

Global Media Consumption Trends:

Understanding Regional Distinctionsof How IT Buyers Research OnlineDecember 2010

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Charts and Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

About TechTarget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Understanding Regional Distinctions of How IT Buyers Research Online1

2

The Internetis the primarydestinationand sourcefor all researchdone by ITprofessionals.

Understanding Regional Distinctions of How IT Buyers Research Online

Executive Summary

This latest iteration of the TechTarget Media Consumption Research Studywas designed to accomplish the same goals as its predecessors—to determinethe extent to which information technology (IT) professionals around the worldinteract with the Internet; and the particular preferences they have for specificonline content types and information sources based on what’s available tothem and the stage they are in related to their buying process.

One of our first goals was to establish the actual usage trends of onlinecontent globally compared to what we see here in the United States.Whereas this study is meant to be especially helpful to US-based globalmarketers in identifying universal online consumption trends, as the findingsreveal, it is not always easy to do. In some cases there are huge differencesregion to region in how online media is consumed by IT professionals—differences that the marketer needs to pay attention to.

However, there are some universal trends that emerge and parallel what wesee here in the States and they are noted.

The Internet is the primary destination and source for all research done byIT professionals. It is also the preferred method by which IT professionalsexpect marketers to communicate on the value of their brand and to captureIT prospects as leads. Only Japan and France deviate from this, with respon-dents showing a continuing preference for print and events. As we’ve cometo recognize, print publications and live events were the traditional, topoutlets for IT professionals, but over the last decade their ranking has beenusurped by the Internet.

3

The demandfor credibility alsoshows itself in theimmense regardIT professionals,across all regions,report havingfor onlinesocial networksand online ITcommunities.

Understanding Regional Distinctions of How IT Buyers Research Online

Another noteworthy trend is that macroeconomic factors have impactedthe research habits of the IT community. This is demonstrated by a commondesire to get information online faster and for content that showcases productreliability. Interviews with panels of IT professionals have confirmed thatthese requests are directly related to IT teams being challenged to do morewith less. They want efficient and easy access to online information as wellas content that is credible. This translates to the need for vendors to providedependable technical content and case studies of their solutions.

The demand for credibility also shows itself in the immense regard ITprofessionals, across all regions, report having for online social networksand online IT communities. We know from previous studies and subsequentconversations with IT pros that this has everything to do with a basic trustin the advice available from their peers online and that although othersources carry varying degrees of credibility, there is also some skepticismattached to anything coming from a third party.

As with our nine previous media consumption studies, this one confirmsthe strong relationship between the stage the IT professional is in related totheir buying cycle and the specific content they need. Again, there are somenoteworthy deviations, but these trends still emerge:

• Demand for editorial/educational material during early stage

• Streaming media during consideration stage

• Vendor comparisons and downloads during end stage

Objectives

• Using the United States as a benchmark we determine similaritiesand dissimilarities in online content consumption patterns of IT buyersbased on geographical region.

• To generate Best Practice advice for global marketers by identifyingwhere a common approach may be effective and where a customizedapproach is necessary based on a particular region.

4 Understanding Regional Distinctions of How IT Buyers Research Online

Key Findings

• The Internet is universally used for IT research in all regions of the world

• Regardless of country, IT research is predominantly conducted onlineby teams of 2–7

A strong exception to this trend is seen in regions that have more than10 members on a team

• White papers are not the top content type around the worldIn certain regions vendor comparisons and trial downloads topthe list for most “frequented” or “downloaded”

• Search, vendor websites, and IT publishers were the most popularsources on a global scale

• Most regions cite 2–5 months as the typical timeframe for a buying cycle

• In several regions, sponsored literature takes the number one slot formost downloaded content

This could be reflective of limited choices and what is actuallyavailable in that region vs. what is most needed or requested


Demographics

Research methodology

• 2,425 completed survey respondents

• Fielded throughout July 2010

• Run in 6 languages and localized by market

• Online survey fielded throughSurveyGizmo.com

• Respondents part of opt-in TechTargetIT Research Panel

Roles/titles within organization

• Senior management: 8%

• Management: 23%

• Developer/administrator: 22%

• Other IT staff: 47%

Company sizes

• Small: 26%

• Midsized: 31%

• Enterprise: 43%

Global regions covered

• United States

• United Kingdom

• France

• Germany

• Italy

• South Africa

• Australia/New Zealand

• India

• China

• Japan


62 33 5 0 54 38 6 2 61 30 8 0 47 44 8 0 35 54 9 2 66 26 7 1 65 31 4 0 66 32 2 0 61 35 3 1 66 33 1 0

S. AfricaUnited States ANZ India China Japan UK Italy France Germany

The Internet is universally used during all stages of the IT research process.In most regions, over 90% of researchers cite “Always” or “Frequently” using the Internetwhen researching IT solutions.

Question: Based on your role during the decision-making process, how often do you use the Internet to research information on technology solutions?

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S. Africa, Indiaand China:Although tracking lowerfor “Always”, thesecountries still come inaround 90% for “Always”and “Frequently” usingthe Internet.


3 46 23 9 19 0 46 15 11 28 5 50 16 5 24 3 44 16 12 25 1 60 26 6 7 11 53 16 4 16 5 50 16 5 24 11 40 15 4 30 5 43 18 6 28 12 44 17 11 16

IT buyers everywhere are working in decision-making teams.Globally, IT buying teams tend to consist of 2 to 7 people with some countries having a larger concentrationof teams with more than 10 members.

Question: How many people are typically involved in the information technology research and decision-making process?

India:With the high volumeof developers, IT servicescompanies and value-added resellers (VARs)coupled with loweremployment costs,IT decision-making teamsskew larger in India.

China and Japan:These countries havethe smallest numberof members on ITdecision-making teams(less than 5 members).


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Macroeconomic factors have impacted the way in which technology researchis conducted on the Internet by different regional markets.The majority of regions share the need to access information more efficiently and for reliable content.

Question: How has your online research process changed during these hard economic times?

United States, UK,ANZ, India and Japan:IT decision-making teamshave less time to researchenterprise technologysolutions and thus needthe right information,faster.

China:Since marketers haven’tbeen as willing to translatequality technical content,IT professionals in Chinadon’t have as muchinformation to help themmake informed decisions.


21 39 31 7 2 38 35 18 3 6 27 38 27 7 1 44 37 16 1 2 26 38 28 7 1 21 31 35 11 2 26 37 33 3 1 41 39 15 2 3 24 39 29 6 2 33 37 20 8 2

While the majority of regional markets see an IT purchase processof 2 to 12 months, timeframe averages can be longer in some countries.Most regions parallel the buying cycle of the United States.

Question: On average, how long is your timeframe from identifying your problem to making your purchase decision?

S. Africa, India, and Italy:In these countries,the entire IT researchand purchase processtends to take the leastamount of time.

Japan:Here the IT purchaseprocess has the highestpercentage that takesmore than a year.


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Reception to brand building is most popular on traditional websitesand online IT communities.Several regions turn to the web for branding as strongly as the United States (S. Africa, ANZ, Italy and Germany).

Question: If IT marketers wanted to communicate their brand's value message to you, in which form would you be more receptiveto hearing their messages?

China:China ranked online ITcommunities highestout of all the countriesfor brand buildingeffectiveness.

Japan and France:In addition to online,these regions still dependon print and eventsfor branding as well.


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Nearly all global regions prefer traditional online websites for lead generation.As in the United States, most regions use online predominantly—followed by events.

Question: If IT marketers wanted to capture profile information from you through registration, in which form would you be more receptiveto hearing their messages and offers?

Japan:Due to the high levelof protection aroundpersonal information inJapan, events are seen asthe primary media forlead generation becausethere are no privacypolicies/personal datahandling issues. Onlinelead generation is stillbecoming more main-stream here.

Germany:Unlike most othercountries, IT professionalsare not willing to completeregistrations in online ITcommunities in Germany.


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White papers are not universally the top content type.In most countries, product literature and trial downloads make the top 3 list of most effective content type.

Question: In the past three months, which of the following online content types have you used to get information on enterprise technology solutions?

United States,China and France:These countries showa bias for vendorcomparisons as well.

China and Japan:In these countries,product literature,followed by case studiesand vendor comparisons,top the list. Lack oflocalization has likelyhad a big impact,lowering the consump-tion of white papersin these non-Englishspeaking regions.

Germany:Next to white papers,trial software downloadsare in high demand.


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Streaming media, like podcasts, webcasts, videos and virtual events,often appear lower on the usage lists.This lower consumption may be due to the lack of adoption by the marketer community or the overall complexitywith production. The exception to this is the United States, with a bias towards webcasts.

Question: In the past three months, which of the following online content types have you used to get information on enterprise technology solutions?

India:India is a very video-focused market, trumpingeven the United Statesin adoption.

China and France:Virtual events have theslowest adoption aroundthe world. In Chinaand France however,virtual events have thebest traction.


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Editorial content plays the most instrumental role in helping IT professionalsidentify problems.Most countries indicated that eBooks, webcasts, email newsletters, videos and podcastsare predominantly effective in early stages.

Question: At which stage(s) of the IT buying process are these specific online content types most effective at reaching IT buyers?

S. Africa:eBooks are the mostinfluential content typeeverywhere during theawareness stage exceptSouth Africa.

Italy, Germanyand France:These countries sharea commonality withcase studies ranking highin awareness stage.

China:Here editorial newslettersare not deemed instru-mental in aiding ITprofessionals in problemidentification.

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Streaming media are referred to most during the consideration stage,along with email newsletters.These content types require an audience to become more engaged with the contentas well as the sponsor behind the media.


UK and Germany:Exceptions to this are UKwith online demos andGermany with trialsoftware making the cutfor consideration stage,whereas typically theseare seen as end stage.

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There is a global consistency in content types referenced in decision making stagefor IT buyers.The top tier: vendor comparisons, vendor demos and trial downloads—Second tier: virtual trade shows,case studies and product literature.


S. Africa, ANZ, India,China, Japan and UK:As the exceptions, thesecountries notably rankvendor comparisonsas the leading contenttype for decision stage.Interesting to note is thatmany of the Europeanregions do not rank vendorcomparisons as a topmedia type for this stage.

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Most global regions have a fairly distributed favorability ranking for all content types.Consumption preferences while varied by country may also be tied to other drivers for the IT buyer,such as personal preferences or stage in IT buying process.

Question: In the past three months, which of the following online content types have you used to get information on enterprise technologysolutions? (Top 6 shown for each country)

China and Japan:Product literature toppedthe list here. Translationof product literatureis often easier and morecost effective than theusually lengthier andhighly technical whitepaper content.

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ANZ, China and Japan:These countries ranksponsor-centric assets,such as case studiesand vendor comparisons,among their mostfrequently used contentalong with generic whitepapers.



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Search, vendor websites and IT publishers were the most popular informationsources on a global scale.Yet at a country level, other information source popularity varies.

Question: In the past three months, where have you gone for information on enterprise technology solutions?

United States:The IT universe andspecialization is vasterin the United States andIT researchers rely moreon their peers for recom-mendations.

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China and Japan:IT publisher sites beat out searchand vendors here. This could be relatedto high level of respect that many estab-lished publishers have in these regionsas well as the reality that the publishersare far ahead of vendors in publishingcontent. Also, events are considered asa top information source here unlikeother countries.



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mun

itie

s)

Sear

chen

gine

s(S

earc

h)

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alne

twor

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ps(S

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Social media and search are the most influential information sources whenIT buyers are first researching IT problems.Question: At which stage(s) of the IT buying process are these specific online information sources most effective at reaching IT buyers?

All Countries:Through in-depth interviews, we havebeen told that IT buyers turn to colleaguesonline or in associations to get informationon a technology or vendor before begin-ning their normal search online. It is theirway of screening out essential informationand providers so their time spent onlineperusing content is more focused.

17 21 20 20

44 42 43 45

39 37 37 35

14 21 17 0

46 43 40 55

40 36 43 45

15 19 19 16

42 40 43 38

43 41 38 46

22 27 25 21

40 35 39 46

38 38 36 33

23 22 22 25

35 40 41 35

42 38 37 40

10 5 12 8

44 40 42 30

46 55 46 62

14 20 20 10

42 38 42 42

44 42 38 48

8 17 14 29

42 35 41 38

50 53 45 33

22 24 22 40

33 37 35 20

45 39 43 40

27 18 31 26

32 39 33 21

41 43 36 53

Iden

tify

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lem

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heri

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urch

ase

deci

sion

% % %



Vid

eow

ebsi

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(Vid

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tes)

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her

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s(P

ublis

hers

)

Indu

stry

mag

azin

es(M

agaz

ines

)

Gen

eral

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ness

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site

s(B

usin

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s)

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oria

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icle

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rial

s)

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fere

nces

,sem

inar

s,tr

ade

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s(E

vent

s)

Vid

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tes

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lishe

rs

Mag

azin

es

Bus

ines

ssi

tes

Edit

oria

ls

Even

ts

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Mag

azin

es

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ines

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Edit

oria

ls

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ts

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lishe

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Mag

azin

es

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oria

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azin

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ines

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oria

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When IT buyers are gathering information on vendors they seek third-partybackground information or vendor validation.Independent content from IT publishers, editorial articles and industry publications remain consistentalong with video websites noted as most influential during consideration stage.

Question: At which stage(s) of the IT buying process are these specific online information sources most effective at reaching IT buyers?

Europe:In Europe, magazinesare referenced mostfor considerationstage followed by liveevents and onlinepublishers.

South Africa and Japan:Across these regions,video specific websitesare used most often whengathering information onproducts and vendors.

Australia:General business sitesare the most referencedmedium when research-ing products andvendors.

India and China:Editorial articles are thetop referenced informa-tion source during theconsideration stage.

United States:IT publishers followed byindustry magazines andlive events are the topoutlets for IT buyers intheir consideration stage.

14 21 23 20 20 27

51 54 54 47 49 53

35 25 23 33 31 20

9 20 26 25 15 26

73 47 45 50 58 52

18 33 29 25 27 22

8 26 24 16 23 28

66 50 49 68 50 56

26 24 27 16 27 16

17 26 26 27 18 27

46 37 48 44 52 44

37 37 26 29 30 29

17 24 28 24 16 27

33 45 47 48 56 46

50 31 25 28 28 27

0 16 14 7 12 21

75 43 48 38 39 40

25 41 38 55 49 39

8 22 24 19 22 28

46 58 56 47 53 55

46 20 20 34 25 17

14 21 10 25 21 23

43 47 56 50 46 45

43 32 34 25 33 32

33 29 31 36 31 34

67 38 46 28 44 42

0 33 23 36 25 24

29 35 20 33 28 26

29 43 45 56 41 54

42 22 35 11 31 20

Iden

tify

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Pro

blem

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ndor

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endo

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Rs

(VA

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eral

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hsi

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aniz

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ns

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dors

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site

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dors

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site

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aniz

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dors

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site

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aniz

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site

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aniz

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aniz

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ns

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Tech

site

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When IT professionals are compiling their short-lists and making final decisions,they generally reference IT vendor sites and information from VARs.At this point in their buying process, IT buyers are receptive to hear what other users have to say aboutpossible vendors and are more willing to hear from trusted vendors and their sales organizations.

Question: At which stage(s) of the IT buying process are these specific online information sources most effective at reaching IT buyers?

China:General technology siteswere the top referencedsource during the decisionstage, whereas IT vendorsare not among the mostused during this final stage.

United States:As with the United States,most regions turn to thesites of vendors they areconsidering to look forproduct demos or down-loads or even to dialoguewith peers in blogs orcommunities hosted bythese vendors.

28 32 27 34 33 19

49 35 46 49 49 47

23 33 28 17 18 34

29 21 33 40 41 11

44 37 46 45 35 47

27 42 21 15 24 42

30 27 27 35 31 17

49 36 52 44 51 46

21 37 21 21 18 37

24 31 24 32 27 22

46 32 45 41 40 43

30 37 31 27 33 35

21 28 30 25 33 35

48 36 48 53 43 46

31 36 22 22 24 19

18 19 21 29 39 13

29 45 40 41 40 34

53 36 39 30 21 53

29 30 27 40 44 16

52 33 47 46 47 49

19 37 26 14 9 35

41 27 24 31 39 23

36 34 48 50 39 42

23 39 28 19 22 35

44 32 28 33 40 20

31 31 39 47 34 36

25 37 33 20 26 44

44 23 45 31 35 27

44 31 33 52 55 45

12 46 22 17 10 28


Iden

tify

ing

anIT

prob

lem

Gat

heri

ngte

chni

cali

nfor

mat

ion

Mak

ing

afi

nalp

urch

ase

deci

sion

% % %


Conclusion

• Marketing budgets need to accompany the shift in research habitssuggesting that marketers around the world need to invest in buildingdiverse content portfolios and placing this content in varied informationsources that IT professionals frequent.

• Global marketers, in particular, need to pay attention to the preferencesIT professionals have in specific regions and beef up their arsenal ofcontent assets to match the demands of the regions they are marketing to.

• Whereas this suggests content syndication exercises are an effectiveway to expose multiple media versions of content to various audiences,one approach will not suffice to cover all regional distinctions andpreferences.

• Specific regions of the world will need campaigns and assets that reflectthe preferences of that region based on the stage the IT buyer is in.

• This, in turn, points to the need for specialized and localized contentcreation based on the receptiveness (or lack of it) to non-local languagecontent.

• There are needs for content creation/technical education in marketswhere English language material is least likely to be consumed(China/Japan). Where this isn’t possible, alignment with editorial con-tent, including locally produced and translated content, could makea difference in early-stage influence.


• Marketers should translate or create product spec sheets so they arereadily available in local language. However, we see a real opportunityfor marketers to create educational material for certain markets that talkabout technical approach or problem-solving options without directlyadvocating for their solution set.

• Noteworthy is that with the exception of countries like Germany andAustralia where vendor comparisons are not allowed, vendor comparisoncontent is in high demand in the majority of regions and, as we havefound here in the States, is the content that is especially influential inend stages. Comparing vendors is a necessary step for IT professionalsand any help they can get is much appreciated as it saves them valuabletime.

• In countries where comparisons aren’t allowed third party analysisis a good substitute.

• Overall, the Internet is the best information source for all IT professionalsaround the world. It is also the best investment for IT marketers to cultivaterelationships with IT professionals who are seeking advice and help onwhich brands or solutions to purchase.


About TechTarget

TechTarget (www.techtarget.com) (NASDAQ: TTGT) is a leading globaltechnology media company with more than 90 technology-specific websites,9 million registered members, and more than 10 years of groundbreakingaccomplishments. Our extensive editorial and vendor-sponsored contentfulfills the needs of tech pros looking for in-depth coverage of technologytopics throughout their buying process and positions us to meet the needsof technology marketers targeting qualified technology audiences. Outsideof North America, TechTarget runs 23 websites and has offices in London,Mumbai and Beijing.

For more questions or information about this study contact:

Marilou BarsamSVP Client ConsultingTechTarget275 Grove StreetNewton, MA [email protected]

617•431•9368

©2010 TechTarget. Inc. All rights reserved. TechTarget and the TechTarget logo are registered trademarks of TechTarget, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their

respective owners.


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