New Experian Report Reveals Key Trends in Digital Media

Experian Marketing Services provides metrics and data-driven strategies for marketing in a digital age

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., June 15 /PRNewswire/ – Digital media and all the ways that we interact with it — from posts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to text messages and e-mail — is the communications currency of our time. According to the recent 2009 digital marketer: Benchmark and trend report from Experian Marketing Services, understanding exactly how digital media is used by consumers and marketers alike is vital to achieving long-term marketing success.

The report provides valuable data and analytics on several key areas of digital media, including e-mail marketing, consumer behavior, search marketing, online communities, social media and mobile marketing. The findings provide a clear understanding of the increasing utilization of digital media as well as a road map for marketers seeking to better use these channels to engage their customers in a more meaningful and effective way.

Analyzing information from across Experian’s immense pool of consumer, e-mail and online marketing and data sources, the report uncovered several key trends in consumer and business use of digital media. Some of the findings include:

• U.S. visits to social networking Web sites increased 4 percent in February 2009 from February 2008
• Adults ages 18 to 24 are using both e-mail and text messaging equally
• Younger adults use the Internet for information on sports, music and entertainment, while older adults use it more for travel information
• The travel industry has the highest share of search-referred traffic
• Consumers are increasingly entering brand names and terms to navigate search engines, increasing by 18 percent from the first quarter of 2005 to the fourth quarter of 2008
• In a comparison of site visits from February 2008 to February 2009, visitors to Facebook who are 35 or older increased 11 percent, while visitors from the same age group to MySpace declined 2 percent

“The marketing landscape has changed, as has the way in which consumers and marketers interact with one another,” said Mark Zablan, president of Experian Marketing Services. “The proliferation of new media channels, coupled with the growth, diversity and mass adoption of the Internet, has left marketers with a daunting task — maximizing their investment across a wide range of channels to engage customers who have more options than ever before. Experian brings together data-driven insight and marketing services capabilities spanning all media to provide marketers with the tools and data they need to effectively engage their best customers.”

The report also found that during 2008 use of digital media by marketers saw steady increases, especially in e-mail marketing. Some report findings include:

• Retailers that increased e-mail frequency to counter the competition were, generally, able to capture more market share
• Publishers increased their e-mail volumes by 70 percent in 2008, more than any other group; multichannel merchants had the second-largest increase at 54 percent

Experian Marketing Services is focused on helping marketers from around the world target and better engage their customers through e-mail, digital advertising, customer data management, customer and competitive insight, data enrichment and list rental, modeling and analytics, and strategic consulting. Through these capabilities, Experian Marketing Services helps companies encourage brand advocacy and significantly improve the lifetime value of their customers.

To get your free copy of Experian Marketing Services’ 2009 digital marketer: Benchmark and trend report, go to http://experianmarketingservices.com/register_2009digitalmarketer.php.

About Experian

Experian(R) is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.

Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organizations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.

For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence. Clients include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Experian has corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and has operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Nottingham, UK. The Group employs approximately 15,500 people in 38 countries worldwide, supporting clients in more than 65 countries around the world. Revenue for the year ended March 31, 2008, was $4 billion.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

    Contact:  Matthew Besler
              Experian Public Relations
              1 224 698 4415
              matthew.besler@experian.com

SOURCE Experian Marketing Services