Marketers Moving Toward Next-Generation Web: Study

WebKnowHow
Wednesday, November 22, 2006; 09:06 AM

Recently celebrated at the third annual Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, the next generation of the Web is gaining traction among savvy marketers and generating positive results for early adopters. Those are among the findings of a survey conducted by Zoomerang, a division of MarketTools, Inc., the defining provider of on-demand market research.

Zoomerang recently asked marketers what they know about “Web 2.0.”

More than three-quarters (79 percent) of those polled were unfamiliar with the phrase Web 2.0, which generally refers to second-generation Web sites that leverage the Web as a platform of services where users not only control their own data, but add to the overall value of the Web by contributing content and capabilities. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, video and photo-sharing sites, and similar sites based on shared content and user collaboration.

Of those marketers familiar with Web 2.0, a third (33 percent) are actually using Web 2.0 resources, with blogging, podcasting and social networking being the three most popular applications now in use.

“Our benchmark survey indicates that Web 2.0 is in the initial phase of adoption and implementation by marketers,” said Dana Meade, general manager of Zoomerang. “However, given the success reported by vanguard users, we expect to see a sharp increase in the use of second-generation Web tools and techniques by marketers across a wide array of industries.”

When asked why they were developing Web 2.0 strategies, two-thirds of respondents said it was for either brand building or the desire to tap into the know-how and innovation of their target audiences. A handful said they were responding to “pressure from my boss” or to “be a first mover.”

The Zoomerang Web 2.0 Survey revealed some good news for marketers. More than 70 percent of those marketers utilizing Web 2.0 tools and techniques have found them to be successful. Not only is the success significant, but spotlights the market potential. A third of those surveyed work for companies with annual revenues of more than $50 million.

“Web 2.0 is a milestone in the natural evolution of marketing approaches,” said Meade. “As quickly as new Web technologies and applications are introduced, we anticipate that marketers will adopt and shape them into new and exciting ways to interact their target audiences. The potential created by this highly collaborative environment is limited only by the imagination.”

The Zoomerang Web 2.0 Survey also revealed some amusing and colorful answers from survey respondents when asked what Web 2.0 means, among them:

“Companies that survived the dot com crash and are now thriving”

“Internet on a cell phone”

“Big brother is watching”

“Web 2.0 is like a second-generation of Internet based services like networking sites for social purposes that let people get together and share information”

“Democratization of the Internet”

Methodology

The Zoomerang Web 2.0 Survey was conducted online between October 30, 2006 and November 10, 2006 among 400 marketing professionals.