Media

The relationships between media outlets and their advertisers have been singled out as a possible reason for the public’s eroding trust in the media. Ad placement and “advertorials,” which are advertisements written in the form of editorial copy, can often confuse the reader and blur the line between editorial content and paid advertising. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism have completed a study examining readers’ perceptions of credibility when it comes to advertisers and e-newspapers.

Consumers are receptive to in-store audio advertising with more than half (55 percent) of shoppers recalling commercials heard while shopping, according to a new study by Arbitron Inc.

Yankee Group revealed the highly sought after results for its 2005 wireless user surveys. The surveys give an unparalleled picture of the drivers shaping the US and European consumer and business markets and provide insight for carriers, handset manufacturers and other companies involved in the quickly evolving mobile ecosystem.

Yankee Group analysts predicted continued strong growth in the US B2B wireless market at the 2005 Decision Summit, held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. Fueling the demand is a mass market for B2B wireless products and services comprised of a growing mobile workforce. Almost 40% of all workers in the US can be considered mobile, which translates into nearly 50 million employees.

Yankee Group recognized that family plans have been the main driver of teen cell phone adoption during the past few years. However, going forward, prepaid and hybrid plans will drive future growth. Although those teens on postpaid contracts are increasingly turning to family share plans, on the whole postpaid subscriptions have declined, according to data from Yankee Group’s comprehensive annual surveys of the US mobile consumer market, revealed at the company’s 2005 Decision Summit. A greater proportion of teens are on prepaid/hybrid plans, up 8 percentage points from 2004.

One in ten (9%) U.S. adults have abandoned their traditional telephone service completely and now use their wireless phone exclusively. This trend is expected to grow as five percent of all adults say they are “seriously considering” going exclusively wireless within one year. Another 47 percent say they are “somewhat considering” this switch.

A new eMarketer report examines the consolidation that has swept through Latin American telecommunications markets, dramatically reshaping the competitive landscape.