Owners of digital music players represent an attractive audience for consumer electronics advertiser

comScore Networks released a study which provides insight into the demographic characteristics, interests and media usage habits of online consumers who own digital music players (DMPs), including devices such as MP3 players, iPods (and starting Microsoft’s new Zune music player). Based on findings from comScore’s new Plan Metrix media planning tool, the study revealed that these tech-savvy consumers, who typically have an above average income, represent an attractive target for consumer electronics advertisers.

Digital Music Player (DMP) Owners Profiled

Twenty-seven percent of all Internet users currently own one or more DMPs. Online DMP owners are slightly more likely to be male (53 percent) and more than one-third (37 percent) are between the ages of 18-34. Moreover, they are nearly twice as likely as the typical Internet user to be enrolled as full-time college students.

Thirty-six percent of online DMP owners have an annual household income above $75,000, and they are 66 percent more likely than the average Internet user to have an annual household income above $150,000. They show a high affinity for online shopping; with 49 percent agreeing that the Internet is the easiest way to shop, and 94 percent reporting they shopped (i.e. researched and/ or purchased) online in the past six months.

“With the launch of Zune, Microsoft is targeting a highly desirable audience segment,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “As Zune gains in popularity, it will be interesting to observe how this segment of DMP owners differs from those who own iPods and other DMPs already in the marketplace.”

Technocrats Revealed

Technology is an important part of online DMP owners’ lives and they have a higher-than-average propensity to own many types of consumer electronics products, including entertainment-related devices. They are more than twice as likely as the norm to own Web-enabled video game consoles, 80 percent more likely to own a satellite radio system and 57 percent more likely than the norm to own a plasma/ flat screen TV.

Not surprisingly, the technology-adept online DMP owners are also highly Internet savvy individuals. These consumers tend to be medium-to-heavy Internet users, with 83 percent going online seven days a week. They are 58 percent more likely than the average Internet user to be the first among their peers to buy new gadgets, and are 13 percent more likely to have purchased goods and services online in the past six months.

Interactive TV Habits

Notably, comScore’s Plan Metrix analysis revealed that online DMP owners are more prone to simultaneous media usage than the average Internet user, and are especially likely to surf the Internet while watching TV. This group is 50 percent more likely than the average Internet user to visit a related chat room while watching a TV show, and 49 percent more likely to visit a related Web site during a program. Importantly, DMP owners are 40 percent more likely than the average Internet user to research or browse products featured in a TV show or ad shown within the program, and are 17 percent more likely than the norm to purchase a product featured in a TV show or ad.

Media Habits of Online DMP Owners

While online DMP owners use the Internet while watching TV, they tend to be light TV viewers overall, with 45 percent watching TV less than 19 hours a week. In comparison, only 38 percent of Internet users watch less than 19 hours of TV programming per week. Not surprisingly, these avid music fans are not heavy radio listeners, spending less than 14 hours per week listening to the radio. When it comes to readership of publications, they fit the norm in newspaper readership, but show a partiality for magazines. In fact, they are 79 percent more likely than the average Internet user to subscribe to 10 or more magazines, with 56 percent subscribing to at least two magazines and one-quarter subscribing to more than four magazines. Advertisers seeking to target DMP owners through offline vehicles should consider a variety of magazine formats, from entertainment to news.

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For more information at http://www.comscore.com