WeberShandwick-Reasons-CEOs-Don’t-Participate-in-Social-June2013Senior executives whose CEOs use social media are extremely positive about the effects of their CEOs’ actions, per results from a study [pdf] by Weber Shandwick. However, many CEOs haven’t made the move to social media use yet, and the study results indicate that perceived risk is a key impediment. Senior executives with “unsocial” CEOs were asked the reasons why their CEO does not participate in social media, with almost one-third responding that it’s too risky. That was one of the top barriers, slightly behind social not being typical for the region or industry (35%), the CEO seeing no measurable return on investment (34%), and a lack of demand for the CEO to do so (34%).

via Risk Versus Reward: Why CEOs Don’t Go Social.

CMOCouncilNetLine-B2B-Buyer-Attitudes-to-Online-Content-June201387% of B2B content consumers say that online content has a major (27%) or moderate (60%) impact on their vendor selection, according to [download page] a new report from the CMO Council and NetLine, and 35% believe that online content highlights the vendors that best understand their needs. With such emphasis being placed on content marketing, it’s imperative that B2B brands understand what types of content best influence these buyers.

via B2B Buyers On What Online Content Works… and What Doesn’t.

CompeteGroupMNext-6-Types-Digital-Consumer-Journeys-June2013Compete and GroupM have released a new report that analyzes more than 168,000 purchases of consumer electronics in which the consumer used digital media somewhere along their purchase path. The study, revealing that digital media and advertising heavily influenced almost half of all purchases, identifies 6 types of digital shopper. The researchers argue that purchase journeys are more influenced by behavioral factors than demographics, as each shopper segment sports “remarkably” similar demographics.

via The Six Segments of Digital Shoppers (for Electronics) Detailed.

Women continue to lead over men on most social networks, according to a March 2013 survey of over 2,500 adult US internet users from internet advertising network Burst Media. Facebook remained the leading social network by a wide margin, and females were 6 percentage points more likely than male internet users to have an account on the site.

via Google+ Trumps Twitter, Earning Second Place for Total US Social Networkers – eMarketer.

He can do this because pretty much all Twitter messages have the same lifecycle, and that can be mapped on a graph. Zaman wants to build a website that will analyze Tweets in real-time and make predictions about their popularity, but in the meantime, he’s set up a website that graphs the number of retweets that followed messages from people like Will.i.am, Newt Gingrich, and Kim Kardashian. He calls it the Twouija, a nod to the old Ouija board game that purports to predict your future.

via MIT Savant Can Predict How Many Re-Tweets You’ll Get | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com.

Executives from around the world surveyed about their CEOs’ social media usage forecast a 50% increase in CEO participation in social media over the next 5 years, from 42% to 63%. Those executives who have a “social CEO” report feeling inspired 52%, technologically advanced 46% and proud 41% as a result, and are more likely than other executives to describe their leaders as forward-looking, effective, and good communicators.

via CEOs on Social Boost Credibility, Say Senior Execs.

According to new figures from eMarketer, several markets worldwide reached a milestone in mobile usage last year. By the end of 2012, over half of mobile phone users in six countries had made the switch from feature phones to smartphones. The coming years will see a domino effect hit regions around the world as smartphones become the norm in more places.

via Smartphone Adoption Tips Past 50% in Major Markets Worldwide – eMarketer.

According to a January 2013 survey from online magazine Social Media Examiner, Facebook continues to be the most important social network for most business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers worldwide, given its enormous user base. However, for business-to-business (B2B) marketers, there is a healthy competition among other platforms. Among these marketers, LinkedIn tied with Facebook as the most important social network, while blogging followed 10 percentage points behind.

via Social Gives SMBs Maximum Exposure – eMarketer.

Most consumers are keeping it short and sweet when it comes to their online video viewing habits, but that may be limiting the industry’s ability to monetize its inventory, according to [download page] FreeWheel’s Q1 Video Monetization Report. During the first quarter, 86.7% of video views on “Linear + Digital” networks were less than 5 minutes in length, as were 86.2% of video views on “Digital Pure-Play” networks. But ad loads (ads per video viewed) for short-form content averaged out at just 0.9 for the Linear + Digital model and 0.5 for the Digital Pure-Play model.

via Most Online Video Views Are Reserved For Content Less Than 5 Minutes in Length.

ZenithOptimedia has released a list of the largest media companies around the world, ranked by media revenue, which it describes as “all revenues deriving from businesses that support advertising, not just the advertising revenue itself.” While only 4 online media owners made the top 30 list, it’s important to note – as the researchers do – that the figures pertain to the 2011 financial year, the most recent one that could be used for consistency’s sake. Since then, online advertising has been growing by leaps and bounds. And yet, even in 2011, one digital company ruled them all: Google.

via The World’s Media Heavyweights Ranked by Revenue.