"Email Is For Old People"

It's amazing how accurate a sample of 31 people can be.  The name of today's entry is a quote from "The Bedroom Project" - and we were surprised to hear it back in February of last year.

I frequently reference that ethnographic study in this blog, and recently, a JupiterResearch study confirms a key finding from "Bedroom."

The rise of social networking activity, coupled with texting and incessant cell phone use, has created a notable decrease in the use of email.  That's what our Bedroomers told us.  For many of them, key communication took place on MySpace, Facebook, and on their phones.  Email was rapidly becoming a place where they conducted business and/or communicated with adults.

What does this mean for radio?  As happy as stations may be when their listener database cracks a certain threshold, it is becoming more difficult to reach consumers with email.  According to the JupiterResearch study, "The Social and Portable Inbox: Optimizing E-mail Marketing in the New Era of Communication Tools," nearly one-fourth of respondents report that social networking sites have replaced email.

David Schatsky, the president of JupiterResearch, notes that "marketers need to be aware that consumers are using other forms of communication and must ensure their strategy adapts to consumers' changing behavior."

This is another reason why stations need to go beyond email, and work on initiatives like text messaging, building their own social networking modules, blogs, video streaming, and other conduits with listeners.  This is especially true among younger-targeted stations.  And as we've seen with just about every other technology, these trends typically start with teens and work their way older.

Today, as a fiftysomething consumer, I have a Facebook site, I text constantly, and I play Guitar Hero - all activities that were off my radar screen just a few short years ago.  So, keep building your email database, but keep in mind that trends are rapidly moving in different communication directions.

Comments

[Michael Mallace]

School has started in Arizona and this morning I was signing last minute releases and forms for our eleven year old who started middle school. On one of the forms she needed to fill in her email address, she challenged me on that and said that she never uses her email any more. I found that very odd since she is on the computer almost as much as I am. She is my go to IT person at home because she knows how to use the computers and internet better than anyone.

I asked her why she doesn't use email and she told me that she text messages and uses AIM instead. Interesting.....

Tonight, I had to pick up my oldest from her first high school social. While at dinner, I sent her a text and asked if I could pick her up early. Of course, she said no and wanted to be picked up at nine. I texted back "OK". At nine, when I got to the school I sent her another text telling her I was in the parking lot waiting for her. She sent back a note saying she would be right there. We never talked on our cell phones to each other.

While in the car going home we were discussing how she was planning on getting home from school tomorrow. She told me that she was getting together with an older friend of hers who drives and that she thought she could pick her up and take her home. She then went on to say that when she got home she would talk to her friend on Facebook and firm things up and then let me know what her plans were.

Wait a second! My little one doesn't use email and my older one doesn't talk on the cell phone. But they both are big into text messaging and social networking (AIM, MySpace, Facebook) as a normal way of communicating. What's going on here?

Then I read your blog today titled and it all became crystal clear.

[Fred]

OMG, Michael! Thanks for the story.

[J]

my son is 16 and i asked him last night why he hasn't been replying to the emails i sent him recently.

His quote, 'i don't use email anymore'.

btw...he's on facebook for 2 hours a night.