Study finds iPod owners post more online content

A recent customer behavior study by Intelliseek found that consumers who own iPods are significantly more likely to create and spread consumer-generated media (CGM) on the internet, a trend likely to increase with the incorporation of video content into iPods. According to the study, iPod users are twice as likely to have authored a blog than consumers who do not own MP3 players, and they outpace other MP3 owners on creating and posting content online. iPod users are also 2.5 times as likely to exchange text messages on cellular phones (59 percent versus 24 percent of non-owners), three times as likely to take photos with a camera phone (45 percent versus 15 percent), and three times as likely to download video clips and movies to a personal computer (47 percent versus 16 percent).

The representative study of 660 online consumers conducted in August of 2005, finds that iPod users are also product innovators, significantly more likely to own digital video recorders, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, laptop computers and cell phones than non-iPod owners. iPod owners tend to connect to the internet via broadband and wireless connections, and are more likely than others to skip past or filter advertisements, especially online, a behavior that may be linked as much to high usability/interface expectations as it is to a dislike of advertising, according to the study.

The study found that the amount and depth of consumer-generated media about Apple products on message boards, forums, ratings sites and other CGM venues support this conclusion. On blogs alone, nearly one percent of all new blog entries directly or indirectly mention iPod products, roughly equal to the total amount of online conversations citing MP3 players in general. First-person product testimonials about iPods also index highly across message boards, forums and ratings sites.

"iPod users have more word-of-mouth tools at their disposal to spread opinions and reviews about their iPod experiences," said Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek's chief marketing officer. "Provided iPods continue to delight consumers, Apple will benefit from a growing volume of free, trusted advertising from other consumers."

The Intelliseek consumer-generated media study confirms that while word-of-mouth recommendations from personal acquaintances carry the most weight in influencing purchases, even CGM from internet strangers is a more powerful influence than paid advertising.

Filed under: iPod, industry