1,500 U .S . C O N S U M E R S’ AT T IT U D E S , P R E F E R E N C E S A N D E X P E CTAT I O N S F O R
C O NT E NT M A R K E T I N G P E R S O N A L I Z AT I O N
D E C E M B E R 2016
THE PERSONALIZATION IMPERATIVE
FOR CONTENT MARKETING
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
F O R E W O R D
H O W D O C O N S U M E R S D I S C O V E R , P E R C E I V E A N D E N G A G E W I T H B R A N D E D C O N T E N T ?
H O W D O E S P E R S O N A L L Y R E L E V A N T C O N T E N T F R O M B R A N D S I N F L U E N C E W H A T C O N S U M E R S T H I N K , F E E L A N D D O I N R E S P O N S E ?
W H A T I S A T R I S K I N P R O V I D I N G B R A N D E D C O N T E N T T H A T I S N O T P E R S O N A L L Y R E L E V A N T ?
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
3
5
7
1 5
2 3
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 3
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
ONTENT MARKETING HAS TAKEN the digital marketing world by storm. With barriers to content creation and brand publishing still crashing down around us, there’s now more branded content than ever, creating an overwhelming amount of choice and variety for consumers. How are consumers dealing with the avalanche of content and what do they expect of the brands publishing it? Based on responses from 1,500 U.S. consumers, this research seeks to understand how consumers perceive the purpose and usefulness of branded content and the extent to which personalization factors into that value equation. Do consumers feel that marketers are delivering on their expectations for personally relevant digital content experiences that have been set by Internet leaders like Amazon, Google, Netflix and others? And what’s at stake in not excelling at personalization, specifically as it relates to content marketing?
Several notable themes emerged from our findings, but following are the key takeaways:
C
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 4
Brands risk alienating consumers by not making content personally relevant.
• Nearly half (45%) of consumers won’t spend
time with branded content if it’s not relevant
to their interests.
• Forty-two percent (42%) of consumers are
less interested in a brand’s products and
services if the content the brand provides is
not personally relevant.
• More than half (51%) of millennial consumers
(age 18 to 34) are less interested in a brand’s
products and services if the brand’s content
isn’t personally relevant.
Consumers are more inclined to purchase and pay more for products from brands that personalize content marketing.
• Eighty-eight percent (88%) of consumers say that
personally relevant content improves how they
feel about a brand.
• Seventy-eight percent (78%) say that personally
relevant content increases their purchase intent
for a brand’s products and services.
• Fifty percent (50%) say that they would pay
more for products and services from brands
who do a good job of providing personally
relevant content.
Not all digital channels are created equal when it comes to content discovery; Facebook stands above the others.
• Half (50%) of consumers surveyed cited
Facebook as a primary discovery channel
for branded content.
• Email and Search tied for the second
top discovery channel at 29%.
• Millennial respondents (age 18 to 34) cited
YouTube (42%) as a primary channel for
branded content discovery.
Amazon sets the gold standard in providing a personalized digital experience followed by Google and Facebook.
• At a significant margin, 55% of consumers
indicated that Amazon sets the standard for
delivering personalized digital experiences
followed by Google (39%) and Facebook (38%).
Consumers place the most value on content that informs and educates them.
• Consumers find content that “informs” (40%) and
“educates” (28%) to be the most valuable. Only
17% say content that “entertains” is the most
valuable and 11% say content that “inspires”
is the most valuable.
• Eighty-one percent (81%) of consumers say that
content “quality” is somewhat or very important,
and 78% of consumers say that “relevance” is
somewhat or very important.
• When citing the most important categories for
personally relevant content, consumers ranked
Health and Wellness at the top with 72%,
followed closely by Food (71%) and Electronics
and Technology (66%).
The full analysis follows, putting into perspective the mindset, motivations and stages of maturity relative to content marketing.
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 5
F O R E W O R D
ODAY’S BUYERS AND CONSUMERS ARE fully in control of their customer journey and online experiences.
With the proliferation of content marketing and branded content platforms, the challenge for marketers has shifted from how to create the content their audience actually wants to read and share, to how to break through the
digital and social noise. And reach customers where they consume content, in the way they want, and targeted directly to their needs.
Companies like Amazon present us with personalized content experiences “Related to,” and “Inspired by” the items you viewed. And “Recommended for you” based on your shopping history.
Netflix recommends shows you might like based on your previous viewing habits. Google “auto-fills” suggestions based on searches you’ve previously made. Facebook tailors your news feed based on the items you’ve engaged with.
Maybe you have even landed on a corporate website that tells you the current forecast for your location, or presents a content suggestion based on the IP address of your company.
These examples have served to increase the expectations from consumers and buyers who block online ads, fast-forward TV commercials
or “cut the cord” completely on their cable subscription.
Attention has become the currency of the digital, social and mobile web. And the only way to attract a customer’s attention today is through the production of high-quality content that is relevant and personalized to the reader.
Marketers have fully embraced the goal of content marketing: to attract an audience with quality content vs. buying or interrupting them with ads and offers that are not relevant to them. Now, more than ever before, marketers are tackling the challenge of personalizing the content experience. Quality and relevance are the goals of the online content consumer. Personalization is the only way to achieve this goal and gain the attention of your potential customers.
Michael BrennerCEO and Founder, Marketing Insider Group
Marketers Can No Longer Afford to Defer Personalization
TB Y M I C H A E L B R E N N E R , C E O A N D F O U N D E R ,
M A R K E T I N G I N S I D E R G R O U P
(Continued)
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 6
P E R S O N A L I Z I N G T H E C O N T E N T E X P E R I E N C E
As you’ll see in the research following, nearly
half of consumers won’t engage with a brand
that doesn’t provide content mapped to their
interests and needs. And more than three-
quarter of consumers see personally relevant
content as the key to engaging more deeply
with a brand and considering the products
and services they provide.
With the average consumer engaging in
multiple content touch points, personalized
content is not the goal. But rather the goal
for marketers is to deliver personalized
content experiences.
Email, search and social continue to
dominate the content landscape, as a majority
of consumers cited these channels as the
ones they use most to discover the content
that is relevant to them.
Marketers must create the right content,
for the right person, on the right channel,
at the right time, in order to deliver a truly
personalized content experience.
So if you are still spending the majority of
your marketing dollars on ad campaigns or
promotional messages, and not on creating
personally relevant content experiences,
you are missing out on the large majority of
content being consumed and shared online.
And you are missing the opportunity to build
your brand’s awareness and your product’s
purchase intent.
Your audience has many choices today.
They choose the topics that are interesting
to them, the types of content they want to
consume, the formats they prefer and
the channels they use.
This marketing mandate has enormous
implications on the way we build and evolve
brand-owned digital websites, and how we
distribute content across email and social
platforms, on the technology we use, on
the content we create, and on the data
we aggregate in order to build the kind of
customer insights required to deliver on
the dream of personalization.
So what are you waiting for?
F O R E W O R D
Marketers need to move beyond just creating quality content. They need to build personalized content experiences across the customer journey.“
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 8
90+56
Half of consumers say they discover branded content via Facebook. Email, online search and YouTube also play an important role in branded content discovery.
T H E D I S C O V E R Y C H A N N E L S
When asked to choose the top three channels where they come across branded
content, 50% of respondents cite Facebook, with a significant margin over the other
sources. Email and online search are cited by 29% each, with YouTube following
closely behind at 26%. Advertising and advertorial/native placements earn 21% and
20% respectively, followed by a long tail of less frequently cited sources.
Y O U T H - T U B E
When looking at Millennials only
(age 18 to 34) we see YouTube
vastly more frequently cited at
42% vs 26% for all respondents.
TOP CHANNELS FOR DISCOVERING BRANDED CONTENT
Respondents were asked to choose their top three companies
100+500 310+290 310+290340+260390+210400+200480+120500+100530+70550+50550+50560+40570+30560+40
F A C E B O O K
E M A I L
S E A R C H
Y O U T U B E
A D V E R T I S I N G
A D V E R T O R I A L / N A T I V E
W O R D O F M O U T H
P I N T E R E S T
I N S T A G R A M
T W I T T E R
L I N K E D I N
T E X T / S M S
S N A P C H A T
O T H E R
5 0%
29%
29%
26%
2 1%
20%
1 2%
1 0%
7%
5%
5%
4%
3%
4%
M I L L E N N I A L S A L L R E S P O N D E N T S
4 2%45%
25%
35%
1 5%
26%
0%
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 9
51+51+26+18+3+0D E S K T O P
W E B S I T E
5 1%
S O C I A L S I T E
O R A P P
5 1%
26%
1 8%
3%
E M A I L O T H E R
M O B I L E / T A B L E T
O T H E R
C O N S U M P T I O N J U N C T I O N
When asked to identify the top two channels where they access
branded content, consumers indicated evenly websites (51%)
and social media sites/apps (51%). More than a quarter (26%)
When consuming content, it’s not just about desktop websites. Social sites and apps comprise a critical channel where consumers access branded content.
TOP DIGITAL CHANNELS FOR ACCESSING/CONSUMING CONTENT MARKETINGRespondents were asked to choose their two top channels.
identified email. Other mobile/tablet apps were less popular at 18%,
perhaps due to less penetration of content promotion capabilities within
those products.
O F C O N S U M E R S S A Y T H A T C O N T E N T
M A R K E T I N G I S A T I T S B E S T W H E N I T
E D U C A T E S O R I N F O R M S T H E M .
M O R E T H A N
2 /3
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 1
When it comes to content marketing, most consumers place greater value on UTILITY over entertainment.
C O N T E N T U S E C A S E S
When asked about the best thing content marketing does
for them, consumers indicate far and away that they
find content that Informs to be the most valuable (40%).
Right behind that role is Education at 28%, showing that
knowledge is power in content marketing. Only 17% say
that Entertainment is most valuable, and a scant 11% put
Inspiration at the top of the use cases. These splits show
that more than two thirds of consumers place greater value
on content that enriches the brain versus just stimulating it. 40+28+17+11+4TOP CONSUMER USE CASES FOR BRANDED CONTENT
I really like how-to videos. Showing common and unusual
uses for a brand gets me thinking about how I might be
able to solve one of my own problems with the brand.”“I N T H E I R W O R D S
4 0%I N F O R M S M E
4%O T H E R
1 1%I N S P I R E S
M E
1 7%E N T E R T A I N S
M E
2 8%E D U C A T E S
M E— S U R V E Y R E S P O N D E N T
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 2
IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTERISTICS OF BRANDED CONTENT
W H A T ’ S M O S T I M P O R T A N T I N C O N T E N T
While consumers find several factors to be important in judging the value
of branded content, Quality and Relevance are the top two they indicated
are somewhat or very important. 81% of consumers indicate that Quality
is somewhat or very important, while 78% of consumers indicate relevance
is somewhat or very important. Channel (“available where I need it”) is also
deemed somewhat or very important (77%), with other factors like visual
attractiveness and familiarity with the brand trailing behind.
Quality and Relevance are most important in judging branded content’s value.
If your content doesn’t grab me as relevant
IMMEDIATELY, you have no hope. I wish I had a nickel
for every video that I’ve only seen four seconds of, or
every article that I’ve never read past the headline.”“
I N T H E I R W O R D S
40+80+260+780+84060+100+280+840+72060+80+320+800+74060+100+440+840+56060+120+420+980+42080+180+640+800+300140+240+620+750+250
2%
3%
3%
3%
3%
4%
7%
42%
36%
3 7%
28%
2 1%
1 5%
1 3%
39%
42%
40%
42%
49%
40%
38%
1 3%
1 4%
1 6%
22%
2 1%
32%
3 1%
4%
5%
4%
5%
6%
9%
1 2%
Q U A L I T Y
R E L E V A N C E
C H A N N E L
L E N G T H
A T T R A C T I V E N E S S
B R A N D F A M I L I A R I T Y
S H A R E D / R E C O M M E N D E D
V E R Y I M P O R T A N T
S O M E W H A T I M P O R T A N T
N E I T H E R
S O M E W H A T U N I M P O R T A N T
V E R Y U N I M P O R T A N T
— S U R V E Y R E S P O N D E N T
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 3
Health and Wellness, Food and Electronics/Tech are most often cited by consumers as the categories where getting content personalization right is important.
C R I T I C A L C A T E G O R I E S
When asked about the importance of personally relevant content by category, Health and
Wellness tops the list with 72% of consumers indicating that personally relevant content
is somewhat or extremely important. Seventy one percent (71%) indicated Food and 66%
indicated Electronics and Technology as important categories for content personalization.
Financial Services also stands out since 26% of consumers indicate that it’s extremely
important to deliver personally relevant content for that category.
IMPORTANCE OF GETTING CONTENT PERSONALIZATION RIGHT BY MARKET CATEGORY
80+100+360+760+70080+80+420+840+58060+120+500+840+48080+180+480+800+46090+140+540+800+420120+160+580+600+540120+200+600+660+420140+180+660+600+420200+240+620+600+340
4%
4%
3%
5%
4%
6%
6%
7%
1 0%
34%
29%
24%
22%
2 1%
26%
20%
2 1%
1 7%
38%
42%
42%
4 1%
4 1%
30%
30%
33%
30%
1 8%
2 1%
25%
25%
2 7%
29%
33%
30%
3 1%
5%
4%
6%
9%
7%
8%
9%
1 0%
1 2%
V E R Y I M P O R T A N T
S O M E W H A T I M P O R T A N T
N E I T H E R
S O M E W H A T U N I M P O R T A N T
V E R Y U N I M P O R T A N T
H E A L T H + W E L L N E S S
F O O D
E L E C T R O N I C S + T E C H N O L O G Y
T R A V E L
M E D I A + E N T E R T A I N M E N T
F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S
A U T O M O T I V E
H O M E + R E A L E S T A T E
F A S H I O N + B E A U T Y
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 4
Amazon leads the pack as the digital company who consumers feel does the best job in creating a personally relevant digital experience.
DIGITAL COMPANIES CONSUMERS SEE AS BEST AT PERSONALIZING ONLINE EXPERIENCES
Respondents were asked to select their top three choices
T H E S T A N D A R D B E A R E R S
Consumer expectations for how personally relevant their
online experiences should be are influenced greatly by
the digital companies and platforms they spend time and
attention with. When asked to choose the three companies
that are best at being personally relevant, Amazon leads
the list by a wide margin, with 55% of people citing them as
a leader. Google and Facebook also score high marks with
39% and 38% respectively, with Netflix following closely
behind at 33%. We then see a significant drop-off with
Pinterest, Apple, Pandora and others moving into the “tail”
of the group.
450+550610+390620+380670+330840+160850+150860+140900+100920+80940+60950+50950+50960+40960+40O T H E R
5 5%
39%
38%
33%
1 6%
1 5%
1 4%
1 0%
8%
6%
5%
5%
4%
4%
How does personally relevant content from brands influence what consumers think, feel and do in response?
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 6
IMPACT OF PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT ON HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE BRAND
Eighty-eight percent of consumers say that personally relevant branded content positively influences how they feel about the brand.
F E E L I N G T O W A R D S T H E B R A N D
Sixty percent (60%) of consumers indicate that if a brand
does a good job of providing personally relevant content,
it somewhat improves how they feel about that brand.
Another 28% say that it greatly improves how they feel
about the brand, while only 13% say that personally
relevant content doesn’t improve how they feel. 28+60+122 8%G R E A T L Y I M P R O V E S H O W I F E E L
6 0%S O M E W H A T
I M P R O V E S H O W I F E E L
1 2%D O E S N ’ T
I M P R O V EH O W I F E E L
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 7
Seventy-two percent of consumers say that when a brand does a great job of delivering personally relevant content, they see the brand itself as relevant.
F E E L I N G T O W A R D S T H E B R A N D
Nearly three quarters (72%) of consumers see brands
as relevant if they do a great job of delivering personally
relevant content. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of consumers
draw a positive connection between content relevance
and brand likability, and 60% of consumers feel a stronger
connection with the brand as a result of content relevance.
When we look at how Moms compare to
the general audience, we see that they are
significantly more likely to both trust and
feel more connected to brands (by 9 and 10
points respectively) when brands do a great
job of delivering personally relevant content.
M O V I N G M O MS ’ M I N D S
FEELINGS TOWARD BRANDS WHEN THEY PROVIDE PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT
30+40+210+510+21030+30+260+510+17030+40+320+470+140 40+60+340+440+12040+60+350+420+13040+70+380+390+120
2 1%
1 7%
1 2%
1 3%
1 2%
5 1%
50%
46%
45%
4 1%
39%
22%
26%
32%
34%
35%
38%
4%
3%
4%
6%
6%
7%
S T R O N G L Y A G R E E
S O M E W H A T A G R E E
N E U T R A L
S O M E W H A T D I S A G R E E
S T R O N G L Y D I S A G R E E
I S E E B R A N D A S R E L E V A N T
I L I K E T H E B R A N D
I P R E F E R T H E B R A N D
I F E E L C L O S E R T O T H E B R A N D
I F E E L M O R E L O Y A L T O T H E B R A N D
I T R U S T T H E B R A N D
1 4%
3%
3%
3%
4%
4%
4%
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 1 8
Eighty-six percent of consumers say that personally relevant content makes them more interested in the brand’s products and services.
I N T E R E S T I N P R O D U C T S A N D S E R V I C E S
Eighty-six percent (86%) of consumers indicate that if a
brand does a good job of providing personally relevant
content, it makes them more interested in that brand’s
products and services. Sixty-three percent (63%) say they’re
somewhat more interested, 24% say they’re significantly
more interested, and 14% say their level of interest is
unaffected.
IMPACT OF PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT ON INTEREST IN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
24+62+142 4%S I G N I F I C A N T L Y M O R E I N T E R E S T E D
6 3%S O M E W H A T
M O R E I N T E R E S T E D
1 4%D O E S N ’ T I N F L U E N C EL E V E L O F I N T E R E S T
O F C O N S U M E R S S A Y T H A T
P E R S O N A L L Y R E L E V A N T C O N T E N T
I N C R E A S E S T H E I R P U R C H A S E I N T E N T .
78
%
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 0
P U R C H A S E I N T E N T
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of consumers indicate that if
a brand does a good job of providing personally relevant
content, it somewhat or significantly increases their intent
to purchase that brand’s products or services. Fifty-nine
percent (59%) say their intent increases somewhat, 19% say
their intent increases significantly, and 22% say their level
of intent is unaffected.
Seventy-eight percent of consumers say that personally relevant content increases their intent to purchase the brand’s products or services.
IMPACT OF PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT ON PURCHASE INTENT
19+59+221 9%S I G N I F I C A N T L Y I N C R E A S E S I N T E N T
5 9%S O M E W H A TI N C R E A S E S
I N T E N T
2 2%D O E S N ’ T
I N F L U E N C EI N T E N T
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 1
Half of consumers would be willing to pay more for a brand’s products or services if the brand does a great job of delivering personally relevant content.
T H E P R I C E I S R I G H T
Half (50%) of consumers indicate that if a brand does a
good job of providing personally relevant content, they’re
willing to pay more for the brand’s products or services.
Forty-four percent (44%) say they’d be willing to spend
slightly more, 6% say they’d be willing to spend a lot more
and 50% say they would not be willing to pay more.
PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT’S PRICE INFLUENCE
6+44+504 4%W I L L I N G T O P A Y S L I G H T L Y M O R E
5 0%N O T W I L L I N G
T O P A Y M O R E
6%W I L L I N G T O P A Y A L O T M O R E
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 2
Nearly two thirds of consumers say they are more likely to recommend a brand if it does a great job of delivering personally relevant content.
R E L E V A N C E E A R N S R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
Forty-seven percent (47%) of consumers are somewhat
more likely, and 17% are much more likely to recommend a
brand if it does a great job of delivering personally relevant
content. Thirty-five percent (35%) of consumers are not
more likely to recommend the brand in the same case.
PERSONALLY RELEVANT CONTENT’S IMPACT ON RECOMMENDATION LIKELIHOOD
18+47+354 7%S O M E W H A T M O R E L I K E L Y
3 5%N O T M O R E
L I K E L Y
1 7%M U C H M O R E L I K E L Y
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 4
Nearly half of consumers say they won’t spend time with branded content that isn’t relevant to their interests.
C O N T E N T A T T E N T I O N
Forty-five percent (45%) of consumers indicate they won’t
spend their time with branded content if it’s not personally
relevant to their interests. Forty-six percent (46%) say they’ll
sometimes give branded content a chance even if it’s not
relevant to their interests, and 9% say they’ll give any branded
content a chance regardless of its relevance to their interests.
While 45% of consumers say they won’t spend their time with
branded content that’s not personally relevant, that figure is only
39% when it comes to publisher or media content. This difference
points out that brands may need to work even harder than bona
fide publishers and media companies in creating a personally
relevant content experience — if they want to earn the consumer
attention and engagement they’re seeking.
R E A C H I N G F O R A H I G H E R B A R
WILLINGNESS TO SPEND TIME WITH CONTENT THAT’S NOT RELEVANT
9+46+454 6%W I L L S O M E T I M E S G I V E I T A C H A N C E E V E N I F N O T R E L E V A N T
4 5%W O N ’ T S P E N D T I M E W I T H I T
9%W I L L G I V E A N Y B R A N D E D C O N T E N T A C H A N C E , R E G A R D L E S S O F R E L E V A N C E
O F M I L L E N N I A L SA R E L E S S I N T E R E S T E D I N A B R A N D ’ S
P R O D U C T S A N D S E R V I C E S I F T H E C O N T E N T
T H E Y P R O V I D E I S N ’ T P E R S O N A L L Y R E L E V A N T .
1/2M O R E T H A N
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 6
Forty-two percent of consumers say they’re less interested in a brand’s products or services if the brand offers content that’s not personally relevant.
Forty-two percent (42%) of consumers say they’re less interested
in the products and services of brands who offer content that’s
not personally relevant, with 32% being somewhat less interested
and 10% being significantly less interested. Fifty-eight percent
(58%) say a lack of personal relevance in content doesn’t influence
their level of interest.
P R O D U C T A N D S E R V I C E I N T E R E S T
While 42% of our general audience
is less interested in the products
and services of brands who don’t
provide them with personally
relevant content, that figure jumps
to 51% for Millennials (age 18 to 34).
M I L L E N N I A L M A G N I F I C A T I O N
WILLINGNESS TO SPEND TIME WITH CONTENT THAT’S NOT RELEVANT
10+32+583 2%S O M E W H A T L E S S I N T E R E S T E D
5 8%D O E S N ’ T I N F L U E N C E L E V E L O F I N T E R E S T
1 0%S I G N I F I C A N T L Y L E S S I N T E R E S T E D
90+66M I L L E N N I A L S A L L R E S P O N D E N T S
6 0%
30%
0%
5 1%
42%
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 8
B A C K G R O U N D & M E T H O D O L O G Y
The Personalization Imperative study was conducted by
OneSpot and Marketing Insider Group in October 2016. The
study results are based on online survey responses from 1,582
adults in the United States who reported consuming branded
LOCATION OF RESPONDENTS
2 1%
content Sometimes, Frequently or Very Frequently. Respondents who
reported consuming content Rarely or Never were screened out of the
survey. Following is a breakdown of respondents by key demographic
characteristics:
1 7%E A S T N O R T H C E N T R A L
6%N E W E N G L A N D
1 1%M I D D L E A T L A N T I C
2 0%S O U T H A T L A N T I C
5%E A S T S O U T H C E N T R A L
7%W E S T N O R T H C E N T R A L
9%M O U N T A I N
1 6%P A C I F I C
9%W E S T S O U T H C E N T R A L
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 2 9
B A C K G R O U N D & M E T H O D O L O G Y C O N T .
AGE
13+9+9+8+9+8+10+11+232 3%
6 0 O R O L D E R
1 3%1 8 - 2 4
9%2 5 - 2 9
9%3 0 - 3 4
8%3 5 - 3 9
9%4 0 - 4 4
8%4 5 - 4 9
1 0%5 0 - 5 4
1 1%5 5 - 5 9
GENDER
56+444 4%
M A L E
5 6%F E M A L E
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 3 0
B A C K G R O U N D & M E T H O D O L O G Y C O N T .
EDUCATION
1+11+25+33+9+212 1%
P O S T G R A D U A T E D E G R E E
3 3%C O L L E G E
G R A D U A T E
9%S O M E P O S T -
G R A D U A T E S T U D I E S
1%S O M E H I G H S C H O O L
1 1%H I G H S C H O O L G R A D U A T E
2 5%S O M E C O L L E G E
INCOME
7+9+19+15+12+8+6+3+2+4+151 5%
U N D I S C L O S E D
1 2%$ 7 5 , 0 0 0 -
$ 9 9 , 9 9 9
8%$ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 -
$ 1 2 4 , 9 9 9
6%$ 1 2 5 , 0 0 0 -
$ 1 4 9 , 9 9 9
6%$ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 -
$ 1 7 4 , 9 9 9
2%$ 1 7 5 , 0 0 0 -
1 9 9 , 9 9 9
4%$ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 O R M O R E
7%$ 0 - $ 9 , 9 9 9
9%$ 1 0 , 0 0 0 - $ 2 4 , 9 9 9
1 9%$ 2 5 , 0 0 0 - $ 4 9 , 9 9 9
1 5%$ 5 0 , 0 0 0 - $ 7 4 , 9 9 9
T H E P E R S O N A L I Z A T I O N I M P E R A T I V E F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 3 1
A B O U T O N E S P O T
OneSpot is a technology platform for
personalizing content marketing across
digital channels. The solution helps marketers
drives personalized, repeat engagement
with branded content across websites, email
and paid media channels, at scale. Fortune
500 brands like Nestlé, IBM, Whole Foods
Market and Delta Faucet rely on OneSpot
to build strong content-based relationships,
uncover actionable content insights and drive
quantifiable business results. Privately funded
and based in Austin, Texas, OneSpot is a
Forbes Top 100 Brand Publishing Solution, a
three-time AlwaysOn Global 250 Winner and
a three-time EContent 100 Winner. For more
information visit onespot.com
A B O U T M A R K E T I N G I N S I D E R G R O U P
The Marketing Insider Group is a marketing
strategy consultancy focused on helping
clients use content marketing to connect
with audiences and generate measurable
results. The firm’s unique approach brings
transformative value to clients by delivering
content marketing strategies that engage
targeted audiences, convert to results and
deliver ROI that supports overall business
objectives. For more information visit
marketinginsidergroup.com