Plugged into the matrix
In a global survey by market intelligence firm Synovate, 70 percent of respondents said they couldn't live without the Internet, compared to 69 percent who said the same about TV.
The purpose of the survey was to provide assistance to marketing professionals in deciding where to spend their budgets and the overtaking of TV by the Internet as the world's favourite medium gives them a clear signal.
"Should they join the social media zeitgeist or dabble around the edges in a wait-and-see stance? Is their brand best served by TV, print or radio? And what about the mobile platform?" asked Synovate's global executive director of media, Steve Garton.
"Of course the answer is all wrapped up with targeting and ROI, the same as it has always been. To do that well, you simply need to understand your audience... what they like and where their lives intersect with media and brands."
And it turned out that, of all the nationalities surveyed, us Brits are the most Internet addicted of all. When asked if the Internet was completely necessary to their lives, 92 percent of Brits said yes, followed by 91 percent of Spaniards, 90 percent of Australians and 89 percent of both Dutch and American respondents.
"Advertisers are increasingly moving marketing budget online," said Synovate UK director Philip Shaw. "For now, they need to ensure campaigns are effectively integrated across all media but platform convergence means that we will soon cease to think of TV and the internet as separate things."
