Business Media tops list of trusted information sources for UK business leaders
The study questioned senior executives about which information sources they most trust to support their business decisions. Business Media topped the list, with 71% of respondents agreeing that information from business magazines has triggered actions that have helped their employer either make or save money.
Business Media websites achieved a similar score of 70%, followed by exhibitions and email newsletters from Business Media brands (both at 60%), and then Business Media events (47%). Other forms of media further down the list were news magazines (both print and digital), content from national newsbrands (both print and digital), TV, radio, and outdoor media.
Business Media was also judged to be the primary information source in terms of supporting career development. More specifically, 83% of respondents agreed that information from Business Media websites helped them personally in their careers, while the figure was 82% for business magazines. Exhibitions (65%) and email newsletters (64%) were the next most important information sources in this area.
The survey found that business professionals now primarily access Business Media via digital channels, with 87% regularly accessing content online. However, the findings also clearly show that professionals access business content from multiple sources and in multiple formats: 67% access two or more Business Media brands online, 76% of readers regularly access a business magazine in print, and 52% access two or more Business Media brands in print.
The research also gives evidence of the growing influence of the mobile channel and users’ increasing engagement via mobile devices. Business Media apps had been downloaded by 36% of smartphone owners within the sample, and of those people, 27% said they used the app every day.
Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA, said: “This new research from PPA Business contains some very revealing headlines about the consumption and perception of Business Media among professional audiences in 2015.
“It is clear that the weighting of different content delivery channels continues to evolve. Desktop still dominates, live events are growing in influence, and across all age groups there is growing appetite for content on mobile. The fact that more than three-quarters of this audience are also still regularly accessing content in print shows how business users are now sourcing what they need when they need from a truly complementary mix of platforms.”
“Among these new findings, there are also many reassuring themes that are consistent with what we already know about the appetite among professional audiences for high-quality content, and the value it clearly brings to their decision-making process.”
Download the Value of Business Media Brands in 2015 from the FIPP Insight resource centre
More information from PPA Business
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