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Study: Family, Friends More Influential than Web, TV

The most influential form of media is the oldest form of media, according to the ninth edition of the Simultaneous Media Usage Study, from BIGresearch.

Word-of-mouth is more influential than TV, print, or the web, according to the study. For automotive purchase decisions, for example, word-of-mouth was the single most influential source among 30.4 percent of respondents, writes MediaPost. No. 2 was broadcast TV. Electronics purchasers cited word-of-mouth as the top influencer to the tune of 42.6 percent, compared to 34.1 percent who ranked print journalism as their top influencer.
The study, based on a poll of 15,000 consumers, also found that consumers are generally not content to consume one form of media at a time.

More than two-thirds use other media while watching TV; 68 percent use other media while reading newspapers and 70.7 percent use other media while browsing online. Radio has the least amount of simultaneous media usage, with 56.4 percent, likely because a large percent of radio listening occurs in cars.