To quote the kids, e-mail messaging is soooooo yesterday. A report released last week by The Pew Internet & American Life Project says for many teens (read: future
customers) e-mail is fast being eclipsed by instant messaging (IM) as a way to connect with their friends. (To teens, E-mail is seen as a tool for communicating with adults.)
According to the report, teens may come to expect access to the virtual world from any physical location: home, school, community centers, libraries, and friends' and relatives'
houses. The numbers spell more trouble for traditional means of target marketing:
- 87% of teens log on from home.
- 78% of teens log on from school.
- 74% of teens log on from a friend or relative's house.
- 54% of teens log on at the library.
- 9% of teens log on from a community center, youth center or house of worship.
Source: The Pew Internet & American Life Project/Media Post Communications (2005)