How companies address the prosumer market

IBM Media Innovation Study 2008

In 2008 IBM undertook a media innovation study in order to analyze the changes in consumer behavior. Companies addressing the prosumer market must make an effort to educate prosumers about the value of their offerings. Prosumers can be reached in many ways:

through traditional consumer channels such as direct mail
nontraditional channels such as e-mail, online, or sites such as Google or Second Life
or through business-to-business channels as for example industry site advertising, trade publications

It is very important for the media companies to understand the needs, attitudes and motivation of the Web 2.0 – generation. The prosumer forces therefore the media companies to convert their business plans and marketing strategies.

Promotion through Internet videos and games will for instance increase in order to reach more customers.

Moreover, there will be a shift of power between agents in the advertisement field. Click to see graphic of value added chain

User trends of mass media in2008

The use of the media changed dramatically in the last view years. After a media innovation study of 2008 the Internet is the most important media for more than a half of 800 interviewed persons.

While the print media showed a stable net balance sheet, the TV is depressing in favor of the Internet. In March 2008, 57 % of 800 consumers declared to use the Internet more frequently, whereas only 7% remarked an increase of watching TV.

In order to take buying decisions, 50 to 59 year old persons prefer using the Internet compared to print and TV. The average of Internet users across every age class is about 63%.

Alvin Toffler already predicted in the eighties a coming change from the consumer to a prosumer who not only interact but also generate contents by him- or herself.

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