Study: Black consumers more likely to network professionally online

(December 4, 2007) The most influential segment of African American consumers tends to use the Web for business while continuing to favor offline communications tools for social networking, according to a study released today by Burson-Marsteller, a leading public relations and communications consultancy.  The study focused on the ways this influential consumer group, which is dubbed the African American-fluentials, communicates online and offline. The study is part of Burson-Marsteller’s e-fluentials series of studies examining influential consumers.

African American-fluentials are much more likely to make business contacts online (52 percent) than were influential consumers taken from the U.S. population as a whole (28 percent). Yet African American-fluentials are less likely to “make friends online” (39 percent) than all other influential consumers (58 percent). African American-fluentials are also less likely to be active on a social networking site, such as Facebook, (49 percent) than the general population of online influencers (76 percent).

“African American-fluentials tend to embrace the Web for business and ‘serious’ pursuits while favoring a range of offline communications tools for social networking,” said Mireille Grangenois, Managing Director, U.S. Multicultural. “They are twice as likely to use handwritten notes than U.S. e-fluentials but half as likely to write blog entries.”

The African American e-fluentials are well-networked, as they speak to an average of 56 people daily. This represents 40 percent more people than African American non-fluentials and 20 percent more than U.S. e-fluentials. 

African American-fluentials spend similar amounts of time online as the broader e-fluential population (25.2 hours and 24.6 hours per week respectively), but significantly more time talking with family, friends and co-workers (26.5 hours per week versus 20.9 hours per week for U.S. e-fluentials). 

African American-fluentials are community-oriented.  Fifty-eight percent have discussed local community issues with others in the past few months as compared to 45 percent of U.S. E-fluentials.  However, almost one-fourth (22 percent) of those surveyed feel that companies are inattentive to the needs of their community or are sensitive to African American culture.

“Young people in the African American community are particularly value-oriented,” says Mark Penn, CEO of Burson-Marsteller and author of Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes.  “There is an emerging group of African American youth poised to enrich and lead society in substantial ways.  They are not only a serious target audience for the technology, apparel, sports and entertainment industries, but also are ready recruits for college, job, volunteer and leadership opportunities at every level.”

Among the study’s other findings were:

§ Eighty-six percent of African American-fluentials report that they are more likely to listen to companies that develop products that reflect community and cultural needs and interests. 

§ In addition to offering community-relevant products, companies that support community philanthropies (85 percent) and charities (79 percent) will garner this audience’s attention.  These community-focused efforts are more compelling to African American-fluentials than coupons (75 percent) or promotional e-mails (66 percent).

§ Eighty-two percent of African American-fluentials say brand drives their purchase decisions (only 68 percent of U.S. e-fluentials agree).  Additionally, 85 percent of African American-fluentials say that once they find a brand they like, they stick with that brand.

§ While brand and in-store display are key drivers of African American-fluentials’ purchases, coupons and promotions also drive sales.  Sixty percent of African American-fluentials forward e-mails with coupons and discount offers and 49 percent forward e-mails with promotion and sale information (compared with only 49 percent and 29 percent of U.S. e-fluentials, respectively).

Burson-Marsteller partnered with MSI International to conduct a survey of online U.S. African Americans, age 18 and older. A total of 1,000 online interviews were completed.

For more information about the African American-fluentials study, contact: Mireille Grangenois, Managing Director, U.S. Multicultural, Burson-Marsteller at 202-530-4615 or mireille.grangenois@bm.com.


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