For Immediate Release

Informed Influencers Twice as Likely to Choose Cable

Word of Mouth Marketing Becoming a Power Tool

(Alexandria, VA - February 6, 2008) – Almost half of today’s technology influencers are choosing television service provided by their cable company over a satellite or telephone company provider. Forty-six percent of technology’s earliest adopters choose cable, while 26 percent chose satellite and 2 percent chose to receive video services from their telephone service provider.

The CTAM Pulse January/February 2008; Future Shapers and Makers: An Examination of Consumer Segments, conducted by TNS Media & Entertainment, examines different consumer segments, their technology adoption, decision-making and content viewing behavior. The report focuses on two influential groups – future shapers and future makers. These two groups collectively represent 30 percent of consumers, however, early adopters of technology are more informed and influential than other consumers.

More specifically, future shapers (10 percent) are the early adopters of technology who readily spread the word and whose opinions are sought out. Futures makers (20 percent) are second stage adopters who will tout the benefits of new technologies. The largest group of consumers is classified as today consumers (40 percent) who wait until technologies are proven before adopting them.

The most important factor to these educated consumers, when choosing a service provider, is the reliability of the service: eighty-nine percent of future shapers and 71 percent of future makers chose reliability over price. Price comes in second with 79 percent of future shapers listing it as an important factor when choosing a provider, and 67 percent of future makers.

“Today’s cable television, with advanced enhancements including on demand, HDTV and DVRs, is inciting influencers to spread the word as to why cable television is their first choice among the competitors,” said CTAM President and CEO Char Beales.

These product evangelists do their homework -- almost seven in ten (67 percent) future shapers and 59 percent of future makers are likely to get information about television services from the Internet, compared to 45 percent of today’s consumers (those who wait to adopt new technologies, but after they are proven); 59 percent and 49 percent reach out to friends and family compared to 45 percent, respectively. The two influencer groups are also more likely than others to obtain information from TV and newspaper ads and consumer electronics magazines.

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CTAM, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, is dedicated to helping the cable business grow. As a non-profit professional association, CTAM provides marketing education and networking opportunities to more than 5,500 members, through conferences, consumer research, publications, www.ctam.com, a network of regional chapters, and the CTAM Executive Management Program at the Harvard Business School. CTAM also facilitates unified, national cooperative marketing efforts on behalf of its corporate members, such as the Cable Movers Hotline (SM), Business Services Initiative, and On Demand Consortium. Consumers can learn about cable's advanced services and see offers from their local providers at the CTAM-supported www.ThisIsCable.com (SM).  

Contacts: Diana Cronan, CTAM, Director, Communications and Media Relations, 703.837.6575, diana@ctam.com

Melissa Lee, CTAM, Communications Coordinator, 703.837.6577, melissa@ctam.com