What does your search engine say about you? Well, if you believe a new study from a group of marketing agencies, it says a lot. A group that included Wunderman, BrandAsset Consulting, Zaaz, and Compete set out to learn about the shopping habits and brand preferences of search users.
Google users tend towards
Target and
Amazon, while
Bing users (despite apparently being "early adopters") are more likely to go to
Walmart. Oddest of all,
Yahoo! users showed a "strong preference" for
Sprint and
AT&T over
Verizon or
T-Mobile.
The study claims that your favorite search engine doesn't merely indicate a preference for
JetBue or a tendency to buy
Toyotas. The companies believe they were able to build complex psychological profiles of the various engines' average users. Google customers are "the average Internet Joe" -- conventional, yet open to trying new things. Yahoo! users, on the other hand, tend to be older, lack imagination, and feel like they can't control their future.
What search engine do you use?| Google | 7367 (75.6%) |
|---|
| Yahoo! | 624 (6.4%) |
|---|
| Bing | 420 (4.3%) |
|---|
| AOL | 765 (7.9%) |
|---|
| Ask | 164 (1.7%) |
|---|
| Other | 400 (4.1%) |
|---|
According to the research,
AOL customers are less intellectual, conformists, who "feel like they've gotten a raw deal out of life", and have overall low expectations -- which explains quite a bit about the character of many comments here at Switched.
Of course, it's a stretch to assume that so much information about a consumer could be gleaned based purely on what search engine they use. Descriptions from the report read less like a marketing study and more like notes from our last therapy session. Speaking of which, we promise we won't be late this week,
Dr. Rubin. [From:
AdAge]
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=521978&pid=521977&uts=1265819486
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
What Your Gadgets Say About You
What Does Your Tech Say About You?
As makes sense in consumer societies, most folks in developed nations -- wittingly or not -- express themselves via the stuff they accumulate. Since technological goods have become increasingly pervasive, and affordable, it only makes sense that tech companies have begun to imbue their products with 'personalities' of their own. From your ride to your ringtone, your tech -- like it or not -- can expose aspects of your personality to others. Click through to see just what we're talking about.
Your car
Possibly the most widely recognized status symbol of the modern era, the automobile has been developed perhaps more than any other piece of machinery to appeal to certain personality types. A Mercedes, for instance, might give off the vibe that you are a high-roller, concerned with sophistication over flash. If you drive a Chevy, you're putting out that all-American vibe. And if you drive a Hummer? Well, you just suck.
Your ringtone
Downloadable ringtones have skyrocketed in popularity over recent years, with even your cousin's pitiful emo band hawking their own via MySpace. Since the kinds of people who use ringtones are rarely the kinds of people to courteously set their phones to silent mode when in public, the whole world's perception of you could hinge on your ringtone selection. If you pick a Young Jeezy jam, you're probably the type of person who likes to get crunk. If you download a Barry Manilow ringtone, you're probably the type of person that downloads ringtones by accident.
Your cell phone
With smartphones pervading pockets and purses everywhere, the cell phone may soon replace the automobile as the most recognizable status symbol. While a BlackBerry gives off the vibe that you are all about business, an iPhone would suggest that you mix business and pleasure -- a technological mullet, of sorts. And as for those Luddites among us with older-gen, plain-old cell phones? Well, that says we'd rather buy months' worth of groceries than a telephone.
Your preferred MP3 player bit rate
A CNET report has broken down MP3 listeners into types, contingent on their bit rate preferences. Folks who listen to 128kbps probably use their MP3 players' included headphones. Those who subscribe to 256kbps are highly likely to use BitTorrent, but never Limewire. Lossless fans tend be Gen X-ers, while 320kbps-listeners tend to be part of Gen Y.
Your Vista sidebar gadgets
Since Vista's "gadgets" feature leaves some users perplexed, Windows Vista Magazine (that's right) offered a break-down of Vista user types last year. According to the article, those who leave the sidebar alone are "unadventurous" and might be "nervous." Folks who mess with the sidebar a little bit are "naturally curious," but also "flit between things." On the other hand, Vista users who fully take advantage of the sidebar are called "individuals" who "aren't afraid to try new things." It's almost as if Windows Vista Magazine wants you to pay for Windows Vista gadgets. Weird.
Your gadgets, in general
If you're a gadget lover, or what's called an 'early adopter,' research shows that you're probably an assertive person. The study, conducted by Nielsen Online and Mindset Media, also found that folks who rush to the store in order to buy the newest gadget tend to have strong leadership qualities. Oh, and they also tend to be condescending jerks.
Your Mac
If you're a Mac user, chances are high that you're also an early adopter, so it should be no surprise that, as the owner of a Mac, you are probably an arrogant, uptight kind of person. Of course, it's not all bad. The study in question, conducted at last year's Macworld conference, shows that Mac users also tend to be more open-minded. Unless it comes to PC-users, that is.
Tags: aol, bing, google, market research, MarketResearch, search engines, SearchEngines, top, yahoo
Comments
38
Subscribe to commentsasswipegwbFeb 10th 2010 11:05AM
soooooo , this apparently out trumps healthcare - seams this country has its priorities ass way backwards !!
asswipegwbFeb 10th 2010 11:06AM
sooooooo this apparently out trumps healthcare - what an assway backwards nation !!
asswipegwbFeb 10th 2010 11:08AM
AOL is censoring my data - its a violation of free speech - hummm , I wonder if anyone has tried to sue for that !!
Teddy RayFeb 10th 2010 12:48PM
I use Google, unless I'm looking for porn vids...then I use Bing.
LaurieEllenRFeb 10th 2010 12:01PM
I used to use Google but no longer.
I had a friend in another state who was battling cancer and after not being able to reach him on the phone, I did a search of his name on Google and nothing came up. One day, I decided to try Bing. I put his name in the seach bar and within seconds, his death notice came up.
CynthiaFeb 10th 2010 12:10PM
Mick, Target is NOT Canadian. They started in the Midwest of the good 'ol USA. Google it and read the history, then apologize to our "friendly neighbor to the north". Can we all be a little more civil in our comments, please?
LoryFeb 10th 2010 12:16PM
The survey numbers show that 75% use Google, and that all others are between 2 and 8 per cent. This refutes every single thing the text of the article says. Perhaps the article should be rewritten to support the survey findings.
MiserblOFFeb 10th 2010 12:22PM
AOL search appears on three separate places on the screen when I sign on. The third is a separate window that was added not too very long ago. It is annoying as hell, and there is no reason for it. Because of this annoyance, I wouldn't use aol search if it were the only search engine out there.
SarahFeb 10th 2010 12:34PM
I use Google as my search engine and it fits the profile description. And to mick Target is all american.
JCFeb 10th 2010 12:41PM
Putting any credence in this silly article says a lot about you.
donxohFeb 10th 2010 12:44PM
Anyone ever heard of Dogpile.com.....made it my default search engine as it is a combination of Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask and once in a while will see the source being one I've never heard of. Each search "link" found will show which engine(s) the info comes from....quickly obvious that no one source has everything. Check it out. No, I don't work for Dogpile.
okileggsFeb 10th 2010 12:46PM
roflmao, apparently your studied wasn't much of a study if you base it on search engines. I use google, yahoo and bing without any particular order because it depends on what I'm doing and the hits I'm looking for. My shopping habits range from a to z depending on what it is I'm shopping for along with the cost of said item to include buying it on the internet or in the store.
Next time, try doing a real scientific study based on facts not oh click which search engine you use because we know your shopping habits. Survey's that require only one answer instead of mulitples really don't shed light on your test subjects/guinea pigs.
ShellyFeb 10th 2010 12:58PM
I'm a Google user and this fits my profile. After reading LaurieEllen's comment, however, I might check out Bing.
And for Mick: Target is headquartered in Mnpls, MN and they are a publicly-held company, which means you, yourself, could own stock in Target if you wanted to. Their NYSE ticker symbol is TGT. Currently, institutions (American ones) hold a majority of Target's shares, with the one institution who holds the most holding roughly 10% of all available common shares. Why do I know this? I'm currently a shareholder as well.
JDFeb 10th 2010 1:34PM
It's a bunch of BS aimed solely at generating revenue for the research agencies. They'll convince their clients using pie charts and graphs and a lot of gibberish and mumbo-jumbo with a bunch of numbers skewed to support their positions, but, in the end, it's just that... gibberish and mumbo-jumbo.
perryrealtorFeb 10th 2010 1:50PM
What a stupid set of conclusions. "According to the research, AOL customers are less intellectual, conformists, who 'feel like they've gotten a raw deal out of life', and have overall low expectations . . ." I are a college graduate and I gots a MBA. I are real intelektewel and hain't got no raw deals.
Seriously, I use AOL because it has a lot of services, including up-to-date news. I don't like AOL's liberalism, but, it helps keep me familiar with what the enemies are thinking.
Joe DraughnFeb 16th 2010 3:30PM
All search engines have merits; I prefer Google, but it's a little arrogant and pedantic to suggest that people who use AOL for search purposes are people with low expectations, like those that add comments to your articles. Have a litle tact and less arrogance, please. Joe
sherryFeb 17th 2010 3:42PM
I am an AOL user. Quite happy with my life, thank you very much.
I started with AOL back in the dark ages of computers LOL, and it is such a hassle to change email addresses, I stuck with it.
I have a Yahoo! account, however there were hassles with the email, so I primarily stick with AOL.
Pretty harsh comments regarding AOL users. I will say when I look at message boards, regardless of account used, people seem pretty unhappy these days....
LinjaFeb 18th 2010 8:43PM
I use Goodsearch and isearch.igive.com. Each search generates a donation to charity.