Sound the Brand Siren

This just in: interesting new stats on brand influencers, courtesy of a study by CNET and Starcom. The study examined the habits of more than 10,000 young people, one of the largest sample sizes BrandingVoodoo has seen in a while.

From within the 13-34 year old demographic, a key sub-group of uber-influencers emerged with members who have a "profound effect on marketing through their ability to influence friends and family via word-of-mouth, viral video and applications such as instant messaging," according to the article in MediaPost.

These "brand sirens" gave startling insight into their desire to link to their favorite brands, if only they'd keep their promises:

• 87% enjoy sharing information about brands
• 82% talk to their friends about brands
• 77% post reviews and product feedback online
• 70% send emails to friends about products and services
• 67% will spend more to buy a brand they know and trust
• 67% care about the brands they use
• 58% are pleasantly surprised when a brand lives up to its promises
• 43% wish they could find brand they could stick with
  

The study also deftly illustrated the intricate balance in this group between advocate and skeptic. The same skeptic who slams one company may serve as another's strongest advocate via blogs, social networks and other consumer generated media platforms.

One of the biggest surprises (and one the network execs will love): 73 percent of brand sirens watched TV in real-time with the last 24 hours.

Now about that integrated media campaign....