TechTarget Quarterly IT Media Consumption, Purchase Intention Survey — IT Publishers’ Web Sites displace Vendor Web Sites as Number 2 Source of Information

Information technology (IT) media company TechTarget, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTGT) today announced the availability of findings from its second, quarterly IT Media Consumption Trends and IT Buyer Purchase Intention study, conducted in collaboration with the CMO Council. A key finding of the research is an apparent shift in the ranking of information resources. When asked “In the past 3 months, which of the following information sources have you looked to for information on a new product or technology that your company is potentially going to acquire or implement?” responses indicate the primary information source remains search engines. However, “IT publisher’s Web sites” moved into second place, displacing “Vendor Web sites” which moved into third place.

“The distinct preference for IT publisher online content over vendor Web sites is worth noting,” said Marilou Barsam, TechTarget Senior VP, Corporate Marketing . “Over time, IT buyers may be searching for third party editorial content that discusses a technology or product offering in an unbiased way, reinforcing the notion that publisher content satisfies the buyer’s reliance on the Web for research, but may also indicate that, at a stage closer to developing a short list or making a purchase, the buyer moves to vendor content to obtain technical specifics on a solution.”

The other key finding reaffirms that IT directors and managers continue to be concerned with aligning IT with overall business requirements, growth, and modernization, superseding strategies focused on operational efficiencies, cost containment, or upgrading existing infrastructure.

“The continuing focus on integrating IT plans with overall business goals is supported by the consistent ranking of business application deployment as the top IT department priority over the next six months. This correlation is logical as applications like CRM and Collaboration software drive differentiation, performance, output and process improvement within organizations,” noted CMO Council executive director

Donovan Neale-May. “Securing and sustaining these applications is also a critical need as indicated by the top three areas of IT organizational priority; data security/integrity, disaster recovery/business continuity and security, with disaster recovery moving to the forefront.”

“Compared to the initial media consumption bench marking study, the second study reinforces the high level of usage and perceived effectiveness of software downloads as compared to other media types with a larger percentage of respondents indicating they download trial software at the various stages leading to a purchase decision,” says Barsam. “ This indicates an increased interest in trialing software throughout the purchasing process. A majority of respondents use trial software to find solutions for solving problems; compare products as part of the competitive analysis process; and to identify technical features that apply to specific applications. ”

Another interesting finding is that, despite the amount of marketing industry attention to “new media” like Podcasts, blogs, and wikis, 70 percent of respondents have not yet downloaded a Podcast and 45 percent have not viewed a blog. However, when IT professionals use these new media they consider them an effective information resource during the early stages of the purchase research process , which indicates a bright future for these new media types.

“Having established a solid benchmark with its first study, the results of this second study already illustrate how flexible IT vendors will need to be when allocating dollars for their marketing programs and that the media landscape is constantly changing,” concludes Barsam.

This research report is based on surveys of a cross-section of IT professionals and business decision makers from TechTarget’s IT Research Panel . Over 1,100 technology professionals responded to this survey, revealing IT procurement shifts, indicating purchasing intentions, and defining emerging application and deployment areas. The research also provides insights into the IT professional’s preferred online media destinations and channels, and the types of content being used to facilitate corporate IT purchase decisions.

Survey respondents represent a wide range of industries, with the highest concentrations in computer service, financial, government and healthcare segments. The majority of respondents are from large organizations with more than 1,000 employees, 60 percent of which have IT budgets over $500,000. All respondents are directly involved in their organization’s IT purchase decisions, with over 65% describing their decision-making responsibilities as either final decision-maker, decision-making team member, or, strong influencer.

To obtain a summary of the current TechTarget/CMO, click here: www.techtarget.com/mediaconsumptionreport

About CMO Council

The CMO Council™ is a peer-powered affinity group dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among nearly 3,000 senior marketing and brand decision-makers worldwide. These individuals control more than $70 billion in annual global marketing expenditures and represent companies with over $500 billion in aggregated annual revenues across a wide variety of industry sectors. These include consumer electronics, information technology, telecommunications, entertainment, media, publishing, retail, CPG, financial services, pharmaceuticals, travel, hospitality, health care, engineering, architecture, construction, professional services, and more. More information about the CMO Council can be found at www.cmocouncil.org.