Digital Perspective Blog

I was surprised to read e-Marketer’s article today titled, “Who Doesn’t Use the Internet?” The article references Pew Internet & American Life Project report on Information Searches That Solve Problems, and details that 24% of American’s don’t have Internet access.  This is critical for marketers to be aware of.  As important as integrating digital into marketing campaigns is, it is also critical that marketers understand where digital won’t work and allocate efforts appropriately to reach an entire audience. The Pew report identifies those with the least access being the ones who are less affluent, less educated, and older.  That has implications for specific industries, most notably health care, as older Americans with less money often are most in need of health-related news and information. I think there are also implications for government agencies who continue to rely very heavily on the Internet to distribute public education materials.
Have a look, it is a quick but good read and provides demographic details on those not online.