The reason why is not really surprising.  Content marketing takes advantage of permission based marketing to build relationships with customers and prospects while advertising depends on interrupting people while they are consuming unrelated content.   Thanks to advances in technology, brands are able to create and distribute branded content at a higher level than ever before.  The Custom Publishing Council and ContentWise recently released a study of major US companies to quantify this phenomenon.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Total spending on branded content was over $1.8 million per company, with 51% spent on print publications, 27% on Internet media and 22% on categories such as video or audio.
• 78% of respondents said that branded content initiatives are more effective than other leading forms of advertising and marketing. Seventy percent said it was more effective than television advertising; 61% said it was more effective than direct mail and 57% said more effective than public relations.
• According to 54% of the companies surveyed, the primary reason for branded content initiatives was to educate customers. This was followed by customer retention (25%) and brand loyalty (21%). Up-selling was at the bottom of the list, indicating that corporate marketers are looking for long-term returns rather than a stimulus for short-term transactions.
• The use of external agency services (custom publisher, design firm or video production company, for example) to handle some aspect of branded content initiatives matched an all-time high from 2005, with 54% of companies reporting that they outsourced some portion of their branded content.
• Among companies that outsource, the average spend on branded content was a whopping $886,000. The previous record high was $316,000 in 2006. When extracting nontraditional forms of branded content from this equation, the total outsourcing spend was $650,000, 105% higher than previous records.
• The survey showed that 24% expected spending to increase in 2010; 20% expect it to decrease and 56% say it will stay the same.  Print publishing is expecting to decline, while other forms such as digital are expected to increase.

Another study conducted by Junta42 states that 60% of marketers will increase their spending on content initiatives.  The study also shows that social media and mobile apps with be important channels for branded content.  It all ties back to measurability and ROI.  When you create your own content and environment you increase the ability to measure and get positive results.  And, as we slowly come out of a recession, all that matters are results and profitability.  Branding initiatives are fun and nice to have, but unless they can demonstrate a clear return they won’t help your company’s bottom line or valuation. 
 

The hottest trend in brand marketing right now is the very thing that has fueled traditional advertising’s ongoing evolution: Brands are bypassing traditional media outlets in favor of creating their own private media platforms. That’s right, brands are becoming the media.

Savvy marketers have realized that for the same price they once paid for a glossy ad or 30-second TV spot, they can now own their fully branded publication, video series, or interactive online platform.

Moreover, they’re providing the same high-quality and engaging content found in those third-party publications and broadcast outlets, offering it to mainstream audiences for free and, in essence, competing with those very outlets that used to serve their advertising needs.

Of course, as new media channels continue to emerge, audiences become more dispersed, creating an urgent need for brands to spread their efforts across channels to capture the attention of their target audiences.

That fact alone negates the logic once used to rationalize huge ad spends on single outlets or mediums. Knowing that marketers must find revolutionary methods of enticing customers and prospects to engage with their brands, what better method is there than for brands to simply become the media?

Cases in Point

That’s the theory, but exactly which brands are becoming the media? I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, U.S. Wellness Meats, Nike, Gillette, Kikkoman, and hundreds of others.

Consider Unilever. Its new-media initiative for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! features Spraychel—the brand’s animated mascot—and her adventures in the fridge.

Looking for a new way to generate buzz for the brand, Unilever created an innovative, entertaining brand experience that compelled consumers to spread the word through viral-marketing efforts.

Weekly webisodes and a “celebrity-esque” blog allow consumers to follow the storylines and deliver the latest gossip in the fridge. Moreover, viewers chime in to decide the outcome of upcoming webisodes. Unilever’s most-recent campaign is at VoteSpraychel.com.

When U.S. Wellness Meats—a producer and distributor of grass-fed animal meat—realized that current educational materials on grass-fed meats were not only diffuse but often inconsistent, unclear, and untrue, it took on the challenge of becoming a dependable educational source for those seeking reliable information on grass-fed meat.

Its audience comprises athletes, parents, doctors, and others concerned about the nutritional value of the food they consume. Thus, U.S. Wellness Meats overhauled USWellnessMeats.com, which was once a traditional e-commerce site, and turned it into a regularly updated destination site for those looking for facts on sustainable eating, the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed meats, and the health benefits of the company’s products.

Inspired by its customers’ passion for health and cooking, and the many communications it has received over the years, U.S. Wellness Meats uses its new platform to feature professional and home chefs, a Wellness blog, and Wellness Kids, among other features. Instead of relying on outside media to educate its consumers, U.S. Wellness Meats can do that on its own, knowing that the information is accurate.

Another consumer brand that understands content marketing is Kikkoman, famous for its soy sauce. To familiarize more consumers with the versatility of soy sauce, Kikkoman’s website has a Food Forum that has original recipes and serves as a resource center on Japanese cooking and culture.

Kikkoman has been running an innovative campaign around umami, or the fifth taste (the discovery of which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary).

The brand launched a commercial campaign on the Food Network and YouTube that introduces viewers to umami and presents various foods—including Kikkoman Soy Sauce—that evoke the fifth-taste sensation.

The commercial directs viewers to a micro-site www.DiscoverUmami.com to popularize the idea with customers by providing appealing and educational information, as well as more ways to use the product. The sell is subtle as the viewer gets deeper into the world of Kikkoman and Japanese-flavored recipes.

The New Rationale

People are more comfortable getting their news from multiple sources—a perfect environment for any business thinking about stepping in and becoming a trusted source of information.

And that’s the general logic: When your company educates its current and prospective clients on its field of expertise instead of pitching them products or services, it effectively becomes a reliable source of information and entertainment.

In other words, your company (or brand) becomes the media and is in a position to provide thought leadership and build customer affinity.

You’ve established your company as a trusted resource; as a result, your customer feels more confident buying from you, and you have increased your ability to measure results in terms of generating leads and creating incremental sales.

Though traditional advertising will always serve as a means of general awareness, private media channels encourage brand loyalty and affinity,   allowing companies to speak directly to their customers and prospects in a controlled environment.

Add a bit of good research to the equation and brands are able to create content that resonates specifically with the needs of various audiences and current customers, as well as content that supports permission-based marketing tactics that will woo their prospects.

Here’s the bottom line: When a company or brand becomes the media, it effectively creates a direct dialogue with customers that leads to a predetermined behavior and increased sales. Creating your own media channel also increases accountability and measurability, which is critical in today’s economic environment.

Many of the pundits and spinners around the country are blaming Martha Coakley and the campaign she ran, but that is not the real story.  Many are comparing her to Bill Buckner of the 86 Red Sox, who let the World Series go through his in legs to let the Mets win.  Actually, I’d compare her to Grady Little, the Sox manager who left Pedro Martinez too long against the Yanks in 03.  Martha made some bad decision, but the players really blew the game.  In this case the players are Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ben Nelson etc.  Voters, particularly independents were voting against healthcare, government spending and the perceived leftward direction of the President and Congress.  Exit polling shows Brown cleaned up among independents – and middle class/working class voters by huge margins

How did a State Senator with an unremarkable record who was unknown 4 months ago topple the Democratic establishment and win a seat that belonged to the Kennedy family since 1953?  With very good content marketing and the knowledge of how to own his media channel.  Here is how he did it and the lessons to be learned:

1. Have a brand that resonates with your audience and communicate it clearly.  Brown understood his audience and what they cared about: Economics, healthcare and terrorism while staying away from divisive social issues.  This translated to jobs and spending, the healthcare bill and the administration’s decision to treat terror suspects as criminals and not enemy combatants.  He didn’t dance around it, instead he was blunt and clear – even about water boarding.  He signed “41” after his name to make it clear he was going to be the vote that kills the health care bill.  His line about the “people’s seat” was brilliant in its brevity and power.  In an age when politicians don’t sound like real people, he sold it straight.  Brown’s use of content was far superior to his opponent.  Coakley was hampered by having to take positions to the left of Obama in a tough primary battle so she appeared out of touch by the majority of independent voters. 

2. Use powerful visuals as messages and storytelling.  Sometimes images and design can tell a story as well or better than words.  Brown’s ads were excellent – from JFK morphing into Brown, to the iconography around his old GMC truck and ever present barn coat.  He let his fellow suburbanites know he was one of them and he knows how they are feeling - frustrated.  It was telling that elitists like Martha Coakley and Pres. Obama were making fun of his truck – the definition of tone deaf.  I found it comical that the guy who ultimately runs GM would rip on a candidate who was proud of his reliable GMC truck.  Coakley made it clear that she’d rather spend time with other politicians and union leaders rather than shaking hands with ordinary people – not exactly a recipe for popularity. 
 

3. Scott Brown created his own media channel.  Brown didn’t get big contribution money until the last two weeks, so had to make do with “free” media.  His team owned face book – his fan page grew from 17K fans when I started tracking it to over 130K by Election Day.  Many were members from around the country who also contributed funds.  He was on Twitter and had a YouTube Channel that was viral.  Having these social media channels are not exactly state of the art, but the way he combined the content, passion and messaging with the communities were powerful.  There is little doubt he swamped Coakley who never had more than 20K fans.  He also used the free media a.k.a PR. Brown made himself available for a myriad of radio shows and reporters while Coakley stayed under wraps.  He gained a lot of good will from the media by being friendly and accessible.

4. He stayed mostly positive while Coakley ran hundreds of negative ads.  The DNC and other PACs supporting the Democrat poured millions into a carpet-bombing of nasty attack ads against Brown.  And they worked – driving up Martha Coakley’s negative ratings. It backfired badly.  Brown’s ads were great – showing him in his infamous truck interacting with people and his family.  Her ads featured her as a talking head in a conference room.  The contrast was striking.  While Brown created an integrated media channel, Coakley took the old school approach and relied heavily on broadcast advertising.  Brown owned his media channel while Coakley rented hers. In the end she wound up with what renters usually end up with - nothing but an empty bank account.

The marketing team behind Scott Brown was successful by knowing the needs of their audience. This knowledge helped them craft a simple and positive benefit oriented message. They created compelling content while utilizing all media platforms for their strengths.  You can expect to see this model a bit in November and that may not be a bad thing.  My advice to politicians running in 2010 – keep it simple and benefit oriented, stay positive, create a community and tell a compelling story across all media channels.  Good luck Senator Brown.

Junta42 - Over 100 predictions from 70 of the top content marketing minds in the world.

Folio Magazine - 115 (give or take) magazine and media predictions for 2010.

eMedia Vitals – Media Blogs We Love (includes the King Fish ThinkTank) and Nine Bold Predictions for 2010

Here are a few thoughts for next year:

2010 will be the year that content goes mobile in a big way.  Having a mobile strategy will no longer be a “nice to have”, but a requirement for media brands and custom content.  The success of the iPhone and Kindle has shown that there is an appetite for content to be read in a “third place” away from both home and office.

More and more pure play online companies will discover multi-channel marketing paired with content drives customer engagement.  Look for more online retailers to create “magalogs” pairing content and offers in an appealing environment using both print and digital formats.

Broadcasters (network and cable) will create more integrated online content and advertising programs for the so called “second screen”.  According to Reuters, Nielsen’s research shows that “57 percent of TV viewers in the U.S. who have Internet access use both mediums at the same time at least once a month. That translates to more than 128 million U.S. consumers.”

This opens the door to creative ties-ins for deeper content, social media connections and games/contests to extend a marketing campaign.

Consumers will slowly begin to accept that they will have to pay for some premium online content.  The decline of print advertising means that online content can no longer be subsidized.  It will only be successful with unique, relevant content such as hyper local news or brands such as the New York Times or Variety.  Basic news and opinion found in places such as Newsweek and Business Week stand little chance of collecting a fee for content because there are so many other sources for that information.

Twitter is leveling off as many people quit or abandon after a short time.  I see that trend continuing, though the idea of micro blogging is here to stay. It’s too effective a communications tools not to have a purpose.  It makes more sense integrated into something else rather than a stand-alone; and it is still a mystery how Twitter will make a profit.  I am losing some interest –a lot of tweets are just of the “look at me, I’m clever” variety or other self promotional nonsense.  The whole “social media” frenzy will slow down considerably as it becomes just another marketing tactic and media channel. The cottage industry of social media experts, consultants and dedicated agencies will wane.  It’s like when “e” was finally dropped from e-commerce and it became just another commerce channel.  We can now drop the “Social” and recognize it’s just another media channel.

Tiger Woods is done as a mainstream pitchman for at least the next 3-5 years, probably forever.  There was a level of recklessness to his behavior as he was done in by the new media avalanche (texts, tweets, face book postings, TMZ, You Tube) of evidence.  The speed of these viral networks is blinding and can end careers in a matter of a week.  It is possible Nike and golf equipment vendors could continue to use him, but I can’t imagine current sponsors such as Gillette, AT&T, Tag Heuer continuing to feature him in ads.  I think they will follow Accenture and start dropping him in January. For a good long while, when people see his image they will either snicker or think about porn.  Not good for selling razors, watches and consulting services. 

As of today President Obama has slipped beneath the 50% benchmark for job approval in almost every poll.  The common refrain among his supporters is that it is “all about the economy, and the same thing happened to Reagan, so nothing to see here”.  I think that analysis misses the mark and don’t think he will go past 52% or 53% approval anytime during 2010.  In fact it is likely he will stay below 50%.  Why?  Classic marketing mistake – the White House does not understand its audience (a center right country) and never moved from campaign mode (lead acquisition) to governing (customer retention).  The 2010 mid term elections are going to be a nasty battle with much media money spent.  The net result will be narrow but unsteady majorities for the Democrats in the House and Senate.   This will take the President down one of two roads.  Does he turn to the center like Clinton and get reelected, or stay left and get nothing done?

Prediction - The continued growth of web casting, virtual trade shows and online video will take a significant chunk of revenue from trade shows and live events during 2009.

Result – As reported by B2B, digital is flat while trade show and print revenue is way down. Print revenue fell 25.7% in the first three quarters of this year compared with the same period last year. Trade show revenue declined 19.2%, and digital revenue dipped 3.0%. Virtual trade shows remain hot – the combination of measureable ROI and lack of travel costs make them very attractive.

Prediction - The decline of the US auto industry will result in huge cut backs in print advertising from the big three, and several magazines will close as a result.  Local TV stations and newspapers will see big decreases in ad revenue as car dealerships close after GM kills Buick, Pontiac and Saturn and Ford also pares brands as part of a government bailout.

Result - The US Government actually bailed out GM and Chrysler, not Ford.  GM is killing Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and sold Hummer while keeping Buick.   Ad spending is way down and according to one count 383 magazines did close including Gourmet, Portfolio, Domino and Country Home.

Prediction - Several IT publications will follow the lead of PC Magazine and abandon their print issue to reposition themselves as online and events brands.  They will thrive once all the print overhead is removed.

Result - Not as many as I would have thought, but the print versions of these publications don’t carry very much weight any more.  The IT media companies are totally focused on online media and lead generation.  One brand I used to work on, VARBusiness did go to the great BPA Audit in the sky.

Prediction - Face book will explode and become a “must have” for professionals in 34-54 age group who will continue to blur the lines between personal and business life.

Result - This was a layup.  Face book started 2009 with 150 million users and could be at 350 million by the end of this year.  Just about everyone I know is currently on the site.  Except my wife, thank goodness.

Prediction - The big television networks will continue to become less relevant in the lives of Americans as they spend more time on niche cable networks and social media sites.  The 2009 fall season will produce zero new hits.  The continued penetration of DVR’s will further erode their advertising base and they will have to make major cutbacks.

Result - I was somewhat off base.  According to Variety, the new season was not bad and contained one buzz worthy/water cooler hit in ABC’s Modern Family – a laugh riot.  On the other hand the great Jay Leno at 10pm experiment doesn’t seem to be working out.  Shocker.  Not only is viewership down at 10pm on NBC, but research shows that DVR usage is up as people catch up on other recorded shows during that time slot.
 
Prediction - A major US daily newspaper will fold its print edition and go digital only.

Result – A few bit the dust including the Rocky Mountain Times and the Seattle Post Intelligencer went online only.  The big story was the New York Times Company playing chicken with the Boston Globe’s unions.  The Times essentially told the union to take their demanded cuts or they would close the paper which was on track to lose $50 million this year.  The union blinked and it is still publishing.  The NYT Company took the Globe off the market after bids came in around $35 million for the media property they purchased for a cool billion in 1993.

Prediction - Sarah Palin will write a book about her experiences during the 2008 campaign.  She will get a giant advance and it will go to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list much to the dismay of New York Times.

Result – Home Run!!!  Her book hit the #1 in November and sold a million copies.  Huge crowds turned out for book signing and she did the usual media blitz round robin.  As expected, there was a cottage industry of Palin haters and endless opinion columns and blogs about “what her popularity means” and if she is running in 2012.  Interesting contrast to how President Obama is ending the year – the lowest approval rating for any President 10 months into his term and under 50% in both Gallup and Rasmussen tracking polls.
 
Prediction - American Idol will see a strong decline in ratings - over commercialization and bland contestants killed the golden goose.

Result – The ratings did continue to decline for the season and the finale, but it is still the number one show on TV and a cash machine.  Once again AI had somewhat bland contestants with one very notable exception – Adam Lambert.  The jury is out on the long term success of the last two winners – David Cook and Kris Allen – two nondescript, moderately talented young men.  I don’t see either becoming a big star the way Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson did before them.  The more interesting question is about Adam Lambert.  Is America ready to embrace an openly gay male rock star?  I say yes, but as the cliché says – time will tell.

Check in next week for 2010 predictions.  If you have any of your own, send them my way and I’ll post them with a link back to your site.

I am an avid iPhone user and believe it is a transformational technology for media and content.  The speed, versatility and readability are amazing compared to where smart phones were in the pre-Apple era.  It has become a critical delivery platform for your “third place”.  This is anywhere that is not your office or home where you are likely to be sitting in front of a computer or TV screen.  Your third place could be a hotel, train, airport, coffee shop, waiting room etc.  No need to lug around a laptop or even a netbook because the iPhone can do it all, including hold all your games, music, pictures, videos and act as a GPS system.

If you are creating content you have to think about a mobile strategy.  For some that can mean optimizing your site for mobile browsing, but you need to take it a step further.  Leading brands such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have created popular apps to push content.  A recent survey by the Audit Bureau of Circulation shows that media companies across the board are experimenting and planning apps of their own.  It is a great way to build a closer relationship with readers and gives you more interactive advertising opportunities to sell.

However, it is not just for traditional media.  You should also consider an app reader for your custom publications and original content you are creating for your web site, white paper/ebooks and blog.  It’s time to consider smart phones part of your private media channel along with social networking sites and traditional platforms of print, interactive and email marketing. 

In fact, any companies who rely on affinity/trust relationships with customers (i.e. online retailers for consumers and order tracking /supply chain for B2B) need to have a customer facing app.  Amazon has one that I have used and it extends my relationship with the retailer away from my desk. 

The strength of a private custom media channel is the ability to serve relevant content to customers on a platform they prefer so they are receptive to your message.  It is becoming clear that the smart phone platform is gaining favor at a rapid pace.  For many companies, a mobile content strategy can be a powerful customer retention tool.

Publishers often talk about their plans to negotiate the new media landscape with innovative web strategies, live and interactive events, and other programs to “engage” their target audience. But as it becomes harder and harder to sell traditional advertising, why is there not more buzz around custom media?

The most valuable assets a media brand has are its audience file and the relationship readers have with the brand. Think creatively about your database not as a mass market, but as a collection of niche audiences. Are there advertisers who would pay a premium for just a special slice?

Media companies can build off of that asset by creating custom media channels for their clients to talk directly to segments of their audience. A custom media channel consists of advertorial or original edit that is customized to a specific topic and created in partnership with the sponsor. Because the content is relevant to the audience and delivered to them on a preferred platform (the media company’s site), the potential return on investment for the advertiser is high.

This is also an opportunity for publishers to drive greater value to the people who are part of their social media community. Just as publishers are creating Facebook fan pages, LinkedIn groups and Twitter followings for their own brands, they can also make these communities part of the custom media channels they are creating for advertisers. Social media networks are dependent on having fresh content to keep members engaged, and custom content can be utilized in this manner.

Many publishers are wary of custom content, as it shifts the advertising-editorial paradigm. Some editors are concerned about the editorial integrity of the brand; while publishers worry that custom content programs may eat into their traditional advertising revenue.

The fact is, selling print ads in a B2B publication is a growing challenge, and custom content– webcasts, web sponsorships, events, and the like – are a better way to demonstrate ROI. (In our soon-to-be-published study on marketing, media and measurement, 74% of our survey respondents said original content and media is the most effective method for generating marketing ROI; only 4% cited traditional advertising as the most effective ROI vehicle.)

Traditional media companies need to take a hard look at their business models and think about custom media as an integral part of the mix rather than an ancillary business.  When you get right down to it, marketers want your readers as customers and prospects.  The best way to survive this crazy market is to give them access in as many ways as possible.

62% of adult Internet users have watched video on an online video sharing site.  This number jumps to 89% among 18-29 year old consumers.  Watching online video activity out ranks the use of social networking sites, podcasts and Twitter. 

35% of adult Internet users have watched TV shows and movies online on sites such as hulu.com.  For the 18-29 set the number jumps to 61%.  Among those adults who watch TV and movies online, 23% have connected their TV to their computer.

The lines between TV and online video are blurring, especially in the eyes of the younger generation.  Broadband is now in nearly two-thirds of all homes and 90% of all homes will have a flat panel TV by 2012.  With the infrastructure in place, the merging of platforms will happen quickly.  This opens the door for the proliferation of interactivity and user generated video content to flood the web.  The amount of content choices available to consumers will grow exponentially.

There is another less known but equally important technological development that will give consumers more choice, and more challenges for marketers.  The growth of remote video storage will have far reaching effects by increasing the ability to serve video on demand.  Companies like Netflix and On Demand are quickly adding content to their libraries to offer streaming on demand video to consumers.  Much like iTunes did in the music business it will take a chunk out of the DVD business.  I never really understood the desire to “own” a movie or TV series on a DVD, but the need may evaporate when you can get it on demand for a few dollars with a mouse click.

The other application enabled by remote video storage is network DVR service currently being offered by Cablevision.  This would enable any viewer to use the basic time shifting and commercial skipping power of the DVR without having the box in home.  The DVR services would be remote and handled in a central storage facility.  Currently DVR penetration is 28% in the US and it could grow dramatically with the roll out of network DVR service.

These trends are all crushing blows to the traditional revenue streams of the content providers.  DVD sales are very important to the movie studios and television lives on the traditional commercial.  Technology will enable to consumers to have limitless choices and the ability to skip by commercials.  On the flip side, video content providers now have the opportunity to put their material online and give marketers an actual measurable marketing venue.  The big question- will they fight the reality of the future like the music and newspaper business or will they embrace it? 

Private label media or private media is one of the most important, if not most important marketing trend of the new media landscape.  Companies can create their own private media channel to communicate directly with customers and prospects with original content.  Essentially, the brand becomes the media. 

People are more comfortable than ever getting their content from multiple sources–a perfect environment for any business thinking about stepping in and becoming such a trusted source of information.  This is the general logic: when your company educates its current and prospective clients on its field of expertise instead of pitching them products or services, your company effectively becomes a reliable source of information and entertainment. In other words, your company becomes the media, and is now in a position to provide thought leadership and build customer affinity.  You’ve established your company as a trusted resource, and as a result, your customer feels more confident buying from you.  And you have increased your ability to measure results in terms of generating leads and creating incremental sales.

While traditional advertising will always serve a purpose in terms of general awareness, these private media channels encourage brand loyalty and affinity, and allow companies to speak directly to their customers and prospects in a controlled environment. Add a bit of good research to the equation and now brands are able to create content that resonates specifically with the needs of various audiences and existing customers, as well as content that supports permission-based marketing tactics that will woo their prospects.

Bottom line: when a company or brand becomes the media, it effectively creates a direct dialog with customers that lead to a pre-determined behavior and/or increased sales.  Creating your own media channel also increases accountability and measurability, which is critical in the current economic environment.

While I’m sure you receive a fair share of invitations to participate in various studies, I hope you will give special consideration to this one. In return for your time, we will offer participants exclusive access to the survey for one week prior to making it available to the general public and media. The results will be compiled into an e-book format and will be supplemented by an in-depth analysis. Our hope is that this research will help marketers better craft their new business pitches and offer brand marketers a better sense of the continually evolving trends they should be paying attention to and preparing for.

Please take just a few minutes to fill out this online survey to help us understand the needs and plans of senior marketers.  Click here to take the survey

You will be asked for your email address at the end of the survey, but your answers will be kept completely anonymous. This is purely so we can send you the research in advance of its official release.  Otherwise, the results will be available for free download at kingfishmedia.com no later than Sept. 15th. 

Thank you very much for your participation.  Got to the Survey Here