El Paso is the top U.S. city for text messaging according to Scarborough Research. Fifty-seven percent of
cell phone subscribers age 18+ in El Paso text message, versus 48
percent of adult cellular subscribers nationally.
Other leading markets
for text messaging include Salt Lake City, Dallas and Memphis.
Fifty-five percent of cell subscribers in these cities utilize the text
messaging feature on their phone. Scarborough finds that Fort Myers,
FL, Charleston, WV, and Grand Rapids, MI are the local markets least
likely to text message. Thirty-six percent of Fort Meyers and
Charleston cellular subscribers utilize the text messaging feature on
their phones, as do 35 percent of those in Grand Rapids, MI.
Youth and cultural diversity are two demographic commonalities among
these so-called texters, according to Scarborough Research. These
consumers are 49 percent more likely than all cellular subscribers to
be ages 18-24, 14 percent more likely to be Hispanic, and 24 percent
more likely to be African-American. Scarborough points to these
similarities as likely reasons why El Paso, Salt Lake City, Dallas and
Memphis are the top text messaging markets. El Paso and Dallas both
have Hispanic compositions that are well above average. Further, Salt
Lake City and El Paso are top markets for 18-24 year old adults, and
Memphis is a leading city for African-Americans. "Text
messaging could be largely disproportionately appealing to marketers
because it delivers a young, multicultural audience. Additionally,
texts can provide a very locally targeted vehicle for marketers wanting
to reach people in the right place at the right time, ready to make a
purchase," said Gary Meo, senior vice president, digital media
services, Scarborough Research. "Texting is becoming a ubiquitous cell
phone function. Local market data, such as that from Scarborough
Research, can enable marketers to better understand the texter as they
exist in their 'real world,' thereby leading to more effective
targeting with marketing messages."
In addition to being young
and diverse, Texters are among the country's highest spenders on
cellular services. On average, they spend $87 on their monthly cellular
bill. By contrast, all cellular subscribers spend an average of $75
monthly. They are 46 percent more likely than all cellular subscribers
to typically spend $150 or more on cellular service monthly. Texters
are 12 percent more likely to plan to switch services. They utilize a
wide variety of phone features - such as picture messaging, streaming
video and email - at a rate higher than that of the average cell user.
In examining the retail patterns of Texter households, Scarborough
finds, not surprisingly, that they are avid technology shoppers.
Texters are more likely than the average cell phone subscriber to live
in a household that owns - or plans to buy - a wide variety of hi-tech
items, from HDTVs to MP3 players to video game systems. In looking at
specific stores, Scarborough finds that Best Buy is the leading
audio-video store for Texter households. Thirty-nine percent of Texters
live in a household that shopped this retailer during the past year,
versus twenty-seven percent of all consumers nationally. Other leading
stores for Texter households include Wal-Mart and Target. Thirty-five
percent of Texters live in a household that shopped Wal-Mart for tech
items during the past year, whereas 20 percent shopped Target.
Texters
are also leading online spenders. One-fifth (20 percent) of Texters
spend more than $1,000 online annually, versus 17 percent of all
cellular users. They are avid online users overall, as Internet
applications permeate all aspects of their lives, from household tasks
(such as bill paying) to entertainment (such as downloading movies or
TV programs) to interaction (such as blogging and downloading a wide
variety of content).
When not online or shopping, Texters are
active, on-the-go consumers. They are 37 percent more likely than all
cellular subscribers to have played basketball (as a leisure activity)
during the past year; 29 percent more likely to have gone
jogging/running; 29 percent more likely to have played tennis, and 23
percent more likely to have practiced yoga.
Their interests
reflect their youthful demographic and active nature. Texters are 12
percent more likely to have attended a professional sports event, and
57 percent more likely to have gone to an R&B/Rap/Hip-Hop concert
during the past year. Scarborough Local Market Profile: Top Markets for
Texters (Cell Subscribers who Use the Text Messaging Feature on their
Phone)
City (DMA (R)) % of cell
phone
sub-scribers
El Paso, TX 57
Salt Lake City, UT 55
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 55
Memphis, TN 55
Cincinnati, OH 54
Washington, D.C. 54
Chattanooga, TN 53
Atlanta, GA 53
Oklahoma City, OK 52
Las Vegas, NV 52
Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO 52
Los Angeles, CA 51
Chicago, IL 51
Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA 51
Richmond/Petersburg, VA 51
Kansas City, MO 51
Phoenix, AZ 50
San Diego, CA 50
Houston, TX 50
Philadelphia, PA 50
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM 50
New York, NY 50
Honolulu, HI 50
San Antonio, TX 50
Tucson, AZ 49
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL 49
Austin, TX 49
Tulsa, OK 49
Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA 49
Denver, CO 48
Providence/New Bedford, RI 48
Fresno/Visalia, CA 48
Columbus, OH 48
Birmingham, AL 48
Hartford/New Haven, CT 48
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA 48
Bakersfield, CA 48
New Orleans, LA 47
Syracuse, NY 47
Cleveland/Akron, OH 47
Spokane, WA 47
Pittsburgh, PA 47
Harlingen/Weslaco/Brownsville/ 47
McAllen, TX
Buffalo, NY 47
Seattle/Tacoma, WA 46
Nashville, TN 46
Rochester, NY 46
Charlotte, NC 46
Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/ 45
Anderson, SC
Portland, OR 45
Baltimore, MD 45
Knoxville, TN 45
Detroit, MI 45
Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/ 44
York, PA
Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY 44
Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA 44
Boston, MA 44
Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL 44
Raleigh/Durham, NC 44
Indianapolis, IN 44
Dayton, OH 43
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA 43
Jacksonville, FL 43
Des Moines/Ames, OA 43
Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AR 43
Mobile/Pensacola, FL 43
Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL 41
St. Louis, MO 41
Greensboro/High Point/ 41
Winston-Salem, NC
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 41
Wichita/Hutchinson, KS 41
Toledo, OH 41
Louisville, KY 40
West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL 40
Lexington, KY 39
Milwaukee, WI 38
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI 38
Green Bay/Appleton, WI 37
Fort Myers/Naples, FL 36
Charleston/Huntington, WV 36
Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle
Creek, MI 35
SOURCE: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008
About Scarborough Research
Scarborough Research ( www.scarborough.com,
info@scarborough.com) measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns,
media behaviors and demographics of American consumers, and is
considered the authority on local market research. Scarborough's core
syndicated consumer insight studies in 81 Top-Tier Markets and its
Multi-Market Study are Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited. Other
products and services include Scarborough USA+ (a national database),
Mid-Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and Custom Research
Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a
broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print
and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations),
sports teams and leagues and out-of-home media companies. Surveying
more than 220,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture
between Arbitron Inc. ( www.arbitron.com) and The Nielsen Company ( www.nielsen.com). SOURCE Scarborough Research
This is a great resource, this should help my firms' advertising considerably. Thanks for the article!