By: Heather Shoenberger
In the US, cellphones already outnumber laptops and Americans without a cellphone have become the exception. News organizations are struggling to keep pace with the public’s changing media habits—and there is great pressure to deliver news via cellphones. But what news do people most want delivered to their cellphones? And in what format? And what cellphone-delivered products are consumers willing to pay for?
Using Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory, we were able to break people into groups based on where they currently get the majority of their news. Those who use their cellphones to get news are considered “innovators” and also the first group of people news organizations should target with their news apps.
The key is to first target innovators or the people who already get news from cellphones.
What does this group want in a news app?:
- They want news about business and international affairs.
- They want some level of participation, as they like the capability of not only monitoring political news but also being able to text questions to candidates.
- They want some of their news in long form and some in quick reads, like those about the weather.
- They want aggregated news from different news sources.
- They want to get notifications through a news app itself.
How can practitioners make use of our results for all waves of consumers?:
- Design the news products first for those who already say they get most of their news from cell phones.
- Then turn next to those who say they depend most on the internet, which is just a short hop over to smart phones.
- Finally, start looking at products for the majorities of audience members who are still most dependent on television—and a little on radio.
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