Objective
Understand the shifting media consumption/usage habits of the serious golfer and the impact of emerging new digital devices and properties.
Current Situation
From the 1950’s thru the mid 1990’s the golf media landscape (like the broader consumer media space) was dominated by print pages and 30 second television commercials. Those were the days of mass media, which delivered large numbers of viewers and readers. However, content had to be consumed in the manner produced by the publisher or broadcaster. That is no longer the case.
As Internet usage pervaded the late 90’s a “new” digital delivery system promised lightening speed and personalized content, but lacked mobility and ease of use. As the century turned, smaller more portable devices made incremental steps to enhance access to written content. However, the mobile revolution didn’t reach warp speed until high speed cellular networks combined with smart phones to alter the playing field forever. Forthe first time pocket-size devices could easily access and download a wide variety of content and display it in unprecedented clarity and size, in text, graphics, photosorvideos. Tablet devices further changed the media topography with enlarged high-definition video and instantaneous downloads on larger easy to read screens.
As important as the device used, the time/speed metric of news cycles compressed, fueled by the need to feed 24/7 news programming and the ability to be in touch at every moment of every day via smart phoneortablet. Waiting days or weeks to read/view news about an event is no longer acceptable to many.
Within this environment, consumption of traditional mass media (newspapers, magazines) continues to fracture and is challenged by digital providers which deliver content faster and in many cases with no upfront cost to the consumer (other than exposure to advertising). Serious golfers are not immune to this broad based trend however questions remain about the speed of their conversion and clarity about their feelings/opinions regarding new media delivery vehicles.
Methodology
To get responses from 2,000 Golf Datatech Serious Golfers to a study of golf media habits, including attitudes about monthly and weekly print publications, network and cable golf television, Internet usage, digital golf weeklies and newsletters. Care will be taken to structure the respondents to ensure significant distribution by all age ranges (at least 10% of total respondents from each age range), and the male/female segments must be at least 88% men and 12% women.
Golf Datatech will be responsible for drafting the study, collaborating with clients on edits/fine tuning, and ultimately producing the final survey instrument. Respondents will be randomly selected from Golf Datatech’s Database of Serious golfers, an organically grown and highly engaged collection of 38,000+ rabid players who have opted in to participate and aid the industry in creating better products and programs for the good of all. All respondents who complete the survey instrument will be entered into a drawing for premium grade golf equipment.
Respondents will be invited to take the survey on the Golf Datatech secure server, where all data will be accumulated and analyzed.
Deliverables
Golf Datatech will write a report complete with a summary of findings.
Timing
Report delivery early February 2012 – In Field December 2011
Pricing
$3,000