How does new media stack up against traditional media?
There’s and interesting bit of research from Ketchum/University of Southern California on user trends in media usage by consumers. In brief, one of the key findings is that consumers rely more on TV and press than the web, in making their buying decisions. Good news for media owners you would have thought – except like many academic studies the element of cost does not figure – comparisons in terms of effectiveness per pound (or dollar) might show a very different picture.
Another interesting finding is the importance of recommendation by a trusted friend in making buying decisions. This is probably further endorsement for social internet as a tool for enhancing brand reputation bu recommendation.
Read the summary of the report here.
Brandmaster 
I have always been put off by the website comparison sites such as as Kelkoo which seem to flood the buying market online, and, in my opinon cheapens and weakens brands. I think it will be a long while until online persuasion of brands will be in line with the strength of traditional media, it is for me a trust issue. I certainly agree with the report on purchasing decisions decided by input from friends. I ask close friends about products and try to see if I can have a play with the latest gizmo and ask pro’s and con’s before purchasing so I think it is highly likely that social media will play a large part in brand influence and online purchasing over the next couple of years.
Whether Web 2.0 has achieved the status of ‘trusted friend’ yet, I’m not sure. But it’s a bit like the value of editorial as opposed to paid for advertising – we all know the majority of editorial comes from press releases, yet we still trust it more than we do the ads.