MYSPACE may have had its genesis in the fringes of cyber culture, but according to a sampler of its 2.4 million Australian users, its modern taste barometer is deeply entrenched in the mainstream.
A survey of 2000 MySpace users reveals that the social networking landscape is populated by big brand devotees, mall rats and gamers with a penchant for pot.
According to MySpace Top Brands Survey 64% of MySpace users are now over 18 – representing 1.5 million adults who appear to have a strong affiliation with well-known brands. The survey revealed that the three most popular luxury brands were Calvin Klein (36%), Gucci (26%) and Chanel (22%). Nokia (41%) reigns as the most popular mobile phone brand, followed by the iPhone (15%) and Sony Ericsson (13%). Corona (32%) wins in the beer brand stakes, while Coca-Cola is the soft drink of choice (39%) followed by Mountain Dew (9%) and Pepsi (8%).
“The online destination for 2.4 million Australians, MySpace.com truly is the quintessential digital nation. The MySpace Top Brands Survey offers marketers unprecedented insights into the brand preferences and lifestyle choices of this new generation of cyber citizens,” said Andrew Cordwell, MySpace Australia’s director of sales.
In terms of consumption patterns, the average MySpace dweller sources news online (47%), followed closely by TV (28%), and then mobile phone alerts (12%). A mere 7% claim to source news from newspapers and 3% from radio.
Online shopping, however, does not get a look in, with malls being the preferred (60%) shopping environment followed by the street strip (17%) and markets (14%).
True to online form, MySpace users revealed a predilection for chaos, with only 25% selecting Barack Obama as preferred head of the free world, with Robin Hood as runner up. Meanwhile 53% of MySpace citizens voted for legalisation of marijuana.
