‘Diffusing innovation’ – in action, in the airport
Targeting the tech-savvy
In 1962 Everett Rogers’s ‘Diffusion of Innovations’ defined individuals’ adoption of a new technology or idea as putting them in one of five groups: innovator, early adopter, early majority, late majority and laggard. When people want to gauge how quickly technological developments make it from launch to commercial success they often look at the speed through which they pass into the ‘majority’ phase – critical mass, where they get a life of their own.
For advertisers, reaching innovators and early adopters means finding a channel through which to get their products or services talked about by people defined as having a wide sphere of influence with colleagues and with friends. This concept brings me neatly to the JCDecaux Airport audience, and what our recent Business Traveller survey has shown us about that audience’s position as innovators and early adopters, especially where technology is concerned.
JCDecaux Airport (JCDA) Business Travellers and C-Suites are more likely to own both expected technology – such as laptops and smartphones – and much newer products – for example tablets and e-readers – than the UK business average. 39% of JCDA C-Suites use a tablet compared to only 29% of the UK business average, and a mere 4% of the UK population.
They also turn to relatively new technology in their quest for travel convenience, trusting it to give them the results they need. Only 5% of JCDA business travellers and 6% of JCDA C-Suites have never used an app in connection with travel. 71% of JCDA business travellers and 73% of JCDA C-Suites use an app to check their flight details; 61% of business travellers and 55% of C-Suites will check in via app.
So if Everett Rogers had wanted to view innovators and early adopters in a natural habitat, perhaps he would have been best placed to carry out his interviewing at the airport. He may not have realised the fit between the airport audience and his top two tiers, but we think we’ve proved it through Business Traveller. The results show the airport is the perfect place to reach these people.
