FT audience research endorses multi-platform approach
Tuesday, 3 March 2009A breakfast presentation at the offices of the Financial Times on Tuesday 3rd March outlined the findings of recent research into the audiences of the title's executive appointments section and exec-appointments.com website.
Introduced by FT Recruitment Solutions' MD Steve Playford and presented by senior global research executive Alistair Smith, the research - conducted last September - was based on a ‘robust' sample of over 1,200 respondents, almost evenly split between on and offline.
A very high proportion of these (95%) use both print and online, with 53% using the recruitment site several times a week and 54% the print product every week. Most of the top C-suite echelon use both regularly, although there was still a small cadre (8%) of ‘dinosaurs' who had never visited the online site.
But the research also highlights the key differences between web and print consumption in practice. Although online unsurprisingly provides a wider variety and greater volume of positions, print is seen as more effective in offering very high-quality jobs (in terms of both seniority and remuneration). C-suite respondents are also seen to ‘trust' print more than online.
And while online is seen as the stronger channel for active job-seeking, print is valued for its recruitment-related editorial, special reports and - in particular - opportunity to ‘browse the market', making it the ideal medium for attracting sought-after passive candidates.
More than a third (37%) of the FT's executive appointments audience see the print feature every week, with 48% seeing most issues. This audience is truly global, split relatively evenly across the world with a total readership of some 1.2m. More than a third (35%) of these readers are at C-suite level (60% are ‘senior managers or above'), and more than a third (34%) don't read the recruitment pages of any other title.
Readers also come from a surprisingly wide range of sectors, with financial services representing just 28%. 40% are in professional services, 20% in manufacturing/engineering/utilities and 11% in the public sector.
On the online side, 45% of the exec-appointments audience visit the site several times a week. 64% are ‘senior managers or above', 65% are UK-based and 68% have lived or worked abroad. Again, they come from a broad range of sectors, with financial services accounting for just 21% compared to professional services' 48%.
The online audience consists of ‘loyal, frequent job-seekers', 73% of whom are actively searching for new positions. Perhaps surprisingly, C-suite individuals were found to be the heaviest users of the online platform - and just as ‘savvy' regarding the latest online recruitment techniques as the rest of the audience.
Thus the online and offline channels complement each other in their ability to reach both active and passive job-seekers in the global marketplace for senior candidates - while advertising in both can extend this key audience reach by anything from 21 to 26%.
