As part of our ongoing research designed to help clients connect with the individuals who are most likely to generate buzz, Burson-Marsteller worked with WIRED magazine to take a closer look at "Tech-fluentials," the group of e-fluentials with the strongest affinity towards influencing opinions about technology issues and products. Like all e-fluentials - whose influence shaping and driving public opinion reverberates far beyond the 10% of the population that they make up - Tech-fluentials have a propensity to share their positive and negative opinions and provide advice to friends, families, and colleagues. Tech-fluentials are self-appointed marketers and newsmakers who are the first to try new technology products and then actively network to share their information far beyond the scope of their individual contacts. And, their power extends to both the online and offline spheres.
The research also uncovered a distinct set of motivations behind Tech-fluentials' actions. For instance, Tech-fluentials pride themselves on their ability to obtain knowledge before others and to be the first to acquire new technologies. They enjoy a voracious appetite for information (which they gather on and offline) to learn about new products and services and equally seek to share their findings. They prioritize design, function, and quality over price. Understanding the nuances of this audience is necessary to develop meaningful and impactful communications that will shape an organization's reputation among the tech-fluential audience - and ultimately reverberate throughout the broad population of technology consumers who are influenced by Tech-fluentials' opinions.
Connecting with and shaping opinions of these tech-fluentials is a necessity for an organization that is on the radar of technology-focused professionals and consumers.
> TechFluentalsBrochure.pdf