First JiWire Mobile Audience Insights Report Gives Advertisers a Deeper Understanding of the On-the-Go Audience

New Study Shows 79 Percent Increase in Mobile Phones Using Wi-Fi Hotspots, and That 38 Percent of the Wi-Fi Audience in Cafés Are Actively Making Purchases Online


SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - August 31, 2009) - JiWire, the leading mobile audience media company that reaches over 20 million unique users per month across its Wi-Fi media channel, today released its inaugural Mobile Audience Insights Report with new data revealing demographic and behavioral interests of Wi-Fi users. The research provides a view into overall Wi-Fi usage trends, which includes breakdowns by country, US city and device type as well as specifics about the café Wi-Fi audience which is mostly affluent, male, between the ages of twenty-five and forty-nine, and planning on making a big purchase in the near future. The report is designed to help advertisers better engage their desired audience when they are on-the-go.

The report shows that mobile consumption of Wi-Fi is on the rise as consumers become increasingly mobile. Overall, the number of mobile devices accessing Wi-Fi hotspots grew by 79 percent in the first half of the year. While the iPhone and iPod Touch remain the most popular Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices, collectively representing 97.8 percent of all mobile device connections, the Palm Pre debuted as the No. 5 most popular mobile device in June 2009, just within the first three months of its introduction.

When looking specifically at the online audience in cafés and coffee shops, the findings reveal that people tend to use these venues as the extended 'home office' or 'college library' with 83 percent of users connecting locally in their own neighborhood. Additionally, 40 percent are business decision makers with management titles, 23 percent have C-level or VP titles, and 44 percent are in small- to mid-sized businesses, a traditionally difficult segment to reach.

The café Wi-Fi audience also reported that 38 percent make an online purchase during their visit and 77 percent are in the market to make a major purchase in the next 12 months. Purchasing plans in the next 12 months include:

--  48 percent intend to buy a new smart phone
--  54 percent plan to travel more than once on at least a week-long
    vacation
--  28 percent plan to buy a new laptop
--  24 percent plan to buy a car
    

"The findings completely challenge the assumption that this is a task-oriented audience just checking e-mail or doing work. Instead, they're fully engaging the internet when on the go -- using social networks, researching products, and actively buying goods and services," said Kevin McKenzie, CEO of JiWire. "As people increasingly spend more time out of the home and out of the office, we look forward to sharing continued insights to help marketers better understand this hard to reach mobile audience."

About JiWire's Mobile Audience Insights Report

JiWire's first Mobile Audience Insights Report is based on data from approximately 275,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots, as well as surveying 2057 customers randomly selected in over 6,500 café locations across the US that used JiWire's Wi-Fi Media Channel in between April and June 2009. The Mobile Audience Insight Report provides information into audience demographics and behavior, enabling advertisers to reach their target audience with relevant ads and messaging. The report is available for download on JiWire's Website at www.jiwire.com.

About JiWire

JiWire is the leading mobile audience media company, delivering advertising across premier locations and devices. JiWire's breakthrough advertising medium enables marketers to reach an influential mobile demographic at the point-of-connection. JiWire's portfolio of blue-chip advertisers, combined with its market-proven delivery platform and registry of hotspot locations, enables wireless broadband networks and device manufacturers to leverage advertising as a currency for wireless Internet access. For more information, please visit www.jiwire.com or call (415) 877-4711.

Contact Information: Contact: Adrian Richardson Edelman for JiWire +1 650-762-2949 (office) arichardson@ar-edelman.com

JiWire's Mobile Audience Insights Report. Full report can be found at www.jiwire.com JiWire's Mobile Audience Insights Report. Full report can be found at www.jiwire.com