global executives study
The Quartz Global Executives Study documents the media habits of the world's smartest, busiest people.
We surveyed 1,357 executives from around the world to find out how they get news, why they share content, and how they feel about advertising.
Here's what we found:
Executives are more protective of their time than ever.
They're most focused on news first thing in the morning.
At which point in the day are you most likely to be consuming news?
They're active on social media...
89% of executives use social media.
LinkedIn is the most used social platform among executives.
Which social media platforms do you use? (Sorted by industry)
...but their use of it is focused.
60% of executives intentionally use social media to get news.
For news, Twitter is the most popular social platform, especially among media executives.
Which social media platforms do you intentionally use to get news? (Sorted by industry)
They read, watch, and listen to the news on a variety of platforms...
Executives are twice as likely to get news from email than from video.
Where do you get your news from?
...but they're selective about their consumption.
Executives have wide-ranging interests: they stay up to date on global news, business, finance, and cultural trends.
Which of the following categories of news do you read in a typical week?
89% notice the source of the links they click.
They usually click links because:
88% of executives are likely to share good content, and its source almost always (85%) influences their decision to share it.
Long-form articles are the most shared content format.
Which type of content are you most likely to share?
They're open to advertising, especially if there's value in it.
84% of executives are open to content from brands, as long as it's high-quality and clearly labeled.
74% found the last piece of sponsor content they read interesting, informative, and valuable.
Executives are much more likely to intentionally interact with sponsor content than pre-roll or interstitials.
Think of the last time you interacted with an ad on purpose. What type of ad was it?
Younger executives are more open to sponsor content than their older counterparts—but they're more discerning of its quality.
Share of executives who are open to consuming content from brands, by age group:
Share of executives who thought the last piece of sponsor content they read was valuable:
Executives recognize that brands have deep expertise in their respective industries.
Which of the following sponsor content topics might interest you?
Executives are most responsive to charts and other data visualizations.
Which of the following formats and features tend to draw you into a piece of content?
In contrast, they don't respond well to ads that interrupt them.
Which type of digital advertising do you find to be the least effective?
As mobile has grown, so too has executives' interaction with mobile ads.
Share of executives who primarily get news on their phones:
Share who cite a mobile ad as the last ad they remember seeing or interacting with: