Spas and Salons Need to Get Social: Younger Demographics Influenced by Social Media

37% of 18 to 24 Year Olds Influenced by Social Networks When Choosing Hair
Salon, Day Spa
WESTERVILLE, Ohio--(Business Wire)--
Fifty-seven percent of 18 to 24 year olds and 48.5% of 25 to 34 year olds say
social media influenced their choice of a hair salon/barber or day spa,
according to Ad-ology Research.

Across all demographics, online media had the most impact, with local Web sites
(28.8%) and online Yellow Pages (22.3%) ranking as the most influential. Direct
mail and newspapers were the top-ranked traditional media types.

"The younger crowd wants the latest styles, but they also want to go somewhere
popular, somewhere their friends go," said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of
Ad-ology Research. "Salons and spas need to get active online since chatter on
social networks and positive comments can attract these young potential
customers," Smith said.

Other key findings:

* Currently, only 3% of consumers prefer to schedule hair and spa appointments
online
* 34.3% of African Americans say a sports sponsorship is an important factor in
their choice of a hair salon/barber or day spa
* In addition to quality, cleanliness, price and location are top factors in
salon/spa selection

The Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey is conducted throughout the year
by Ad-ology Research to study online, traditional, and social media influence on
buying decisions.

The Media Influence on Consumer Choice: Hair & Spa Services report is available
for purchase and immediate download through Ad-ology.net. The report includes 26
data charts, consumer-spending estimates by market, and additional marketing
insights.

About Ad-ology Research

Ad-ology Research analyzes key marketing and advertising trends in over 400
industries and what motivates end-customers. The company`s research is used by
over 2,000 advertising agencies, media properties and product marketing
departments across the United States. Ad-ology Research is a division of Sales
Development Services (SDS), Inc. - a Westerville, Ohio firm founded in 1989.

Methodology

Ad-ology Research surveyed an online consumer panel of 1,213 adults in a manner
that is 98% representative of the adult population of the United States from
January 5-8, 2009. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.2 percentage
points.

Editor`s Note: The Ad-ology trade name should be hyphenated in all printed
references.

Ad-ology Research
Michelle O`Brien, 614-794-0500 ext. 100
pressrelations@ad-ology.net

Copyright Business Wire 2009