It
has long been assumed that the Internet was used as a tool for specific
purposes such as conducting research, checking the news, shopping or
visiting a favorite Web site. However, new data from the Pew Internet
& American Life Project suggests that approximately 40% of Internet
users go online "aimlessly" without clear goals or intentions. This is very similar to "Honey, give me
that remote and let’s see if there’s anything good on TV tonight."

The
Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that the Internet is
the new TV—but not in just the obvious sense that more people choose
the Internet over reruns of "Seinfeld." Instead, the study points to a
growing phenomenon that is analogous to TV: web surfing is equivalent
to channel surfing. E-mail remains the primary online activity, with
52% of respondents describing it as their "leading activity." However,
40% listed their main activity as "surfing for fun to to pass the
time."

The Pew report also shows that browsing the web for fun grew
dramatically in 2005 from 2004 because only 25% of respondents
indicated that they browsed for fun in 2004.

The Pew report also shows that broadband users and young adults
tended to go visit the Web without particular destinations in mind
whereas senior citizens and users with dial-up connections tended to go
on the Internet for specific reasons.

So what does all this mean for marketers and advertisers? What
new challenges does this create for the industry as a whole? Early on,
when the commercial Internet began to take hold, the industry quickly
recognized that the beauty of the Internet came down to the degree to
which advertising could be accurately targeted. But if Internet users
are beginning to emulate their television-watching counterparts by just
surfing and hanging out, will this mean that the targeting model will
founder?

No doubt the industry will realize that keyword search engine
marketing will probably remain its bread and butter, whereas the
idle-surfing implications will have greater resonance in the arena of
banner advertising. Further to that, "just surfing for fun" will
undoubtedly increasingly include online video. The need to find video,
via search engines, will increase accordingly. Marketers will need to
find ways to take advantage of this video/search growth, such as by
creating elements of their overall campaigns that throw fun marketing
videos into the mix.