Chandran will be tasked with innovating new solutions that build on Technorati Media’s foothold in the Influencer media space. Chandran’s background in growing startups and revitalizing established companies makes him an ideal fit for Technorati Media’s goals.

“Rohan is a crucial addition to our management team, as we strive to not only optimize our current line of products but also bring to market solutions that break new ground in the world of influence,” Technorati Media CEO Shani Higgins said. “His proven ability to conceptualize and innovate with an end-user focus while empowering the product and dev teams is vital to shaping the next generation of Technorati Media products.”

Chandran’s range includes being an advertising product lead for Yahoo! to being CEO for video content startup Collient. He also led engineering and product teams at Infonox and Experian Interative. Most recently, he was at YP where he led strategy and development for consumer products.

Chandran holds undergraduate degrees in economics and computer science as well as a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University, where as a freshman he was co-founder of CricInfo, a leading sports site that was eventually acquired by ESPN.

About Technorati Media

Technorati Media is an integrated online media company with an ad network, several owned web properties, and an ad technology platform. Launched in June 2008, Technorati Media’s ad network has quickly grown into one of the largest social media ad networks (over 1,000 blogs, niche sites and distributed content), boasting an audience of more than 115 million unique visitors per month. In March 2013, comScore ranked Technorati Media as the tenth largest social media property and the fifth largest blog property in the US. Technorati.com, the flagship site, is the world’s first and largest blog search engine and a robust community blogging platform. BlogCritics.org is a journalism 3.0 site with a community of over 3,500 authors who have published over 100,000 articles using the site’s proprietary publishing platform.

The Summit will be held April 23-24, and registration is still open for the event held at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Higgins will be presenting findings and analysis from Technorati Media’s 2013 Digital Influence Report, which examines significant trends and topics on the business of influence from the influencer, marketer and consumer perspective. The report includes the perspectives of 150+ fortune 1000 brands, 1,200 consumers over the age of 18 and 6,000 influencers regarding their social media use and the latest trends in the business of digital influence.

More from Higgins:

“We’ve conducted our annual State of the Blogosphere since 2004, but in 2012 we realized blogs, though one of the most important pillars of social didn’t tell the entire story of digital influence. In order to represent the social landscape more thoroughly, we needed to look at all online sources of influence from three very unique and important perspectives: influencers, consumers and brands.”

“Blogs offer an immense amount of original content, so we weren’t surprised to see consumers report sharing that content from blogs so much. In addition, the majority of consumers agreed that these smaller more intimate communities have greater influence. So, again it would follow that consumers might be more inclined to share from these influential sources.”

“In fact, when asked what online services were most likely to influence a purchase, consumers reported blogs, only behind retail sites and actual brand sites, as most likely to influence a purchase. All other social media and online sources fell off somewhere below blogs.”

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Read more from Higgins on the Digital Influence Report.

Read the full Digital Influence Report.

Register for SMSS Chicago.

See the rest of the SMSS Chicago agenda.

With this in mind, we present to you our 2013 Digital Influence Report, which replaces our historical State of the Blogosphere and expands the concept of all things social. We hope you’ll benefit from the valuable insights culled from surveys that included over 6,000 influencers, 1,200 consumers and 150 top brand marketers.

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The three surveys (consumer, brand, influencer) were conducted in November and December 2012, closing between Dec. 5-11, 2012. The consumer survey was run on the Appnexus exchange (approx. reach of 120 million), and responses from those under 18 were omitted from the final results. The Influencer Survey was sent to Technorati Media’s index of 2.5 million email addresses of influencers, and the responses cross referenced with the Technorati Authority index to insure a representative sample of the total influencer population. The Brand Survey was sent to account and media supervisors and planners at the top digital agencies as well as the digital marketing leads at Fortune 1,000 companies in the U.S. Technorati Media supports the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s definition of an influencer: “A person who has a greater than average reach or impact through word of mouth in a relevant marketplace.”

More than half of brand managers expect an increase in social advertising, which includes blogging and influencer outreach, according to highlights coming from Technorati Media’s 2013 Digital Influence Report (full report due Feb. 2013).

Click to enlarge.

That’s a step in the right direction, as blogs were found to be third-most influential (31%) when making overall purchases, only behind retail sites (56%) and brand sites (34%). But brands may still be missing an opportunity in their digital messaging campaigns, as blogs were even found to be the fifth-most trustworthy source for overall information on the internet.

“Blogs are one of the most influential mediums, but brands aren’t investing in them enough to reap the rewards of their influential relationship with consumers,” Technorati Media CEO Shani Higgins said. “They’ve become the new endemic publishers that brands should be paying attention to. When it comes to making purchasing decisions, blogs have shown to be just as influential to consumers as Facebook, which gets exponentially more budget attention.”

Spending on social, which includes influencer outreach, currently makes up only 10 percent of brands’ digital marketing spend. Of that social budget, more than half goes to Facebook. YouTube and Twitter each get 13 percent, while about a total of 12 percent is spent on influencers and advertising on blogs.

Click to enlarge.

Since 2004, Technorati Media’s annual report has followed growth and trends in the business of digital influence. This year, more than 7,500 overall users participated. Of those, more than 1,200 took part in the consumer survey; more than 6,500 took part in the influencer survey; and representatives from 150 brands participated.

A full version of the report will be released the first week of February. To sign up to be alerted as soon as it’s ready, click here.

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Technorati Media asked brand managers …

When it comes to online sites and services consumers use most, YouTube was the top choice, according to highlights coming from Technorati Media’s 2013 Digital Influence Report (full report due Feb. 4, 2013).

Nearly 80 percent of participants reported that they use YouTube, ahead of all other social sites like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. YouTube was also named the most trusted source of information by 29 percent of consumers – the fourth highest selection.

“YouTube, and video in general, allows its users to see the action, to see someone using a product they might be thinking about buying,” Technorati Media CEO Shani Higgins said. “Consumers trust what they can see, and they trust people who have used the products they’re looking into.”

The new data could indicate that consumers are more willing to watch videos about potential purchases now more than ever before. Beyond making sure to have a presence on YouTube, both brands and influencers can do more to make sure their videos are seen.

Brands are planning just that, as YouTube is their third-most used social service and 59 percent of brand managers say their companies are planning to increase video budgets in the year ahead – many by as much as 30 percent.

Those increases should be welcomed, as 22 percent of influencers and consumers say that brands don’t post enough on YouTube.

There is also room for video growth among influencers, as 12 percent say they gain revenue from their video production, but only 7 percent say they post at least one video per week.

Since 2004, Technorati Media’s annual report has followed growth and trends in the business of digital influence. This year, more than 7,500 overall users participated. Of those, more than 1,200 took part in the consumer survey; more than 6,500 took part in the influencer survey; and representatives from 150 brands participated.

A full version of the report will be released Feb. 4. To sign up to be alerted as soon as it’s ready, click here.

Click to enlarge.

Technorati Media asked consumers …

What online sites/services do you use?
YouTube 80%
Facebook 74%
Retail sites (Amazon, Walmart) 50%
Google+ 47%
Blogs 45%
Online news sites 36%
Twitter 34%
Groups/Forums 31%
LinkedIn 24%
Pinterest 21%
Brand sites (like Honda, Sony) 19%
Online magazines (like People, Motor Trend) 15%
Instagram 12%

What are your most trusted information sources?
Online news sites (NY Times, CNN) 51%
Facebook 32%
Retail sites (Amazon, Walmart) 31%
YouTube 29%
Blogs 29%
Google+ 26%
Groups/Forums 24%
Online magazines (People, Motor Trend) 22%
Brand websites (Honda, Nike) 21%
Twitter 15%

What do you think about brands’ posting to YouTube?
Far too frequently        14%
Somewhat too frequently    18%
About right            46%
Somewhat too infrequently    17%
Far too infrequently        5%

Technorati Media asked brand managers …

What online sites/services do you use?
Facebook    91%
Twitter        85%
YouTube    73%
Pinterest    41%
LinkedIn    33%
Blogs        32%
Instagram    29%
Google+    26%

Technorati Media asked influencers …

What do you think about brands’ posting to YouTube?
Far too frequently        11%
Somewhat too frequently    13%
About right            54%
Somewhat too infrequently    17%
Far too infrequently        5%

Describe your use on these social platforms.

Video streaming by Ustream

As far as the most overall influential factor, a positive product review pushes the needle the most as shown in the upcoming 2013 Digital Influence Report from Technorati Media (complete report due out Feb. 4). In fact, the survey concludes that the reviews were more influential than a recommendation from a friend.

“This gets us a look inside the heads of the consumers and shows what they’re looking for when planning a purchase,” Technorati Media CEO Shani Higgins said. “They want to learn from someone else’s experience. If your product is good and bloggers write positive reviews, it’s almost like having an army of sales associates working around the clock for you.”

Of the more than 1,200 consumers who took part in this survey, 28 percent of them said a positive review was the top factor in making electronics purchases. A friend’s recommendation came in at No. 2 on the list with 17 percent response rate.

The survey findings also indicate that many of those consumers are turning to blogs when looking to make a purchase. Blogs were found to be third-most influential (31%) when making overall purchases, only behind retail sites (56%) and brand sites (34%). Blogs held that No. 3 spot when consumers were asked specifically about electronics purchases.

In fact, blogs were found to be the fifth-most trustworthy source for overall information on the internet.

“Consumers are looking for recommendations from their trusted go-to sources and blogs continue to be a driving force in influencing purchasing decisions especially when it comes to electronics and gadgets,” Higgins said. “The smartest marketing strategy includes advertising and working with influencers so the moment a consumer’s engaged with a review or editorial feature they have an opportunity to take the next step and make a purchase.”

So just what are the influencers going to be writing about in 2013? Technorati Media asked for technology influencers to weigh in on the gadget climate of the new year.

More than 6,000 influencers were surveyed of which nine percent said they focus primarily on tech and gadgets. Thirty-eight percent of these tech and gadget influencers said tablets would rule the market in the coming year – the top choice by far. And the tablet they most prefer to recommend? The Apple iPad 4 (36%) came in with more than twice as many votes as the Google Nexus 7 (17%).

The smartphone battle is much closer, with Android-powered phones (42%) edging out the Apple iPhone (40%).

Right behind blogs in influencing electronics purchases were YouTube videos, indicating that consumers also might want to see a product in action before making a purchase.

Since 2004, Technorati Media’s annual report has followed growth and trends in the business of digital influence. This year, more than 7,500 overall users participated. Of those, more than 1,200 took park in the consumer survey; more than 6,500 took part in the influencer survey; and representatives from 150 brands participated.

A full version of the report will be released Feb. 4. To sign up to be alerted as soon as it’s ready, click here.

Technorati Media asked consumers …

What are your most trusted information sources?
Online news sites (NY Times, CNN) 51%
Facebook 32%
Retail sites (Amazon, Walmart) 31%
YouTube 29%
Blogs 29%
Google+ 26%
Groups/Forums 24%
Online magazines (People, Motor Trend) 22%
Brand websites (Honda, Nike) 21%
Twitter 15%

What’s most likely to influence a purchase?
Retail sites 56%
Brand sites 34%
Blogs 31%
Facebook 31%
Groups/Forums 28%
YouTube 27%
Online news sites 24%
Google+ 20%
Online magazines 20%
Pinterest 12%

What’s most likely to influence an electronics purchase?
Brand/Product site 20%
Retail site 16%
Blog post 14%
YouTube video 10%
Mention on Group/Forum 9%
Mention on Facebook 8%
Online magazines 8%
Online news site 6%
Mention on Google+ 3%
Picture on Pinterest 2%

What compels you to make an electronics purchase?
Positive review 28%
Friend recommendation 17%
Sale 15%
New innovation 12%
New version of one I have 12%
Saw someone using it 5%
Friend has it 5%
It’s getting lots of press 4%
Grabbed it on my way to checkout 1%
Read a negative review, but didn’t agree 1%

Technorati Media asked influencers …

What will be the biggest tech/gadget craze in 2013?
Tablets 38%
Wearable tech (glasses, watch devices, etc.) 17%
Integrated devices 12%
Smartphones 11%
Smart TVs 9%
Ultrabooks 9%
Other 5%

What tablet do you prefer to recommend?
Apple iPad4 36%
Google Nexus 7 17%
Samsung Galaxy Tab II 12%
Microsoft Surface 12%
Other 10%
Apple iPad Mini 8%
Amazon Kindle 4%

What mobile phone do you prefer to recommend?
Android Phone 42%
Apple iPhone 40%
Microsoft Windows Phone 10%
Other 6%
Blackberry 3%

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Technorati Media permits the republication of information in this post.