The study was fielded by , the participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online, and Nielsen Company, in the US, Brazil, Germany and Hong Kong, said Ketchum. A total of 387 people over the age of 18 in Hong Kong were polled in an online survey conducted in March 2011.

According to the survey results announced Monday, 50 percent of respondents had made a purchase based on a blog recommendation. Blogs, message boards and social networks 952 percent) ranked only a few percentage points behind TV (58 percent) in the media formats influencing purchasing decisions.