According to a recent Forrester study, "Consumer Behavior Online: A 2009 Deep Dive," people are integrating their online world with the "real world" in more meaningful ways than ever before. This is significant for marketers in a number of ways. 

The study found that broadband adoption among Internet households in North America grew slightly more than 6 percent over 2008, meaning that almost 71 million households enjoy the benefits of fast Internet connection. Despite this fact, the average time spent online remained at approximately 12 hours per week. 

While search and e-mail have reached a plateau, they are still the mainstays of online use. Marketers still target these areas heavily and spend most of their money on e-mail campaigns and search advertising or search engine optimization. 

Newer applications such as social networking and the use of online media have grown considerably. Higher bandwidth allows consumers to view videos, pictures and larger files with higher quality and less wait time. The report states that as many as a quarter of all online consumers are watching full-length television shows on the Internet, while still spending 13 hours per week watching traditional TV. 

The bottom line is that more of our offline behavior is being predicated by online activities. For example, we may decide to go to a movie based upon peer reviews from our Facebook community, or choose to buy a certain gadget because it was recommended online. Marketers looking to gain exposure, build a brand, launch a product or influence behavior will need to integrate their strategies to mirror those of the public they wish to reach.