When you’ve grown up with a mobile device as a natural extension of your very being, it’s your first, not second, screen. Millennials and Gen Z spend 46 percent more time every day with their devices than they do with TV. The youngest of them would rather lose their wallet than their smartphone. Some may remember the world before smartphones, but they no longer live in those times.
Our new report, “The Rise of Mobile Prodigies,” looks at how these important consumers are driving the future of mobile advertising. The findings will surprise you. Those stereotypes you have of the young mobile native? Time to flip them on their end…a lot like that vertical video they just snapped.
Mobile Prodigies are discerning app consumers
Though people of many ages are voracious mobile users, Mobile Prodigies can’t be matched for their app-etite. Six of 10 of respondents to Verve’s survey said they downloaded one or more apps a week. There’s a catch though: Mobile Prodigies’ desire for new apps results in significant churn. They’ll get rid of the ones that don’t meet their needs just as quickly as they download them. Or as John Vieira, of Portland, OR ad agency Nemo Design, said, “Nobody is afraid to leave behind followers or content.”
Mobile Prodigies are not massive oversharers
They live their lives on smartphones, on social and with apps—but Mobile Prodigies aren’t imprudent extroverts. More than 80 percent will delete apps that ask for too much data, but 60 percent would share their location, fitness or sleep data in order to be served advertising more relevant to their needs and desires.
Mobile Prodigies expect to be treated individually
Of course, grouping those in a certain age group into a single mass doesn’t mean they all think and act alike. Mobile Prodigies are people too, with distinct minds and thoughts. And they prize brands that treat them that way. Eighty percent of Mobile Prodigies expect to be served ads tailored to where they are and their specific interests. Provide them with something that reflects their individuality and predicts what they’ll want next, and they’ll thank you for it through purchases and loyalty.
