ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobile Posse, the technology innovator that turns telecom companies into mobile media leaders, in conjunction with Phoenix Marketing International today released mobile data collected in October that compares Gen Z, Millennial and Baby Boomer mobile usage behaviors, which will help wireless carriers, OEMs and marketers gain insight into the habits and interests of mobile users.

Overall, the research found that the race to win consumer mobile attention begins first thing in the morning when users are often times checking their devices before they get out of bed and have no particular app in mind, which is in line with earlier findings. At the start of the day, mobile users are increasingly using their phones as a utility (for instance, to find out the weather forecast), seek out news or to start connecting with friends.

Specific findings include: 

• Younger audiences have a stronger preference for getting morning news via social channels than older generations
  • 20% of Gen Z want to get news from their social feed compared to only 3.8% of Baby Boomers
• Younger audiences are more likely to get most of their news from social media than older generations
  • 31.7% of Gen Z users identify as getting most of their news from social as compared to 30% of Millennials and 6.2% of Baby Boomers
• Younger audiences are more likely to want to see something entertaining in the morning than read about news
  • 31.7% of Gen Z users want to see something entertaining versus 21.2% of Millennials and only 16.9% of Baby Boomers
• Unlike older audiences, younger audiences are more interested in waking up and using their phones to find something that makes them happy than they are in learning the day’s weather
  • Gen Z are 11% more likely to express they’d want to use their phone first to find something happy than to find the weather. Baby Boomers are 48% more likely to say they would rather use their phone to learn the weather than to find something to make them happy
• Younger audiences are more likely to want their first mobile content experience in the morning to connect them with friends
  • 77.5% of Gen Z users want to start their day connecting with friends as opposed to only 38.4% of Baby Boomers. 61.5% of Baby Boomers have neutral or no interest in connecting with friends at the start of their day
• Younger generations are more likely to check their phone at the start of the morning
  • 65% of Gen Z users check their phones while they are still in bed, and 9 out of 10 of Gen Z users will check their phones before they leave their bedrooms in the morning. 20.8% of Baby Boomers will not check their phones until they receive a call or notification. 7.4% of Millennials will first use their phones in the morning in the bathroom. Only 13.1% of Baby Boomers will first check their phones while still in bed
• Men are 38% more likely than women to say that compared to last year, they are less interested in reading news in the morning

A few areas brought the different generations together. These include:

• 59% of all mobile users don’t have an app in mind most of the time when they first unlock their phones in the morning
• Today, across all ages, 1 in 4 mobile users state that today’s news makes them depressed
• Overall compared to last year, 17.5% of mobile users say they are less interested in reading news in the morning on their phones. This is 20% higher than the amount of users saying they are more interested in reading news in the morning on their phones
• Mobile users favor content about local news versus national news (with 60.5% of users having interest in seeing local news and 57% having interest in national news) the first time they use their phone in the day

“The mobile landscape is increasingly competitive with players jockeying for position like Facebook’s recent launch of News Tab, Samsung replacing Bixby Home with Samsung Daily, and a multitude of others like CNN, Twitter, OTT players, wireless carriers and more trying to make it easier for consumers to view their news and content,” said Gregory Wester, CMO, Mobile Posse. “This research makes it clear that the race for consumer attention starts from the moment a user wakes up, and the players that remove the friction from the process and make it easy for consumers to access the content they want will win in the end.”

“This data reveals an opportunity for brands to build customer loyalty by being a part of a mobile user’s morning routine,” said John Schiela, EVP, Marketing Consulting, Phoenix Marketing International. “If you can capture a user’s attention first thing in the morning, you stand to gain extra impact downstream.”

About Mobile Posse
Mobile Posse turns telecom companies into mobile media leaders through its Firstly Mobile™ content discovery platform. The Firstly Mobile Platform creates a better smartphone experience by presenting engaging curated content--without having to open...load...search...or wait. With billions of frictionless mobile content experiences delivered each month, Firstly Mobile drives greater consumer engagement and boosts advertising revenues for carriers and OEMs. And it presents a proven and brand-safe mobile media opportunity for advertisers. Mobile Posse, the pioneer of frictionless mobile media solutions, is based in Arlington, VA. The company’s posse of trailblazers is passionate about making the smartphone even smarter. Every day. For more information, visit www.mobileposse.com.

About Phoenix Marketing International
Founded in 1999, Phoenix Marketing International has over 400 employees across seven offices in the US, as well as offices in Hamburg, Shanghai, Mexico City, and London. Phoenix MI is considered one of the Top Research Firms in the US (American Marketing Association Gold Report) and is one of the fastest-growing Market Research firms in the world. In 2018, Phoenix MI acquired Nielsen’s TV Brand Effect, making it one of the largest ad and brand performance measurement firm in the U.S. Phoenix MI works in all major industries, helping its clients build and measure brands and communications, create and refine the products and services that they deliver, and optimize their customers’ experience.

Media Contact
Brook Terran
805-570-3309