Adobe surveyed more than 1,200 North American mobile web users in August 2010 to learn what they want most from their mobile website and app experiences. Adobe identified differences in preference based on gender and age. In general, just as mobile usage is greater among younger demographics, a higher percentage of survey respondents skewed younger.
Above all, mobile device users like to be entertained. Media and entertainment experiences—including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and others—are the clear leaders in mobile user activities across age, gender, and device type. 40 percent of users spend three hours or more weekly on mobile media sites, contrasted with only 10% of users who reported accessing no mobile media activities in the past six months. And even though only 44% of the older crowd (those aged 60 and above) reported making any mobile purchases in the past year, when they did, they also showed a clear preference for movies, music, and games.
Mobile engagement with social media is the most popular (76%), followed by reading local information such as events, weather, and maps (73%); news (68%); music (63%); games (61%); video (56%); and more. Those in the 18–24 and 30–49 age groups spend the same amount of time on media activities, though there are differences in the types of media that each age group prefers. Those aged 18–24 tend to access social media, music, and games, while those aged 30–49 prefer to access news.
Even though users engaged in numerous media and entertainment activities during the previous 12 months, more than half (57%) won’t pay for it. Furthermore, 75% of respondents would rather watch ad-supported content than pay a subscription fee so that they can view content free of advertisements. Of those who are willing to pay for mobile entertainment media, games are the most purchased form of entertainment across all age groups.
Key takeaways:
• Take advantage of social media. With social media topping the list of activities that mobile users interact with daily, online marketers across all industries—not only media and entertainment—can take advantage of mobile marketing opportunities by creating entertaining and viral, brand-centered content delivered through frequent social media touchpoints like Facebook and Twitter. This will help establish and build customer relationships, strengthen brands, and deliver increased engagement.
• Deliver content types by frequency of engagement. Most mobile users access certain types of content—like social media, games, and music—daily and other types of content—like videos and blogs—weekly. Therefore, releasing certain types of content daily and other types of content weekly may be optimal to align with mobile user media consumption patterns.
• Consider delivering new forms of engagement media. The popularity of games across all age categories creates brand-centric and cobranded game development opportunities for marketers. Mobile user engagement with streaming and downloaded music and audio also highlights the value of creating or sponsoring podcasts and other audio content.
• Consider developing new marketing relationships. With more than one-third of mobile users engaging with local content daily or weekly, marketers should consider sponsoring local events or offering geocentric advertising and discounts.
