Wireless World Forum has
released more key findings from its mobileYouth06 research study. The
results reveal that young peoples love of mobiles is surpassed only by
their indifference to the networks which run them. Emotional attachment
to operator brands is minimal. Indeed, when asked what operator they
subscribed to, one respondent answered Nokia.
The research also
reveals that mobile operators suffer the highest rate of customer
turnover of any service industry in the UK with youth the champions
of network turnover.
Everyone knows that youth love their mobiles,
but when it comes to mobile operators, they just dont care which one
theyre on says Analyst Savka Andic. By learning from popular
non-mobile brands, operators can get closer to young consumers and this
will help them in the long run to produce mobile services youth will
love
The report also found that youths enjoy listeningto music
on their mobiles, but that they want to do more than just listen.
Services such as MySpace, Limewire and Last.fm are so popular because
they enable young consumers to explore, display and share their music,
the report says.
The report also found that while todays youth is
bombarded with marketing messages, the mobile offers brands unique
opportunities to attract and engage young consumers if they deliver
relevant marketing messages. It cites a McDonalds campaign in Japan
which used mobile as part of a highly targeted marketing campaign for a
limited edition burger. The burger achieved sales four times that of
previous limited edition menu items.
Theres a lot of potential for
using mobiles to market to youth, but so far marketers have mainly
focused on SMS promotions says Analyst Nick Wright. To engage the
young consumer, mobile needs to be part of a highly targeted,
cross-platform campaign which gives youth value in exchange for their
attention.”
To see video clips of interviews with some of the respondents, click here.