Mobile phones are the most popular digital device among young people
The mobile phone is the favoured digital device amongst 16-30 year olds, narrowly beating the computer into second place, according to a new study carried out by lifestyle research consultancy, Tuned In.
The results varied amongst the sexes, with one in two women rating their mobile as their favourite device versus fewer than one in four men, for whom the computer was favourite.
The study found that over a third (36%) of all 16-30s had yet to use their mobile to access the internet. Cost and speed were cited as the primary obstacles to use, with 74% saying they would surf the internet on their mobile more if it were cheaper and 59% complaining that the slow speed of the connection put them off.
However, 42% of people do expect to use the internet on their mobile more in the future, suggesting an appetite for this does exist and an expectation that prices will fall and quality will be improved. Personal email, instant messaging, social networking and reading news articles were the top activities, with around a third of people using mobile internet for these activities at least once a week.
The study also found that levels of downloading content were surprisingly low. Over half of people have never downloaded a ring tone (57%), or music (58%) while two-thirds (68%) have never downloaded a video.
As well as looking at actual usage behaviour, the study also probed attitudes toward the mobile as an advertising medium, finding that an overwhelming 65% of this audience found mobile messaging from brands to be intrusive, the highest percentage of any digital medium.
Furthermore 44% say that brands should never use this medium as part of their communications mix.
However, there was still significant evidence of brand engagement through the medium with 42% of 16-30s having responded to a mobile ad and a third (33%) having bought a product or service as a direct result of receiving a mobile advert.
Douglas Dunn, a co-founder and managing director of Tuned In, said: “Mobiles are such a personal medium that the majority of consumers find brand communications through this channel to be too invasive. Often, people are hoping the message is from a friend, lover or family member, and when they find it’s from a brand they often feel disappointed.
“This is an obstacle for advertisers to overcome however there is ample opportunity for brands to engage people if they respect the intimacy and attachment people feel to their mobiles and craft appropriate, valuable and relevant messages,” he added.
According to a recent survey by Nielsen Online, the number of Britons using mobile internet has increased significantly (see Increase in Britons using mobile internet).
From Q2 to Q3 2008, the number of Britons using mobile internet increased by 25% (from 5.8 to 7.3 million) compared to 3% for PC-based internet (34.3 to 35.3 million Britons).
Informa Telecoms & Media’s latest Future of Mobile Handsets report found that revenues from mobile phones are expected to grow at 6.8% CAGR between 2007 and 2013, and should exceed $200 billion by the end of 2013 (see Mobile Phone Market Worth $200bn By 2013).