Is texting more important than chocolate?
Yes – it is! A survey looking at our mobile communications and social networking behavior —conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Tyntec, a global mobile interaction specialist — shows that the vast majority of young adults would happily live without basic necessities than give up their texting habits.
• 71 percent said they would be willing to give up alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, exercise or even a toothbrush for a week
• Millennials have not only made texting part of their daily routine. They also leading the pack in interest to adopt new cloud-based models for texting to their social networks. Specifically, all age groups responded that they were “interested” or “maybe interested” in being able to receive text messages if they were integrated with their social networks. Overall, 40 percent reported having little or no knowledge of group messaging services like WhatsApp and Pinger.
Canada warms to mobile loyalty programs
Mobile marketing is sharpening its focus on activities and interactions further down the purchase funnel, with mobile loyalty topping the list. This is what Aimia, a loyalty management company, found when it conducted research into precisely how customers engage with marketing.
• Over three-quarters (78 percent) of Canadian Millennials surveyed said they were more likely to choose a brand that offered a loyalty or rewards program than one that didn’t.
• Millennials also sought out their social networks for opinions and ideas (34 percent) and used their mobile phones to research a product (52 percent) before purchasing — results that tell companies they need to monitor their branding (and the conversations) online to be successful.
• SOURCE: http://www.aimia.com/English/Media-Center/News-Releases/News-Release-Details/2012/Canadian-Millennial-Generation-Redefining-Customer-Loyalty—Millennials-willing-to-engage-with-marketers-but-want-to-know-wh/default.aspx
Bots follow brands on Twitter
Reuters brings us the details of a new study focused primarily on Italy and Italian brands revealing that many brand followers brands are bots, not people. The study, undertaken by Marc Camisani Calzolari, a communication and digital language professor based in Milan, analyzed the Twitter feeds of big brands like, Vodafone, Coca Cola, Dell and IKEA and found that they have fake followers. It’s a conclusion that leads Calzolari to urge companies to think over how they conduct and measure social media activities. “The number of followers is no longer a valid indicator of the popularity of a Twitter user, and can no longer by analysed separately from qualitative information,” Calzolari said in an interview.
• 39 percent of @VodafoneIT followers are probably bots
• Calzolari believes that companies and brands can’t be blamed for their “fake followers” because they result when companies delegate their PR and Social Media campaigns to third parties.
• SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/twitter-companies-idUSL5E8H86VM20120608
Internet of Things
Everything that can be connected will be. And out of this interconnectedness will flow solutions for global problems such as energy, transport and healthcare. It is a wonderful vision made possible by Smart Systems and The Internet of Things.
Interestingly, a new and detailed report by Harbor Research provides us insights into what will have to be done to there from here.
• Open IP-Based Connectivity needs to be implemented. Instead of having multiple standards and the underlying model of the Web needs to be more flexible, especially when dealing with real-time and event driven data.
• Phones need to rely on automated development of software or risk constraining the growth of the market.
Yahoo mobile search stats
We are doing more with our mobile devices, a rise in activity that naturally plays in favor of mobile search. Yahoo has also released some stats that confirm a significant rise in mobile search activity (even thought the search engine itself is seeing some decline in market share).
• Yahoo estimates 20 percent of its search traffic will come from mobile devices before the end of 2012. The rate of growth will continue to outpace the same on the desktop
• The announcement coincides with the company’s launch of its new smartphone and tablet browser, Axis, which also has a desktop plug-in.
Editor’s note:
MobileGroove has partnered with éclat Marketing — a company that has consistently delivered breakthrough PR campaigns based on a deep understanding of developments impacting mobile, technology, and our society at all levels — to bring you Mobile Data Points. This regular feature, which will highlight the mobile reports and insights you need to know to plan and run your business, is curated by Sophie Young, a member of the éclat team who has a passion for mobile trends, apps and her BlackBerry. If you have a report or survey you think should be included in this regular roundup, then reach out to Sophie directly via email sophie@eclat.co.uk or Twitter (@PheeYoung).
I find it crazy but certainly not surprising that millennials would give up alcohol, chocolate, and even brushing their teeth rather than their phones. We really are in a very mobile world and the proof of it seems to come in daily.