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Radio-Info.com (@radio_info) says, “Teens today are the most digitally connected generation we have ever seen.” A study just released by Nielsen (@NielsenWire) on teen media usage offers the following insight.

Teens:

·         Are the Heaviest Mobile Video Viewers

·         Are More Receptive to Mobile Advertising than their Elders

·         Out-Text All Other Age Groups

·         Talk Less on the Phone: Besides

·         Grew Up in the Age of Social Media—and It Shows

·         Watch Less TV than the General Population:

·         Spend Less Time on their Computers

Radio-Info says, “Based on this research and other key findings from recent studies on teen consumers, here are four considerations for marketers aspiring to reach teens today:

1. Speak in bullet points.

2. Don’t be “just another ad.”

3. Stand Out

4. Think Multi-Platform

Read this in full.

Warc (@WarcEditors) reports on a new Cisco (@Cisco_Mobility) study that says US families are engaging in an increasingly diverse range of digital activities, and are using more wireless devices than ever before.

·         The most popular digital pastimes among the respondents are browsing the Web and accessing email, logging a total uptake of 92%.

·         Regularly downloading music and video score 67%; consumers are turning to user-generated content platforms like YouTube, video-on-demand services, and properties such as iTunes.

·         Two-thirds of respondents often use a tablet or smartphone via their wireless network at home.

·         Devices connected to in-home WiFi: game consoles (66%), smartphones (41%), and wireless printers (36%).

·         62% of adults use the Internet in this way on a daily basis; 71% do so between 5-7 days a week.

·         Based on parents’ estimates, 46% of children log on to the Web in the same fashion every day, and 54% participate in this activity at least 5 days per week.

Consumers are now embracing a wireless connected lifestyle for the entire family.

Read this in full.

An article in SplatF (@splatf) by Dan Frommer (@fromedome) displays the new “red vs. blue” map published by Jumptap (@Jumptap), a mobile ad network, which highlights the dominant smartphone platform in each state. In particular, it seems that the South and West are Google Android country, while the North and Midwest favor Apple’s iPhone. And New York is still BlackBerry-dominated.

Something to consider when creating mobile apps.

This chart by AdAge (@adage) shows that the generation coming up after the millennials – the iGen – is quickly consuming content digitally. Technology isn't skipping this generation, it's being handed down from mother to child. The data come from an annual survey by Parenting Group, the publisher of Parenting, Babytalk, and Parenting.com (@parenting), and the BlogHer (@BlogHer) network.

The generational breakdown is striking. Across the board, younger moms are passing technology along to their kids at an early age. This might not seem too surprising, given the Gen-Y embrace of technology. But when you consider that many of the youngest Gen-X moms are still having their first kids, whereas many millennials are putting off having kids, the adoption rates of technology start to blur.

Digging deeper into the data we see that the percent of moms who haven't let their children use a smartphone corresponds roughly to the percent of moms who don't have a smartphone themselves. We suspect that moms who haven't let their 2-year-olds use a smartphone likely got a smartphone when their kids were already older than that. Crazy, eh? Looking at stats for more-established technologies would seem to confirm that. The Gen-Xers and Boomer moms -- who are more likely to have older kids -- do show a higher overall rate of having passed the laptop or non-smartphone to their children of all ages.

The sweet spots for majority-usage looks like this: Mobile phone, age 11; smartphones, age 16; laptop/PC, age 4; digital camera, age 5.

Overall, the study finds that nearly three-quarters of moms with Internet access can't go a day without it. One in four report letting their kids use a mobile phone by age 2. We wonder when the ability to hit the home button, swipe to unlock and find an app will become a recognized developmental milestone -- maybe somewhere between walking and multi-word sentences.

Read this in full.

See the complete survey results in a PowerPoint presentation by BlogHer.

Also read our previous blogposts, "Motherhood Sends Moms to Smartphones" and "CyberTots: Pre-teens Drive iPad Purchases, Join Social Networks."

How does this information influence your publishing strategy for the next 12 months? The next 5 years?

The American Magazine Study, conducted by Affinity Research, reports that, along with 84% of US adults owning at least one computer, distinct generational skews exist in the profiles of eReader, tablet PC, and smartphone owners. It says, “These findings are important for companies marketing mobile devices to Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers, as well as those creating content and advertising targeted at these unique generational segments.”

Boomers are the most likely buyers of eReaders

·         More than 8.2 million Boomers currently own an eReader, while more than 10 million plan to purchase the device in the next six months.

·         More than 9 out of 10 Boomers (92%) use the device at home, 13% at work, and 36% power up their eReaders while on the go.

·         Similar to the national trend, female Boomers are 11% more likely to own an eReader than their male counterparts.

Gen-Xers are the most likely buyers of Tablet PCs

·         More than 9% of Gen-Xers currently own a tablet PC, while 24% - or almost 21 million - have plans to purchase the device.

·         56% of Gen-X tablet owners actively share their devices with others.

·         Gen-Xers with a household income of $100,000 or more are 63% more likely to own a tablet PC than their generational peers.

Millennials are the most likely buyers of Smartphones

·         54% - or more than 25 million Millennials - currently own a smartphone, and 18% plan to purchase one within the next six months.

·         63% of Millennials use their smartphones at work, while 95% report that they are the sole users of the device.

·         Millennials who have graduated college are 23% more likely to own a smartphone than others in their generation.

Read the news release.

Read the study in full.

What does this study mean for your publishing strategy? Let Somersault help.

KCI in Grand Rapids, MI, helps brands communicate their marketing messages through a variety of services, from digital to print to data management to mailing to fulfillment. One element KCI recommends to its business clients is the use of QR codes. In fact, KCI believes in the power of QR codes so much that it displays a giant one on the side of its van. When a smartphone with a QR code reader is pointed at it, the code takes the user directly to the KCI website. General manager Eric Liggett says the code will soon take users to KCI's dedicated mobile site, for a more small-screen friendly experience.

Putting a QR code on the side of a brand's vehicle is innovative; it goes beyond merely displaying the brand's URL address. It attracts attention, it's fun, and it helps users quickly access more information about you without having to remember and type in a long URL. Great thinking, KCI!

Technology writer Dan Frommer (@Fromedome) of SplatF (@splatf) airs his grievances with QR codes on Business Insider’s (@businessinsider) SAI (@SAI). He says, “Mobile barcodes can be confusing and can waste time. And as mobile technology progresses, they probably aren't even necessary.”

Most people, before scanning their first barcode, have to download scanning apps manually and figure out how to use them. Then, each time there's a barcode to scan, they have to make sure they're using the right scanning app for the right barcode. That's because different types of barcodes, like Microsoft's "Tag" codes, don't always work in all the same apps.

He goes on to criticize how advertisers mismanage the creation and use of QR codes. He says

...in the future, if “near-field communication” mobile technology takes off, you may be able to just bump your phone up against a sensor to tell it to do something, whether it be to check you into a bar on Foursquare, take you to a website, or even pay for dinner. That's faster and easier than a barcode, too.

But then he ends in a turn-around:

Yes, obviously, barcodes have a place in the world. They are simple and cheap for commerce and logistics, and barcodes are widespread.

Read this in full. And be sure to read the comments.

Somersault (@smrsault) believes in the value of QR codes, when used properly, to attract attention and communicate effectively with those comfortable in using them. The key is strategic thinking. For example, read our blogpost "A Mobile QR Code - Literally."

Let Somersault help you in all your marketing communication plans.

For the first time ever, daily time spent in mobile apps surpasses desktop and mobile Web consumption, according to an analysis from Flurry (@FlurryMobile), a mobile analytics firm. Flurry found that the average user now spends 9% more time using mobile apps than the Internet.

As a note of interest, Facebook has increasingly taken its share of time spent on the Internet, now making up 14 of the 74 minutes spent per day by consumers, or about 1/6th of all Internet minutes.

The above chart shows that Games and Social Networking categories capture the significant majority of consumers’ time. Consumers spend nearly half their time using Games, and a third in Social Networking apps. Combined, these two categories control a whopping 79% of consumers’ total app time.

Read the report in full.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you create a mobile app that fits your publishing strategy. When you use SomersaultNOW, Somersault’s free online dashboard for publishing and marketing executives, be sure to use the Mobile tab from your smartphone. And read the Somersault Mobile News Daily.

Warc (@WarcEditors) reports on a new study by Google and Ipsos OTX MediaCT that says smartphone use is increasingly influencing US consumers’ media use and shopping habits.

• 93% of smartphone owners use the devices at home.
• 87% use it “on the go” (77% in stores, 73% in restaurants, 72% at work).
• 59% log on to the mobile Web while waiting in line, 48% do so as they eat, 44% during shopping trips, and 43% while travelling.
• 81% say they’ve browsed the mobile Internet in the last week, 77% used search engines, 68% used apps, and 48% played back video.
• 72% engage in simultaneous media use involving smartphones and other mainstream channels at some point. This includes 33% watching TV at the same time as using the wireless Web, 29% also going online through a PC, 27% for gaming, and 22% for reading print media.
• 82% employ email services on their phone and 63% visit social networks.
• 82% research and read news, 75% exploit navigation tools, 65% enjoy entertainment content, and 45% manage their finances, social life, or travel arrangements.
• 46% of participants use ecommerce sites, 43% view video-sharing portals, 38% visit general consumer websites, and 26% go to official brand platforms.
• 79% use their handsets for commercial purposes. Some 78% locate retailers, compare prices, or search store inventories, and 69% seek out product information, such as by scanning a barcode, watching online video, or reading reviews.
• 52% contact a retailer, 40% source coupons, and 28% redeem virtual discount vouchers.
• Within the 74% of individuals claiming to have previously made purchases because of using a smartphone, 76% bought goods at a brick-and-mortar outlet and 59% did so from a PC. 35% snapped up a product straight from their phone, 27% looked to mobile websites, and 22% turned to apps for the same reason.
• Where people bought goods through a smartphone, the average annual expenditure hit $300, with 48% of relevant consumers buying entertainment items, as electronics and apparel both secured 45%.
• Conducting research on a smartphone and then buying in-store remains the most common path to purchase, with 67%, but 9% of respondents had taken the opposite route.
• Elsewhere, 23% undertook investigations on a wireless device and then a brick-and-mortar store before completing transactions on the Web.
• A further 16% researched and purchased on a phone, with a trip to a store sandwiched in the middle.
• Having been asked to describe mobile advertising formats they could recall, 45% of those polled referenced banners and graphical ads, and 43% mentioned executions on a website they had viewed.
• A 35% share remembered ads embedded in apps, standing at 34% for paid-search listings, 28% for SMS, and 21% for video and location-based alternatives.

See the research report, “The Mobile Movement,” in full (pdf).

Let Somersault help you strategize your mobile publishing future.

Business Insider (@alleyinsider) highlights charts from a 115-page report on the state of the tablet market by Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. “The tablet industry is set to explode this year and next, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. He expects Apple and the iPad to be the biggest winner, but Samsung is looking like the strongest no. 2 right now.”

Compare book reading with other media consumption on tablets vs. computers:

See the charts.

Also see Marketing Charts (@marketingcharts) “Tablet Users Buy/Browse Online More than Smartphone Users.”

And MobileBeat’s (@VentureBeat) “New York Public Library brings history to your fingertips with Biblion for iPad.”

The New York Times article, “Retailers Offer Apps With a Catalog Feel” tells how new apps are turning tablets into digital catalogs.

Are you publishing content for the tablet market? Let Somersault help.