That's Amore: U.S. Callers Demonstrate New Attitudes Towards Cell Usage
Study Shows 63 Percent Consider their Mobile Phones Very Personal to them and Nearly One-Half of Mobile Phone Owners Take Cell Use Beyond Calling
San Francisco, Calif. - June 26, 2007 - Ingenio, Inc., the leading provider of voice commerce solutions including mobile Pay Per Call® advertising, today released findings from a 2007 Consumer Cell Phone Usage Poll. Conducted by Harris Interactive®, the study demonstrates that, as many U.S. adults are choosing cell phones over landlines, they are also demonstrating unique attitudes and behaviors towards their cell phones. These behaviors include feeling a personal connection towards their cell phones; adoption of mobile services outside of calling; a predilection for text vs. e-mail; a movement from landlines to cell phones; and openness to mobile advertising.
"There has been a lot of excitement and growing interest around the mobile space in recent years, and it appears that the consumer is finally catching up to the lofty expectations the industry has had for some time," said Marc Barach, chief marketing officer, Ingenio. "This opens the door for the adoption of unique services that only the mobile platform can deliver."
Nothing Comes Between Me and My Cell Phone. Most consumers have a personal connection with their cell phones, the study shows. 63 percent of mobile phone users agree that their phones are very personal to them and 44 percent believe that their phones have strengthened their personal relationships. Women are more likely than men to say that their phones are personal to them (66 percent women vs. 60 percent men), and younger mobile phone owners are especially likely to feel that their phones have strengthened their personal relationships (60 percent of those ages 18-34 vs. 37 percent of those ages 35+). What's more, women are more likely than men to admit that, when their mobile phone rings, they drop everything to answer it (39 percent women vs. 33 percent men). Men on the other hand, are more likely than women to agree that their phones have made them too accessible (55 percent men vs. 50 percent women).
2010: A Mobile Odyssey. While nearly one-half of mobile phone owners (49 percent) currently use their phones for more than just making and receiving phone calls, the study finds that, in the next three years, 57 percent of mobile phone owners anticipate using their phones for more than just making and receiving phone calls.
Women Text; Men E-mail. Women are more likely than men to currently use their phones to send or receive text messages (38 percent women vs. 33 percent men), and to take/send/receive photos (27 percent women vs. 21 percent men). The study finds that men are more likely than women to use their phones to check email (12 percent men vs. 7 percent women), access the Internet for something other than search and download (11 percent men vs. 5 percent women), and find information using an Internet search engine (9 percent men vs. 6 percent women).
Cutting the Cord. Overall, consumers are choosing mobile phones over landlines. In fact, more than four out of five U.S. adults (85 percent) own a mobile phone (i.e., cell phone and/or smart phone), compared to only about seven in ten (71 percent) who have a landline or home phone. And, the study shows that the younger generation is even more likely to have a cell phone over a landline. Among adults ages 18-34, 89 percent own a mobile phone, while only 57 percent have a landline.
New forms of media, mobile services, and advertising are being consumed by people every day, and many are open to marketing on their mobile devices. Specifically, the study finds that younger mobile phone owners are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to find various forms of mobile advertising to be at least somewhat acceptable. For example, 28 percent of mobile phone users ages 18-34 find text messages from companies to be at least somewhat acceptable, compared to only 14 percent of those ages 45 and up. Provided that marketers deliver valuable content, now is the time to leverage the captive mobile audience to serve up relevant services or advertising.