‘HTC smartphone users more cultured than Samsung and Apple users’
They say never judge a book by its cover but that is exactly what mobile phone marketers can do now that they can target campaigns based on the user profiles for each smartphone brand, new research has uncovered.
A study of 46,000 users broke them out into personality types based on their app and web-browsing habits before mapping them onto their choice of handset. Commissioned by mobile advertising platform Opera Mediaworks, the report's findings are being touted as an additional layer of information to help target users.
For example, HTC owners are the "Cultured Club", according to the report. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of those who use the manufacturer’s smartphones do so to keep in touch with their friends and are more likely to dwell longer on video as than any other mobile phone owner. This is in comparison to the 8 per cent and 11 per cent for Samsung and Apple smartphones respectively.
Samsung and Apple owners are deemed “Savvy Shoppers”. A quarter of users for both devices download finance and retail apps and are consequently more likely to click through to promotions and discount offers than those using rival phones. Some 22 per cent and 20 per cent of all HTC and Motorola users respectively use their phones for the same types of activities.
Advertisers looking to cut through to technology enthusiasts should concentrate on Motorola devices, the study found. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of all these users download travel apps and often use maps such as Google Maps and Navfree GPS in comparison to the 16 per cent and 17 per cent of all respective Samsung and Apple owners. Consequently, Motorola owners have a higher interaction rate with all kinds of mobile ad formats, the report found, but only when the ad is based on travel.
LG owners were found to be the most social of all smartphone users. More than one in five (22 per cent) of those who owned an LG device use it to download phot and social media apps, researchers found, and prefer shorter form video content. Just 14 per cent of owners of both Samsung and Apple devices primarily did the same thing.
The report aims to help ease advertisers’ concerns about mobile’s ability to deliver strong returns. More than half (52 per cent) of chief marketing officers' (CMOs) plan either no change or a cut to their mobile marketing spend, according to a recent report from the CMO Council, as marketers revaluate its place in the media mix.
Mark Slade, managing director for EMEA at Opera Mediaworks, said: "Targeting has quickly become the core focus for mobile advertisers. Placement, scale and innovative formats remain important factors, but reaching a brand’s exact audience with advanced targeting is what really sets the most successful mobile campaigns apart."