Motivators for Mobile Advertising Differ Across Generations, Says Nielsen

Generation plays a big role in how consumers are motivated to engage with mobile advertising, said a Nielsen report Wednesday. A Nielsen survey done in Q2 said 19 percent of millennials, 17 percent of Gen Xers and 14 percent of baby boomers said viewing an ad with a coupon or promotion is the top motivator for them to respond to mobile advertising. Generation Z and the “greatest generation,” meanwhile, are most motivated by an ad targeted to what they’re searching for, with intent and relevance being “key,” it said. Motivators change for Generation Z consumers when they view mobile ads on their tablets, where they’re 16 percent more likely to engage with an ad of a familiar brand, said Nielsen. Fourteen percent are motivated by an ad with a coupon or promotion, it said. The assumption that people across all generations dislike advertising doesn’t hold true for Gen Zers and millennials, Nielsen said. Forty-two percent of Gen Z respondents and 44 percent of millennials said they're OK with advertising if the content they’re engaging with is free and the ads don’t affect their mobile data consumption, it said. Nearly a third of Generation Z and millennials said they’re more likely to click on an ad that doesn’t take them outside of the application or redirect them to another website, it said. Younger users are more willing to give up personal details in exchange for free or reduced-cost content than older consumers, Nielsen said. Some 55 percent of Generation Z and 48 percent of millennials are willing to take action on an ad if given the right mix of branding, convenience and promotional offering, Nielsen said, but Gen X, baby boomers and the greatest generation tend to be more skeptical of releasing personal info, “deal or no deal,” it said. The survey was done with 8,444 respondents 13 years and older who own a tablet, smartphone or streaming device.