How to Bridge the Generational Screen Gap

As new evidence is suggesting that there is significant variance in generational preferences for screen usage, ranging from content consumption to shopping, it would be wise of marketers to take these variances into consideration when optimizing their buys and maximize marketing investment. Bridge the Generational Screen Gap

A recent study by Millward Brown Digital showed that while younger audiences are more smartphone-centric, consuming less TV than older generations, the majority of consumers across all generations still rely on laptops or PCs. The study also found that for low-attention tasks, audiences prefer smartphones, but that as the amount of time spent on a task increases -- usually after a five-minute threshold -- so does laptop and PC usage for all groups. Screen size and speed were the biggest determinants of screen preference across generations.

The results of the study indicate that marketers should optimize digital ad buys and marketing performance based on product category and targeting audience. For example, in categories such as financial services that require in-depth understanding of product features and comparison of multiple offers, digital marketing focused on product benefits and features is better targeted to more desktop and laptop screens, where users can pay attention to and act on the content in the ad. At the same time, ad buyers should also avoid putting all the eggs in the mobile basket, but investigate on how their consumers engage with the category, since even among millennials, use of smartphones and PCs for consumer packaged goods purchases is almost identical (39% of millennials have used laptops or PCs for CPG purchase and research, and 37% have used smartphones).