What Mobile Teens Want

Out of the mouth of babes: Online wireless retailer LetsTalk has surveyed 1200 mobile US teenagers on their cell phone use and what they think are the most important features. Among the answers:

• 66% of females aged 16-18 consider texting the most important feature – while just 49% of their male counterparts agree

• 35% of males aged 10-12 consider games the most important feature – which is three times as many females who feel the same

• Camera phones are the 2nd most popular feature, while mobile video doesn’t rate with kids much at all

Aggregate responses on most important cell phone feature:

• Texting: 49%
• Camera: 25%
• Games: 12%
• IM: 5%
• Email: 2%
• Video: 2%

"Are cell phones changing and doing more than ever before? Absolutely. Do teens look at their phones today and see much more than a cell phone or texting device? No." Delly Tamer, founder and CEO of LetsTalk.com, tells Cellular News. "Past research from LetsTalk.com has shown that many consumers don't rely on their cell phones for everything, and teens today seem to be telling us the same thing."

That jives with my findings in BRANDING UNBOUND the book, which looks at SMS as, at least for the near term, the single best, most powerful way for brands to interact with on-the-go consumers.

For more on BRANDING UNBOUND the book, visit:

www.BrandingUnbound.com

For ADWEEK Magazines' recent excerpt from BRANDING UNBOUND the book, visit:

ADWEEK Excerpt

NEW: See how mobile fits within the broader world of cross-platform marketing at my new blog:

GENERATION WOW