Wisdom of youth

I’ve seen the future and it is advertising on cellphones.
A bit dramatic, perhaps? Yes, but during a panel discussion with a group of college students from Northwest University at last week’s Mobile Marketing Forum in New York City, these young cellphone aficionados gave the audience (and me) insights into what matters to them.
And you know what matters most? Cost. “Free is the best word ever,” one panelist noted. Over and over again, these young adults pointed out how much cost matters to them. And how much they love their technology. The BlackBerry? It’s a security blanket. Their contact list? A lifeline.
These young adults are also open to new forms of marketing, which was underscored in some contradictions. For example, while the students said they texted nearly as much as they talked on cellphones, they were suspicious of “text to” messages because they think there are hidden costs associated with them. They want free to mean free and they want it spelled out.
They’re suspicious of advertising too, unless of course, it could offer them a discount or was relevant to them in some other way. They don’t use their phones much for downloads or at all to watch TV. Downloads cost money and most weren’t into watching TV on a cellphone yet. But would they accept advertising on cellphone in exchange for free video or Web access? Yes, of course. Would they use mobile banking? No, these online bankers were suspicious of that too. But it would be handy if the bank could send them a text of their checking account balance.
Young adults are cost-conscious and open to technology; they will use the mobile Web if they don’t have to pay too much for it. So if the wireless industry is going to educate these people about all of the neat things people can do on a cellphone, they’ll have to subsidize that education with advertising. But those college graduates eventually start earning decent money and pay off student loans. And in between, they’ve learned how to use the mobile handset for a ton of applications. The twist, however, is that the wireless industry also has taught them they don’t need to pay for that access, because advertisers have.