• by Julie Bernard , Columnist, January 18, 2017

Smart brands and marketers understand that the digital experiences they create for Mobile Prodigies can’t be confined to reactive tactics and promotional offers. As a multi-generational demographic — Millennials and Gen Z consumers, aged 14-29 — Mobile Prodigies are ready for nothing less than anticipatory inspiration.

Employing their mobile devices as muse, stylist, and retail-inspiration hub, if marketers surprise and delight Mobile Prodigies, if brands find continuously new ways to introduce them to products, ideas, and experiences, these young consumers tell us they will share their mobile data. 

As the future of mobile consumers — Millennials represent at least $200 billion in annual buying power; Gen Z is reported to have $44 billion in annual U.S. spending potential alone — Mobile Prodigies are crucial to how marketing will evolve in the years to come. Read on for a close look at what our recent research tells us about what anticipatory inspiration means, and what the industry stands to achieve when it gets its approach to Mobile Prodigies right. 

Anticipatory Inspiration: Defining a Data-Driven Approach to Mobile Prodigies

Embracing anticipatory inspiration begins with what Mobile Prodigies say they want most out of the data-driven experiences brands deliver to their smartphones.

In recent research, 71% of Mobile Prodigies said they prefer to receive ads that are customized to their location. In the same survey, 80% said they expect tailored mobile ads that not only target location but also recognize their interests and habits — who they are and how they self-identify.

Taking this idea further, Mobile Prodigies crave a sense of discovery in their shopping experiences. Marketers know, for example, as Forbes reports, that Millennials are interested in an element of “danger” when it comes to their shopping. Not real danger, of course, but, as the article notes, Millennials — who fall within our Mobile Prodigies grouping — are willing to cross town to try an artisanal donut even if it might sell out, and these shoppers will similarly take chances such as waiting in a line for a pop-up retail event even if there’s no guarantee they will get into the store.

This is key to how anticipatory inspiration works: prompting Mobile Prodigies with ideas that represent experiences they haven’t had or thought of before creates brand-positive behavior and choices, consumer decisions that advertisers can incentivize by listening to the data Mobile Prodigies grant.

Letting that data sing means extrapolating the next great idea from it and then delivering novel moments of inspiration, allowing Mobile Prodigies to discover, own, and share fresh products, services and ideas with their peers. In fact, more than a quarter of the respondents in our research said they would send screenshots of innovative and relevant mobile creative to friends if the content was both relevant and unique.

But these messages and offers must take risks — anticipatory inspiration isn’t about simply echoing and repeating what Mobile Prodigies already know about themselves; it’s about building a bridge between their past purchases and new opportunities they’ll want to explore next. Today, predictive personalization is table stakes and fully expected always.

The bar is higher with Mobile Prodigies who expect more and want more; they are seeking immersive content that helps them take new leaps as participants in the mobile economy, one exciting inspiration at a time. So, in addition to data-driven content that is relevant, marketers need to be sure to incorporate data-driven experiences that inspire as well, delivering the kind of anticipatory brand moments that Mobile Prodigies have come to expect.