• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, April 22, 2016

According to a new MarketingSherpa Consumer Purchase Preference Survey, age can often factor into how customers want to engage with brands. The survey compared the differences between millennials and baby boomers, finding that overall, when away from the desk, millennials are more interested in receiving email on their smartphones (53%) compared to boomers (21%).

Not surprisingly, says the report, millennials also favor other mobile methods of marketing communication more than boomers:

• Text messages (29% millennials vs. 15% boomers)
• Company's mobile app (20% millennials vs. 4% boomers)
• Push notifications (11% millennials vs. 0% boomers)
• In-app ads (10% millennials vs. 0% boomers)

Discover the preferences of 955 U.S. millennials and boomers on how they like to receive messages when they are away from computers.

by Dr. Liva LaMontagne , Editorial Research Manager

To determine "… which methods do you prefer companies to communicate with you when you are not at a computer?” the study looked at demographic differences in their preferences, including male and female Millennials, defined as 18 to 34 years old, and male and female Boomers, defined as 65 years old and older.

Summarizing the data, key findings are:

Age

• Overall, millennials are more interested in receiving email on their smartphones (53%) compared to boomers (21%)
• While millennials prefer mobile methods, boomers are more receptive to print ads (61%) than millennials (36%)

Gender

• Overall, print ads were more popular among women (51%) compared to men (43%)
• However, radio ads were more popular among men (29%) than among women (20%)

Male millennials vs. Male boomers

Boomers (57%) were more interested in print ads than millennials (34%). Male millennials were more interested in almost all mobile methods of communication compared to male boomers:

• Company's mobile app (17% millennials vs. 6% boomers)
• Push notifications (15% millennials vs. 1% boomers)
• In-app ads (13% millennials vs. 1% boomers)
• Millennials were also more receptive toward transit ads (15%) compared to boomers (2%).

Female Millennials vs. Female Boomers

Similarly to their male counterparts, female boomers (64%) were also more interested in print ads than female millennials (37%).Also like their male counterparts, female millennials were more interested in mobile methods of marketing communication:

• Email on smartphones (59% millennials vs. 17% boomers)
• Text messages (31% millennials vs. 9% boomers)
• Company's mobile app (23% millennials vs. 1% boomers)
• Push notifications (7% millennials vs. 0% boomers)
• In-app ads (7% millennials vs. 0% boomers)
• Interestingly, female millennials (21%) were also more interested in billboards compared to female boomers (13%), while there was no significant age difference here among men

Concluding, the report finds that:

• Millennials are more interested in receiving emails and other messages on their smartphones, while boomers are more interested in print ads compared to millennials
• Print ads are more favored by women, while radio ads are more popular among men.
• Within the age groups, male millennials are more interested in an offline communication method like transit ads compared to male boomers, while female millennials are more interested in billboard messaging than female boomers

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