• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, September 21, 2016

Sort of like trying to make Fetch happen, mobile ad firm Verve is out with a new study that now wants us to refer to mobile-using Millennials and GenZ as Mobile Prodigies. So what's this Mobile Prodigy thing all about? Well, it's all about what everyone already knows: young people live and die by their mobile devices. But, you know, because we need another study telling us that like a hole in the head, Verve is out with a new report telling us all about these phone-obsessed youths.

So what did the study learn? Here's a few highlights:

- 60% of Mobile Prodigies ages 14–17 would prefer to lose their wallet instead of their phone.

- 80% of Mobile Prodigies said that they spend more time on mobile apps than they did a year ago.

- 95% said they make purchases in brick-and-mortar stores based on ads they have seen on their mobile device.

- More than 1-in-4 Mobile Prodigies use a mobile phone while shopping in a physical store to seek guidance and input from friends and family.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I -- and I'm much older than a Millennial -- would rather lose my wallet than my phone, spend more time with apps than I did a year ago, make purchases based on what I see on my phone and use my phone while I shop a physical store.

But, whatever, no one wants to do a study on the Baby Boomer generation anymore because, you know, we're old and totally uncool.

Funny thing, though. Everyone seems to forget that we have a sh*tload more disposable income than younger generations. Yeah, but whatever, we don't buy cool stuff. Just canes and walkers, right?

Anyway, back to Verve and their earth-shattering findings. Gushing about the importance of these new-fangled Mobile Prodigies, Verve CEO Nadia Stirratt said, "Mobile Prodigies are driving the app ecosystem. They are incorporating apps that feature innovative content and creative into nearly all the ways they work, play, and shop – while carefully granting mobile marketers measured access to device data so long as the apps and creative they experience meet their expectations around context and quality."

They study found Mobile Prodigies are continuously weighing the benefit of sharing their personal data as well. They will grant brands and marketers access to their device information if apps and creative meet or exceed their expectations. Also, one-third of the study participants said that they would even reverse their data-sharing
stance from 'no' to 'yes' if doing so provided them with more relevant personalized ads, experiences, and offers.

And what does Verve do? Shocker! They create personalized mobile ads.