Researchers at Northeastern University say that men are much more open to marketing-related programs and promotions in the mobile space than females. For example, men (in particular, younger men) are more likely to download new ringtones, music and games than females, according to a initial results of a survey of two regions - an established market (the United States) and an emerging one (Pakistan) - designed to provide insight into consumer attitudes and responses to mobile marketing efforts. There are also significant differences in how younger and older individuals use their phones.

Younger users, for example, are more like to download songs for fun, whereas older ones use their phone to access news content. Younger consumers are therefore more vulnerable to personal privacy abuse, as they exhibit a greater propensity to give permission to marketers to engage them in the mobile space.

The research, conducted by Fareena Sultan, Associate Professor of Marketing and Andrew Rohm, Assistant Professor of Marketing, is part of a large-scale, global quantitative survey that's underway.
"We believe that mobile and context-specific content and communications will be the driving factors influencing brand-consumer interaction for years to come," said Sultan.

"For companies to reap the benefits of these technologies, they must better understand consumers and learn to adapt their communication strategies appropriately. This is particularly important as companies seek to communicate with consumers in the global marketplace."