J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Green and Fitness-Minded Consumers, and Domestic Duos Utilize the Most Functions and Capabilities of Their Mobile Phones

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Green consumers, newly married or cohabitated couples—dubbed "domestic duos"—and fitness-minded consumers utilize more of their wireless phone capabilities than do other behavior groups, thus getting the most functionality out their mobile devices, according to analysis compiled from J.D. Power Tribe Intelligence(SM) Reports.

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J.D. Power Tribe Intelligence examines unsolicited consumer mentions to provide unique perspectives on the online discussions of consumers in five Tribe-specific behavioral groups: green-centric; wellness warriors, modern man; domestic duos and discretionals. The report, conducted using J.D. Power's unique Web Intelligence capabilities for identifying and tracking consumer conversations online, is designed to provide insights to help marketers understand each behavioral tribe segment's attitudes and behaviors to ensure their marketing efforts align with expectations and are properly targeted.

According to findings gathered through Tribe Intelligence, green-centrics—environmentally aware consumers who display eco-conscious attitudes and behaviors and make eco-friendly purchases—use mobile devices to create convenience in their lives.  They use their wireless phones to store items such as shopping lists, music and photos all in one place, have access to functions such as GPS and keep organized with contact lists, to-do lists and agendas.  They also use their phones to share text, photos and videos, and access information such as travel directions and traffic reports.

Like green-centric consumers, domestic duos also use their mobile devices in their daily lives to share information and seek assistance.  However, instead of using their phones to keep track of daily lists and tasks, these couples tend to favor entertainment options such as playing video games, making fun alterations to photos and entertaining their children.

Consumers active in leading healthy lifestyles—wellness warriors—use their mobile devices in much the same way as do green-centric consumers.  In addition, wellness warriors often download applications to help them monitor their workout progressions and GPS apps to track their runs.  

"These three behavioral segments are really maximizing many of the functions and capabilities of their mobile devices," said Mikael Greenlief, consumer insights and strategy analyst for the Web Intelligence Division at J.D. Power and Associates.  "Mobile devices have become part of consumers' lifestyles, an extension of who they are, and what they do for work and recreation.  

"Fully understanding how consumers use their use their phone, and the extent to which they incorporate their phone into their daily lives, helps the wireless providers and hardware and software companies build the phones, provide the right service packages and develop the applications that will fit consumers' needs, and provides insight into how marketers can engage and interact with consumers via their mobile devices."

Males in the modern man segment—those with a variety of interests and sophisticated tastes, rely on their phones for enrichment and assistance.  The report finds that they use their mobile devices for driving directions, finding social events and reminding them of appointments.  Discretionals—couples or households with financial flexibility to enjoy the finer things in life—are increasingly purchasing smartphones for the first time.  They are discovering the expansive functionality of these devices and how it may enhance their lives and activities.  While not as attached to their phones as are consumers in the other segments, discretionals typically stick initially to the smartphone's basic functionality, but explore the other options as they become comfortable with the device. They generally use their phones for sharing information and for entertainment purposes.

"Discretionals have a much higher tendency to use their smartphone for functional purposes, while the other behavioral segments focus on the more technical aspects," said Greenlief.  "Those in the modern man segment are the most tech savvy, as they often discuss things like operating systems, download speeds and screen resolution.  They also relate their phones to their image."

Other key findings from the report include:

• Wellness warriors often download apps to keep themselves accountable for their workout regimen.
• Green-centric consumers like to integrate their mobile device with other electronics, such as with the GPS function in their vehicle.
• Domestic duos use their mobile device to aggregate all key points of communication in one place. Many are using their iPhone to replace their iPod.  
• Phone usage by males in the modern man segment tends to be more urgent in nature, whether it be checking e-mail, needing directions or checking a flight status.
• Discretionals use their phones to entertain their children or grandchildren, downloading games and videos to watch during vehicle rides or in restaurants.

The J.D. Power Tribe Intelligence Reports examine the attitudes, behaviors and values of each behavioral tribe segment, highlight key topics and industries mentioned in social media conversation, and identify opportunities for relationship building, which provides actionable insights for marketers. The reports utilize data compiled and distilled by crawling millions of English-language blogs, including the top five online social networks and blog hosts, to capture the true unprompted and unfiltered consumer discussions to allow marketers to gain a comprehensive understanding of their targeted consumers.

The J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said and who is doing the speaking in the online world, enabling companies to understand the attitudes and behaviors of various consumer segments. Patent-pending technology enables the classification of posts and the ability to estimate the gender and age of consumers, as well as rapid identification and elimination of spam posts. The Web Intelligence Division analyzes discussions of the online community by using proprietary Natural Language Processing and machine-learning algorithms to dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, and offers in-depth insights for some of the world's leading brands.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction.  The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.  For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a global information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.  

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SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates