Brief:

• Younger audiences are more likely to prefer getting their morning news from social channels than older generations are, making the early part of the day a key time to capture their attention. About 20% of Generation Z wants to get news from a social feed, compared with only 3.8% of baby boomers, per an announcement that ad-tech firm Mobile Posse shared with Mobile Marketer.
• Almost one-third (32%) of Gen Z users want to view entertainment in the morning, while 21% of millennials and 17% of boomers prefer this daypart for entertainment. Gen Z is 11% more likely to say they want to use their phone first to find something happy than to find the weather. That contrasts with boomers, who are 48% more likely to rather use their phone for weather than to find feel-good content.
• About three fourths (78%) of Gen Z users want to start their day connecting with friends, compared with 38% of baby boomers. More than half (62%) of baby boomers are neutral about or have no interest in connecting with friends at the start of their day, per Mobile Posse.

Insight:

Mobile Posse's findings about generational usage habits suggest that marketers should align their ad placements with entertainment content in the morning to reach coveted Gen Z audiences. Younger generations are less likely to seek out weather than older generations are, and tend to check in with social media to connect with their friends. 

Almost two thirds (65%) of Gen Z users check their phones while they're still in bed, while nine out of 10 will check before they leave their bedrooms in the morning. That usage contrasts with 21% of baby boomers who won't interact with their mobile device until they receive a call or notification. Only 13% of the older demographic group will check their phones while still in bed in the morning.

The findings also suggest that marketers should avoid advertising on news sites early in the day, and direct their media dollars to social media platforms that are more popular among coveted younger audiences. About 61% of mobile users favor local news, slightly more than the 57% who are interested in national news. About 18% of mobile users said they're less interested in reading news in the morning on their smartphones. That figure is 20% higher than the percentage of mobile users who say they're more interested in reading news content in the morning, per Mobile Posse.