Google has released the results of a study by Ipsos of the digital behavior of GenZ individuals (ages 13-17).

Key findings:

• Getting first phone (typically at age 12) is a Major Life Event for GenZ.
• 70% of GenZ spend 3+ hours/day doing using smartphone.
• 68% of GenZ buy stuff (including video games, books, apparel, electronics, accessories and groceries) online; 53% do it via smartphone.
• 64% of GenZ say that images they see online influence purchases
• GenZ wants to stay connected using (1) texting 38% (2) messaging apps 18% (3) in person 15%.

Top smartphone activities for GenZ - % spending 3 hours/day or more:

1. Watching video 71%
2. Using messaging apps 52%
3. Social networking 51%
4. Playing games 42%

More about GenZ:

• 26% of US population
• $44B annual spending power
• Smartphone is most-used device for 78%
• 53% say the number of followers/subscribers they have on social channels is important to them.
• #2 aspect of a product that makes it "cool": they see an ad about it

Did you catch that last item: "Seeing an ad about a product makes it cool"? That's the coolest thing I've heard today. It's #2 behind #1 reason "friends are talking about it" but ahead of #3 "it's personalized to me."

Nowhere in there do I see a separate item for anything like "good content".

GenZ just like ads.

But I'm sure that's not an unqualified fact. I think if you drilled down into the data you'd find that preferred ads are relevant, interesting and non-intrusive. Sort of like content.

But ads making stuff cool is a great thing for marketers!