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great content experiences

Feeding the Gen Now appetite for

Content preferences among young consumers are changing fast, and it’s vital for media, communications, internet and over-the-top organizations to incorporate these desires into their o�erings.

To help businesses deliver experiences that matter to Generations Y and Z — what we call Generation Now — we partnered with The Center for Generational Kinetics, a leader in generational research.

Part 2 of our research reveals how and why Generations Y and Z will adopt new content forms over the next three to five years and how organizations should respond.

PART 2: GENERATION NOW AND THE CONNECTED LIFE

Content demand is soaring While all content on all devices will increase in the near future, smartphones will continue to outdo TV and portable computers in popularity.

User-generated content will also drive the mobility trend.

The big screen should not be underestimated, with TV usage growing 11%. The biggest gains, however, will be on the use of laptops and tablets, where content consumption will spike 20%.

Device primarily used to consume each type of content (top content type for each device)

Response base: 2,069 respondents

Source: Cognizant/The Center for Generational Kinetics

Future interface preferences on smart devices

Response base: 2,069 respondents

Source: Cognizant/The Center for Generational Kinetics

Goodbye typing; hello voice and touch Among all generations, interface preferences are shifting from the keyboard to voice and touch.

Gen Z — and their memes and abbreviations — will move toward touch interfaces, while Gen Y is somewhat split between touch and talk. Gen X shows a strong preference for voice.

Gen Now: the generation of virtual reality When it comes to VR-based entertainment, Gen Now is overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

A majority of Gen Y and Gen Z say they’re likely or very likely to consume VR content in the near future.

Likelihood of playing and watching VR games, shows and movies with widespread internet access

Response base: 1,022 respondents

Source: Cognizant/The Center for Generational Kinetics

How to respond Rather than being passive consumers of content, young customers want deeper interaction with it. The following steps will ensure businesses are ready to meet Gen Now’s expectations:

Experiment with content, consumption and engagement models to monetize experiences.

Consider co-creating interactive shows and games with studios and video game developers and sharing revenue from premium features or virtual objects in games.

Explore use cases for AR/VR to drive customer retention and new revenue streams.

Beyond entertainment and online gaming, consider alliances with industry or professional groups.

The goal could be to become the preferred provider of, say, VR-enabled services for equipment repair or in-home medical care.

Investigate options for interactive content and storytelling.

Monetize the creation and sharing of that content.

Areas to explore include prototyping new tools and platforms to make content control easier.

VR content expected to be consumed in the near future Note: Percent of respondents likely or very likely to consume content in the near future

Response base: 742 respondents expressing interesting in VR-based content

Source: Cognizant/The Center for Generational Kinetics

What VR enthusiasts crave When it comes to VR experiences, both Gen Y and Z are primarily interested in the gaming sphere, followed by movies and live events.

This is in marked contrast to Gen X, which exhibits more interest in VR-based movies and live events.

Thumbs-up on interactive storytelling Gen Now is eager for more interactive shows and movies, in which they can control elements such as plot, characters and ending.

Well over half of Gen Y and Gen Z expressed interest in determining content outcomes.

It’s clear that how users interact with and shape professionally generated content is a key area for companies to explore as they strategize on new content forms.

Do you want to be able to determine the content of a movie or show in the future?

Response base: 2,069 respondents

Source: Cognizant/The Center for Generational Kinetics

www.cognizant.com/generation-now