Dubious statistics are constantly thrown around in the digital media industry, particularly when it comes to newer channels such as mobile. Agencies and vendors stuff their Powerpoint presentations, sales materials, and social media feeds with questionable claims about consumers’ behavior, and they’re often regurgitated as facts with little thought as to where the data is coming from and why. With that in mind, Digiday looked up some of the more questionable mobile facts out there and dug a little deeper:
You are 116 times more likely to survive a rattlesnake bite than to intentionally click on a mobile banner ad. (Solve Media)
According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. every year, and approximately five die. In other words, you have a 99.4 percent chance of surviving a venomous snake bite – and a pretty good chance of clicking on a mobile banner, too.
More people in the world own mobile phones than toothbrushes.
This stat is bandied about regularly and is attributed to different sources. In fact, it’s difficult to find any data that proves or even strongly suggests that it’s true. According to the U.N., however, more people worldwide do have mobile phones than toilets, so maybe this one does have some validity.
Forty percent of U.S. men aged 18-29 actively enjoy mobile advertising. (Insight Express)
It’s unclear how Insight Express selects samples for its surveys, but if 40 percent of 18-29 year-olds really “actively enjoy” mobile advertising, brand investment in the medium would probably be a little greater.
Americans are as likely to have a favorable view of North Korea as they are to act on a mobile ad. (Solve Media)
According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 12 percent of Americans have a favorable view of North Korea. In that light, mobile ads don’t sound like such a terrible option.
Thirty-six percent of tweets are worth reading (Carnegie Mellon University)
The quality of a tweet a user is exposed to is entirely subjective and depends entirely on whom users follow on Twitter and how they use the network. In other words, this stat is pointless.
Seventy-five percent of Americans use their phones on the toilet. (11Mark)
Multiple surveys have found that around three-quarters of respondents admit to taking their smartphones to the bathroom with them. Without digging into the sampling methodology, it’s difficult to question this one.
Image via Shutterstock
More in Marketing
Future of Marketing Briefing: The case for and against the death of the big brand ad
Marketing has a new favorite argument: is it still smarter to talk to a million people at once, or to find the thousand people they already trust?
Lifestyle brand Stanley 1913 uses AI behind the scenes — but execs claim it won’t touch ad creative
Not every brand is racing to let AI anywhere near its ads. Stanley draws the line there on purpose.
TikTok’s Kat Marquez unpacks NBA and WNBA creator deal
TikTok’s latest move to secure its share of the leagues’ growing audiences sees it play gatekeeper between creators and rights holders.