Millennials are surprisingly attached to physical objects and are "not all that digital" according to a new report released today by JWT's global innovation unit.
According to the report, discussed by a panel today at the South by SouthWest conference, people find digital experiences "too polished" and are finding an "emotional void" because of it.
A key finding from the report was the need for digital businesses to "bridge the digital and physical" in their offering if they are to be successful and "increase their perceived value".
Frank Rose, a journalist for Wired who helped author the report, said reading a magazine and watching TV are the "least likely activities to be undertaken digitally", citing a figure that showed more than 50% of respondents in every category said they "like the smell and feel of a magazine".
The study also points to the growth of perceived traditional industries like the stationary and greetings card industry, which is predicted to boom by 25% by 2016, while sales of vinyl records also went up 19% in the US last year.
Naked Communications founding partner Paul Woolmington said this trend could also be seen in the watch industry, where "craftsmanship and aesthetics" are drivers of the trend.
