NEWS > BUSINESS > STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE USE INCREASES AMONGST WHITE TRASH

STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE USE INCREASES AMONGST WHITE TRASH

September 7 2009

Espoo, Finland – Nokia Corporation, one of the world’s largest cell phone manufacturers, has just released the results of the most comprehensive study tracking cellular phone trends across Europe and the United States. Conducted across thirty countries the study tracked purchasing trends, overall usage, and tied them into geographic and socioeconomic factors in an effort to assess new areas for growth as well as areas that require improvement. The result of the study has caught many, including the company itself, by surprise.

“This is the most comprehensive study ever conducted by our industry. It takes into account virtually every age, gender, and socioeconomic factor and ties them into a nice neat package. The purpose of the study was the try and find areas which we can maximize, something that is becoming especially difficult as cellular phones become more and more ubiquitous,” said a spokesperson for Nokia. “There were a great deal of surprises in the study but the biggest one was the increase in purchases and use by people in the lower economic brackets, particularly in the United States. Use in ghettos remained relatively constant but there has been a major increase in so-called white trash areas of the country, specifically trailer parks and sub-market housing.”

Similar low income growth was seen in Europe though not to the same degree as in the U.S. and Canada. The study attributes much of that growth to the decreasing gap between the rich and the poor since the beginning of the recession.

“The principle conclusion to draw from this is that as people have begun losing their homes they are being forced to move into lower income areas. They adopted cell phone use while living in wealthier areas and simply have not sacrificed that as they worked their way back into their new areas,” continued the spokesperson. “That adds a bulk number of phones to the environment but it also has the ancillary effect on the surrounding populace. For many years cell phones have been as an elitist affectation but now that people are seeing their peers using the phones and adopting them in response. We believe this provides cell phone manufacturers with the biggest opportunity for growth since the preteen movement from earlier in the decade and will allow us to remain vital for many years to come.”

Other factors such as low cost plans and store closings in rural areas forcing white trash into bigger cities to shop have also contributed to the growth.

“The immediate reaction has to be a positive one. By providing the industry with new opportunities in an ever growing segment of the population they have the opportunity for more top-line sales. The downside is that they risk, potentially, damaging their brands and reputations by simply selling them to anyone who might be able to afford them,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “I would be surprised if we don’t start seeing new lines from major manufacturers hitting store shelves with a major gap in the pricing structure. That would segregate the brands and still offer huge sales opportunities.”

White trash, at least in the United States, is often characterized by dirty and ill-kept clothing, intermittent shaving, multiple noisy and rambunctious children, and an inability to recognize one is in a public place.

“It might also be smart to make the phones a durable as possible in that lower price point. The population that we are talking about is unlikely to replace their devices at regular intervals and so they will need tough phones. By giving them sturdy product that can stand up to white trash life they can at least ensure that the talk plans keep paying out, making their partners happy,” continued Green. “As people continue to lose their homes this market is likely only going to move upwards. The introduction of new regulations in the mortgage industry also ensures that they will likely never make it back into the upper realms meaning this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the industry. Hopefully they will see it for what it is and exploit it before the chance is gone.”

Other modern electronic devices such as flat screen televisions and computers running anything better than Windows 98 are still nowhere to be found in white trash areas.

William Ashford, Business Correspondent

NEWS > BUSINESS > STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE USE INCREASES AMONGST WHITE TRASH