We normally don’t talk about our clients here at Shop Talk. We like to think this is an independent forum for the exchange of thoughts, reviews and ideas. But we’re making a little bit of an exception today because we think a piece of research from one of our clients is a must-read for anyone even remotely involved in marketing.

You may be familiar with the headline “Digital Natives Switch Media 27 Times an Hour,” which you may have come across while perusing Twitter on your iPad and simultaneously watching TV while texting your friend about Friday night’s plans. Point being: we’re distracted. (As I write this very blog post on my laptop I’m bouncing between email, Twitter, my iPhone and iChat...while listening to music. Sensory overload, anyone?)

“Biometric Day in the Life,” conducted by client and neighbor Innerscope Research and commissioned by Time, Inc., looked at the differences in how “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” engage with various media and device platforms. These groups were monitored morning, nights and weekends as they wore point-of-view camera glasses and biometrics belts.

The findings were staggering:

• Natives have a very short attention span, switching between devices and platforms about every other minute (27 times per hour) 
•  They seem to use media as a “mood regulator” and experience fewer emotional highs and lows 
• They are 50% more likely to take their devices from room to room and are rarely more than arm’s length away from their smartphones 
• They communicate very differently, as more than half (54%) of Natives said they prefer texting over talking 

Countless articles have been written about how we’re becoming a society devoid of human interaction, conversation and relationships. Let’s face it, things like email, IMs and text messages are efficient, help maintain a paper trail and can be very beneficial in the working world or for keeping in touch.

So what does all of this tell us? That reaching the “native” generation is, and will be, increasingly difficult. Marketers must break through technology and lifestyle options that are ever more cluttered.

While there is no golden ticket, here are some considerations:

• Storytelling. Great storytelling still has a chance to break through, which puts a premium on your creative, as well as your media plans. 
• Snacking. Patti Wakeling at Unilever suggested that people now are “snacking” on content, not eating full meals. Natives switch platforms immediately once interest dips, so messages must be concise. 
• Lead them. Natives won’t devote time to a single platform for an extended length, but they are adept at switching. So lead them. Identify creative ways to carry messages from one platform to another. 
• Social TV. There’s been a lot of talk lately about it, and I believe it’s a step in the right direction. 

There are no simple answers, but now we have some data and tools to better understand how audiences receive and share information. If you’re not willing to innovate, keep in mind that reaching the next generation – the ones who have played with touchscreens before they could walk –  will become even more challenging.