Getting in Touch With Teens and Tweens

Face it -- if you're not a teen or a tween, you're so out of touch. Teens and tweens can be fickle consumers, and market researchers are trying to find new ways to connect with "Generation Y." Two recent reports show the group is more and more disinterested in TV ads, forcing marketers to bring innovation and entertainment in-store.Ten years ago, television was the most effective tool for advertisers chasing teens, generally defined as children ages 13 to 19, and tweens, children 8 to 12. But the Internet, music downloads and video games compound the challenge of connecting with kids today. "Tweens and young teens are mastering the adult art of multi-tasking," says Don Montouri, acquisitions editor for Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, New York. "The Internet, in particular, offers a compelling alternative to TV programming, and this is a significant development for marketers in their efforts to target these consumers."In August, Montouri and Packaged Facts launched its latest report, "The U.S. Market for Tweens and Young Teens," citing a downturn in the impact of TV ads on teens and tweens. Adding to that, the latest 2005 Youth Monitor study, conducted by marketing consultancy Yankelovich Partners, Chapel Hill, N.C., found that 70% of teens ages 12 to 17 saw very little television advertising pertaining to their interests or passions.Roman Tsunder, CEO of ACCESS Entertainment, Los Angeles, believes that chasm can be mended by utilizing more interactive, engaging in-store marketing. By entertaining kids at the mall while they're shopping and gossiping, marketers can sell pop culture education along with a product. Tsunder, whose company has worked with Journeys, Macy's, Wet Seal and Motorola, develops multimedia P-O-P displays integrating pop culture and advertising. One of his most successful ventures features in-store televisions for brand stores and retailers that play programming unique to the store -- "MTV meets the Style channel," he says. Because the program catches consumers already in the store, it provides context for nearby products. In the case of Journeys, the program plays trendy music videos, like those of international sensation The Darkness, interspersed with product advertisements and celebrity endorsements."Kids have grown up today with the lines of entertainment and marketing being blurred. It's a natural progression," says John Page, youth insights manager at Yankelovich and leader of the Youth Monitor study. In-store entertainment and P-O-P are becoming one and the same for the teen/tween market.Due to this movement, P-O-P displays increasingly reference pop culture icons, and stores compete to land the hottest stars. Gap stores use huge photographic signage featuring broad-appeal celebrities. Joss Stone, their newest spokesperson, replaced Sarah Jessica Parker of "Sex and the City," who had usurped Missy Elliot and Madonna. According to Wendy Watson, senior vice president and youth marketing specialist at Porter Novelli, New York, these stars are important tools for stores that need to appeal to young adults, the nation's trendsetters, and parents, the common purchasers of products for teens and tweens. "It is important to address today's sophisticated kids through the appropriate channels," says Watson. She cites "pop culture (street credibility and 'authentic' use of celebrities) and now more than ever, parent play (influence of parents)" as paramount tools for marketers and retailers.Another huge problem facing advertisers is the rise of TiVo and DVRs (Digital Video Recorders). Youth in cities and suburbs alike are taking advantage of the customized options of digital recording, which allows them to skip commercials. Jimmy Szczepanek, vice president in consumer marketing at Porter Novelli, has seen a marked increase of digital recording among teens: "The cable companies are going to start offering it. It's customized. That's why the advertising agencies are going crazy." Teens are avoiding advertisements because they see them as intrusive interruptions. "It's less of a sale in terms of a commercial," says Szczepanek, "If [teens] know they're being sold to, they don't buy it."The increased focus of marketers on P-O-P advertising does not necessarily mean a decline in television ads aimed at young adults, however. The most effective solution to the problem of teens' decreased attention to television seems to be a more integrated approach. Sean Agnew, managing executive director and CEO of Blue Metallic Entertainment Group, Naperville, IL, points out, "Most successful campaigns will pull together many different mediums and strategic alliances to capture the attention of what I have deemed 'Generation ADD' (Attention Drowned Daily)."The most successful campaigns cross-reference endorsement events, product placement and P-O-P marketing. Blue Metallic, for instance, works with Nokia when promoting entertainment events. These promotions appeal to cell phone-toting kids, but also establish lifelong Nokia customers, he says. Agnew also believes in using television advertising to lead customers to text messaging, online games or MP3 downloads of promotional songs. When working with their clients, ACCESS strategists work to reinforce previous television advertising through their in-store programming, celebrity photos and brand-related sweepstakes. This reinforcement solidifies young consumers' connection with the product and creates a holistic, streamlined marketing plan that may be repeated with alternating celebrity endorsers.Most marketing researchers agree that advertising will continue to integrate all available media. Teens and tweens still love television, and youth-focused advertising will never vanish completely from the tube. But more creative marketing strategies are necessary if advertisers hope to reach the sophisticated and tech-savvy youth market. Trendy websites, like Burger King's www.subservientchicken.com, create word-of-mouth buzz for corporations, and hot celebrity endorsements, whether one-time events or ongoing campaigns, can reinforce a product's "hip factor."

Getting in Touch With Teens and Tweens

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