Today's teens are not as entitled, optimistic and secure as they once seemed to be. The downbeat economy, natural disasters and uncertain job prospects are contributing to their bearish outlook. "We're seeing a shift, as teens have a sense that nothing is stable," says Jane Buckingham, president of Trendera.
What is certain is that today's teens are seeking information and entertainment in more ways than teens ever did before.
"Today's teens are the first generation to grow up in a three-screen world: online, offline and mobile," says Erin Cliff, svp of global sales development at AOL. "Teens are an appealing demographic, but they can be hard to find. They live online more than any other audience segment using computers, mobile phones and other devices to stay connected."
Certainly, teens who are texting, chatting on Facebook and doing homework at the same time are a distracted audience. A powerful, engaging offer from a marketer can easily be overlooked on a teen's cluttered screens. That means it's essential for brands to have very clear messages, says Buckingham, adding that "teens want stability, transparency and authenticity from their brands."
Brands seeking to connect with the teen market--or even younger tweens--also need to factor gender into the equation when crafting their marketing messages, experts say. Fashion and celebrity messages that appeal to girls, for instance, may not resonate with boys who prefer music, gadgets and games. "We think of teens as a fast-moving target and a foreign species," says Amy Henry, vice president of YouthBeat at C&R Research. "But the fundamentals have not changed. Romance still matters, and getting that first set of car keys is still an important milestone in a teen's life."
FEELING CONNECTED
What else is important to teens? The ease of social networking provides a feeling of connection to family, friends and favorite celebrities. Teens want to know the intimate details of the lives of media stars. As Henry says, "When Justin Bieber tweets 30 times day, that sets a certain expectation for other icons. It's certainly one of the reasons he's been so successful. This same type of intimacy carries over to other media categories as well." Artists who don't play the connection game in this social networking society are giving up a key component to building a face base, she says.
Teens want to do more than connect with their favorite stars. They want their idols to do good things. It's positive for a star like Lady Gaga to be seen as an activist as well as an entertainer, says Henry. Goodwill goes a long way and "marketers need to take teens seriously and speak to their aspirations," she says.
Music, it seems, is proving to be a vehicle that connects today's teens to their parents. "Parental approval used to be the kiss of death with teens," says Henry. "Our research shows that 70 percent of teens are sharing music with parents, sharing iPods and music libraries. For marketers that means there's no longer an upside to saying 'your parents will hate it.'"
PLAYING THE GAME
While today's teens still have a voracious appetite for games, they have more diverse tastes than prior generations, according to John Davison, vp of programming, GameSpot, GameFAQs and Metacritic at CBS Interactive. "We're seeing a generation of teen garners that are just as happy playing a relatively casual game like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope on their iPod Touch as they are playing an all-night multiplayer game of Call of Duty," he says.
Since most teens have grown up with video games and steady access to online and mobile experiences, they have high expectations of brands and interactive products, adds Davison. "The window of opportunity to impress them is incredibly small. If they don't like something, they move on fast, and they're very vocal about their reasons for doing so," he says.
Don't underestimate the power of mobile. "Teens have their mobile devices with them at all times, and are communicating constantly," Davison says. "Teens will still gravitate to the best available screen experience, but this is very much dependent on both the individual and location."
Whatever the screen, marketers must understand what teens want in order to connect with this free-spending but fickle consumer audience. As Buckingham says, "It's a generation that is constantly redefining who they are and how they think. You always have to stay on your toes."
PHOTO (COLOR): Erin Clift AOL
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By Richard Westlund
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