Marketing to Tweens and Teens: Insights, Strategies, and Tactics

Bill Carter
Since 1998, Bill Carter has helped develop Fuse into one of the leading youth culture marketing services firms. He oversees the agencys higher-education marketing practices and works with the firms other clients in a strategic and creative capacity. He has been recognized in recent years with several awards, including Fast Company magazines Fast 50 as one of marketings most innovative leaders in popular culture. He twice was recognized by Sports Business Journal, first with the Forty Under 40 Award as one of the most influential and important young executives in sports and then was named to the magazines list of the 20 Most Influential People in Action Sports. Also an educator, Mr. Carter also is an adjunct professor at St. Johns University in New York City, and Champlain College in Burlington, VT.

Spending Power
While tweens obtain most of their money from family chores and gifts, teens obtain money from part-time jobs or ask parents for money when they need and/or want it. Studies show that the amount of money that youth have to spend on their own purchases averages about $150 per month, which is down from just two years ago when it was more than $200 per month. Yet, despite the recent economic downturns of the past few years and a decrease in available money for youth, they report spending the same on media (music, video games, and magazines) fashion and technology. Research shows that the youth market influences 81 percent of family apparel purchases and 52 percent of other purchases such as family automobiles. Needless to say, despite a global and cultural change in consumption, teens are still spending and are influencing their parents on how to spend as well. Their spending power exceeds $200 billion, with an average of $30 spent per mall or online shopping visit.

Connecting with the youth market often can be a perplexing challenge for companies. Its apparent to most brands that trying to reach young consumers with the same marketing tactics and messages from decades past no longer worksthis generation requires more. Currently, teens and tweens born between 1991 2002 make up nearly 20 percent of the US population, are more ethnically diverse than any other generation of the past, never knew a world without the Internet, cell phones, or Google and are extremely savvy and educated consumers. So what does this mean for marketers wanting to reach this highly-dynamic, media-focused, yet skeptical audience? It is important to understand what is truly relevant to this demographic and what is considered normal in their every day occurrences, so that marketing mediums and messages are chosen wisely. While price is the number one concern for the majority of this demographic, they also gravitate towards products that support individuality; they are often turned off by blatant branding and the hard sell. So if marketers are constantly being told this generation needs assurance that companies get it, its imperative to understand who this generation is, what they do, what theyre into, and how they spend.

Who They Are, What They Do

Gone are the days where teens only have a few choices for what to do when theyre not in school or with family. Just as the rest of the world has options for almost anything, teens do too. They shop online, travel more, and listen to a wide variety of music. They are involved with sports that go way beyond the traditional stick and ball sports of high school athletic programs, appreciate fashion, art and culture, and are much more involved with community service and environmental efforts than ever before. However, what is not different from youth generations of the past are their daily concernshappiness, independence, and financial stability are still among the top three goals that teens strive for today. What has changed is how they achieve these goals. Their personal interests and growth frame their free time, which is spent doing a variety of activities that include community service, social media and technology, gaming, listening to, buying and playing

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music, participating in action sports, watching TV and movies, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) fashion and more.

Giving Back-Being Green

Research shows that over 80 percent of young people have more trust in companies that are socially and environmentally responsible. Nearly 75 percent are more likely to pay attention to a companys message if it is deeply committed to a cause and nearly 70 percent base their shopping decisions on a companys social and environmental commitments. Teens today are looking for brands that show their commitment to global improvement in an authentic way. Brands that are doing it right often use social media, event marketing, collaborations, and partnerships in order to convey this message. An example of this is Burton Snowboards recent partnership with Mountain Dew to provide consumers with recycle bins at the 2011 US Open of Snowboarding; Burtons biggest event of the year. Mountain Dew provided recycle bins to consumers around the events presence, while also informing them of environmental efforts that Pepsi is currently partaking in, including information on a detailed display of what happens to a bottle when its recycled. By showing the youth market that typically attends this event their commitment to improving the environment, both Pepsi and Burton were able to reach their shared consumer in an authentic and collaborative way.

As a brand, consistent interaction with authentic messaging on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Four Square, and other platforms is the only way to engage with youth from a social media perspective. Brands such as Starburst candies, MATADOR Beef Jerky, Skittles, Target, Ben and Jerrys, and Old Spice do it right, do it consistently, and do it with humor, originality, individuality and creativityall things that this generation puts a great deal of emphasis on in their daily lives.

Email Is Not Dead, Yet

Although social media is the primary source of communication for the youth generation, email is not entirely dead. Teens do still use email for more than just communicating with teachers or parents, but it continues to diminish in importance, rapidly being replaced by the use of instant messaging and social media. While marketers should not expect to communicate with teens by email or consider it as a marketing tactic, it is also important to be aware that connecting with friends is by far the most prevalent reason youth use social media and mobile devices. Meeting new people and finding new products is not a key use for teens and therefore should be noted by marketers trying to introduce their brands onlinea successful campaign must go beyond social media and mobile advertisements.

Connected 24-7
There is no denying the fact that technological advances have changed the world and our communication abilities. This holds true even more so with the youth generation. Tweens and teens were born into a world that already included 24-hour news and entertainment, mobile phones, handheld devices, social media platforms, and an extensive gaming industry. Technology, social media, gaming, and mobile interaction are all a part of their daily lives and second nature to most youth. This means that companies, in order to stay relevant and current with this generation, also need to be well versed in these areas. The age difference between marketers and youth culture creates a generation gap that often is readily apparent in online strategies that are off target. Most often this is seen in how companies misuse social media. The Internet exerts the most influence over teens and young adults purchasing habits, and social media is the most important aspect within this element. To simply be on Facebook is not enough, and seen as inadequate by young consumers.

Television and Teens

Despite what many marketers may think, teens do still watch TV. They may be involved with five other things while doing sotalking or texting to friends, searching the Internet, playing a video game, and doing homeworkbut they do still tune into television programs and expect companies to market to them while doing so. TV is still a viable way for marketers to reach teens. However, its important to recognize that while teens do still watch a substantial amount of TV (about two hours per day and even more on the weekends), how they watch is what has changed. Teens now do almost everything from their computers, including watching TVplatforms such as HULU and ROKU are common ways in which this generation watches TV and will continue to be a viable approach in advertising to this generation.

Fashion, Music, and Technology

Two aspects of teen life that have stood the test of time since the early 1920s are music and fashion.

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Both remain top priorities for youth and provide an outlet for self-expression, individuality, and creativity. More than any other aspect of youth culture, music is the thread that links the teen marketplace across all economic levels, regions, ethnicities, and genders. Its important to distinguish the music industrys woes with youth cultures love and passion for musicits a meaningful as ever. While most teens now purchase their music from digital downloads, youth still does like retail stores, especially mom & pop stores, compared to chains such as FYE or big box stores such as Wal-Mart. Though they may act differently when a purchase is actually made, they do look to those local stores for trends and advice when it comes to music. Musicians own Web sites are also popular for viewing, but not for downloading. Other outlets that teens turn to for brands and trends, particularly with fashion, are magazines, their friends, and blogs. Product placements in movies and music videos are now far less effective than in the past. What continue to work are collaborations, partnerships, and limited edition apparel. High-end fashion lines, iconic brands, celebrities, even big box stores such as Target, are all a part of the craze with limited-edition and collaborative fashion lines. DeLorean Motor Company has built a viable business through their licensing partnerships in the past few years, as the trend for all things retro heightens with the youth market. The car company partnered with Nike 6.0 (Nikes action sports line) in the fall of 2010 to produce a limited edition DeLorean Dunk. The shoe was offered exclusively on Black Friday in select stores around the country and sold out instantly. A limited amount of the sneaker continues to be sold on EBay for more than $500. Collaborations such as this, which show exclusivity, originality, and contain a nostalgic nod to the past, continue to be wildly successful with the youth market. For many of the same reasons that collaborations such as Nikes and DeLoreans work within the youth market, so do the marketing efforts of many wellknown chain stores. American Apparel, H&M, and Urban Outfitters, to name a few, remain strong with teens and young adults not only for their price point, on-trend products, and constantly changing inventory, but also because of their ability to relate to the youth market through their products. American Apparel offers organic and recycled fibers and vintage products, which are both important to the youth market. H&M commissions wellknown and high-end designers to create accessible, yet original products at a reasonable price point for youth to purchasethese lines often sell out in a

matter of hours. Urban Outfitters strategically offers apparel and home goods that are exclusively made by independent designers, promoting originality and creative expression through the lines they choose to represent and support, while also providing editorial content on their designers. Technology also has been integrated into many fashion lines and continues to be a fashion statement for youth. Levis created jeans with special pockets for iPods; Oakley produces sunglasses that conveniently connect an ear piece to MP3 players and cell phones via Bluetooth. Brands such as Nike, New Balance, and Burton produce belts, hats, jackets, sneakers, and other apparel specifically made to accommodate phones, iPods, and other technology in a convenient way for young consumers. While brands that produce technology products have become a fashion statement and status symbol on their own, companies that promote an on-the-go, active lifestyle have also used this to their advantage, as most youth bring their phones, music, gaming devices, even computers, iPads, camera, and video recorders everywhere they go.

Action Sports and the Teen Market

Action sports brands such as Nike, Volcom, Vans Sneakers, and Roxy for girls also continue to be popular with teens and have for many years. This is partially due to the fact that action sports have inspired an entire fashion movement with the youth generation that has been embraced by the mainstream and luxury fashion brands alike. Although individual sports such as dance, yoga, and mixed martial arts continue to trend upward with the youth market, action sports continue to be an important force among youth as the fastest growing sports among this age group, far outpacing traditional stick and ball sports. Global and national competitions such as the X Games and Dew Tour gain high visibility from spectators and are major sporting events with the worlds top athletes competing. Many companies are also sponsoring more localized, grassroots action sports events such as the Gatorade Free Flow Tour, (which supports young amateur athletes in snowboarding, skateboarding, and BMX biking in their pursuit of making it to the national and international competitive scene) and parents are now attending action sports events like they attend baseball and soccer games. There is not only a significant competitive forum for action sports, but also a lifestyle that many

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teens tend to identify with. Youth who do not partake in these sports from a competitive aspect, but more on their own with friends, often are involved in highly social environments centered on action sports. Nevertheless, youth do not necessarily have to skate, snowboard, or surf to want to identify with the lifestyle associated with these sports. Consumers can now buy snowboard jackets from non-snowboard brands such as Old Navy or American Eagle. Roxy is making bed sheets and house wares with surf-inspired prints for college-bound kids, even the Gap has jumped onto the black, slim-legged jean trend inspired by the skate and punk look of decades past. Skateboards, surfboards, and snowboards pop up in mainstream ads throughout every teen magazine, and with collaborations occurring between mainstream apparel and fashion brands and well-known action sports brands on a regular basis, (e.g., Vans and Marc Jacobs, Nike SB and Futura, Burton and Stash) combining fashion trends and action sports apparel has become a common occurrence for companies attempting to reach the youth market.
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Creating a Solid Relationship with the Youth Market

In many aspects, youth culture remains the same from generation to generation. Their values, priorities, fears, concerns, as well as themes in their life are not drastically different from what they were decades ago. But as the world continues to change through technology, opportunities, communication and more, teens tend to use self-expression in a variety of ways never used by youth generations of the past. When marketing to youth as consumers, using their own forms of self-expression, relating to them in ways they understand builds solid relationships. With that knowledge, its also important to note that teens have an emotional connection to products and will stay loyal to brands which they believe speak to them in a relevant and authentic way. Brands that understand what teens find to be important and significant in their lives, as well as remain on top of current trends and interests within the youth market, will be successful in reaching this demographic for years to come.
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