Does your property derive part or all of it's audience from teens? The interesting fact is that sooner or later all of our audiences will eventually come from the current group of teenagers, the question becomes how do we interact and relate to them from a media standpoint to help our clients turn them into customers? From Engage:Teens at Mediapost comes some helpful reminders....
"Stop Talking Down To Them
Teens are smarter than we are. Just ask them. They can see right through adult-speak and have an even easier time seeing through marketing speak. If theres ever a time to be authentic, its when youre talking to teenagers. Another reason to make sure youre speaking to them on their level, is out of respect to their social power. These are the consumers that can take a ridiculous tag line and turn it into a meme that lasts for weeks. You dont want to give teens a reason to make fun of your brand. Kids can and will be cruel.
Remember That Cool Has Cache
More than any other age group, teenagers struggle to fit in. Offering a teenager something that they can use as social currency is the fastest way to convert them into an evangelist. A badge of honor, a celebrity autograph, early access to an interview or a music video can give a teenager the incredibly valuable ability to show themselves off to their peers. Never underestimate how important a little burst of self-esteem can be to a struggling teen.
Their Friends Are All That Matter to Them
During your teen years, you form bonds with your friends that are deeper, more meaningful and more critical than any relationship youve ever had. Your friends become your platform for confidence as well as your support system and your main source of information. When you can get teens to say good things about your brand to their friends, youve tapped into some of the most powerful peer to peer marketing that money cant buy. Make it easy and worthwhile for your teen audience to share the things that make your brand unique and great.
Stay Off Their Parents Side
Todays teens may not rebel against authority the same way teens from prior generations have, but like it or not, every teen needs to know that their secrets are safe from their parents. It is a difficult balance to strike, but the more you can become a trusted confident and not a double agent, the more teens will be willing to listen to your story. This doesnt mean crossing the boundaries that parents have set (or enabling teens to cross them), but it does mean building a brand personality that understands and protects the things that teens struggle through every day. Teens will only let a brand into their lives if they feel safe doing so.
Learn Their Language, But Speak to Them Like Adults
Half-hearted attempts to speak in emoticons and abbreviations are more likely to turn off a discerning teen than they are to help build their affinity for your brand. Unless you are a teen, dont try to sound like one. Instead, make sure you treat them with respect and focus on the content and tone instead of the syntax. Not only are they smarter than we are, but they are also smarter than you think. What brands say (and mean) to teens will go a lot farther than how brands say it.
Technology Is The New Justin Bieber
For the first time in human history, it truly is hip to be square. According to recent research conducted by MTV, more of todays teens want to be nerds than want to be jocks. This is a critical shift because it means that being an early adopter of technology has become more important than what you wear or whether or not you play football. Teens are excited by innovation and the way we message to them should reflect that.
Listen To Them They Are Taking About You
Take the time to dive deeply into the places where teens are talking online, and listen to what they want. Since teens are more willing than other age groups to communicate with each other in public places, take advantage of this behavior and pay attention to them. You just might find an insight that prescribes a winning strategy for your brand."