MediaPost's Engage Teens invites us to "Speak The Language of our Next-Generation Core Consumers" and the advice ties right into future planning for the business models and the platforms that will perpetuate Broadcast and Interactive forward. No longer is it enough to have a Community Web Portal, you must now integrate the site into Facebook and MySpace, you must develop your own Twitter community and following and keep current on your posts. Seems like a lot of work but if you don't do it you will loose touch with Teen Core Consumers who are aging into our primary consumers of media...
" According to the Pew Internet and American Life Study, 93% of teens use the Internet, and more of them than ever are treating it as a venue for social interaction -- a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others.
Also compelling, data come from eMarketer with estimates of over 17.7 million teens (12 to 17 year olds) will be using social networking sites by 2011."
So how does this demographic interact with the medium?...
"Teens tend to share everything. There is a low level of censorship, and that is what makes it that much more real and, ultimately, viral amongst their friends. Teens are really not thinking about the day when they will apply to universities and how this content may appear to an admission counselor. To them, it is the here and now only.
For many adults, it seems to be a race to see who can have 100, 250, 500 friends. But teens don't see the number of friends as a badge of honor and are more interested in keeping their circles closed and keeping the messaging very personal. They are using sites like Facebook and MySpace as replacements for email. A recent Nielsen study certainly supports this; it cites social networking is now more popular than email.
Brand marketers need to note that teens represent tomorrow's core consumers, and they will look and act very different than today's.
Marketers need to think long and hard about their media choices and to "skate where the puck is going, not where it has been." Looking at the 12-18 demo, the majority of its members' time is not just online, it is social. Marketers need to make sure the dollars are consistent not only with where their future consumers are spending their time but that they are also engaging them with the collaborative tools they use and support.
It is important for brands to be recognized as innovative leaders and the media choices they make to reach their consumers will cement perceptions of innovative leadership. By leveraging social media to reach these core constituents, they will tap into passionate, excited consumers enabling strong bonds to be built.
As we know from tried-and-true marketing principles, a strong bond builds loyalty, loyalty drives preference and preference drives mindshare and consumption."
This is another great article to share with your clients who rely on the 18-34 year old demographic to drive sales, help them plan now to interact now and in the future. In return, your property and their business remain relevant.