6/1/2013
Every teen owns an iPad. All children have cell phones. Surveys and studies do tend to overstate or misinterpret data to form broad generalizations. “Most studies lump large age groups together,” says C+R Research’s Amy Henry, adding that brands need to “keep it complicated, and not simplified. When we talk about millennials, it’s 14-to-24-year-olds. Every two years apart, lifestyle wise, can be a big difference. A teen using Skype is going to be different than a college student who uses [Skype] to stay in touch [while away at school].”
While it’s important to acknowledge leading influencers or trends that claim high levels of digital usage, it’s equally important to balance this data with current figures since that illustrates an accurate slice of life. As such, no six-year-olds and only 1% of seven-year-olds own cell phones. “It’s the very upper end of tweens that skews the data. These young kids don’t have their own phones, and it hasn’t changed in three years by any significant amount,” says Henry.
Another common misinterpretation results when “ownership” and “household penetration” are used interchangeably. Each has a different meaning. Just because kids have a device in their home doesn’t necessarily mean they are able or allowed to use it. For example, the number of kids who live in households with a tablet is higher than those who live in homes with e-readers, according to C+R Research. But, in terms of usage, kids are more likely to use e-readers than tablets.
While teen usage of Facebook remains high, only 9% of six-to-10-year-olds have a Facebook profile. And the top reason they sign up is to keep in touch with their traveling-for-work parents.
Twitter remains largely ignored by tweens, and, among those who do use the site, they primarily only follow Justin Bieber.
A popular misconception about tweens is that the brands they “like” on social networks are reflections of themselves. “We like to think that the association is important to them, but it’s not,” says Henry. “They don’t care if a brand is on social media or not.” While their favorite brands, particularly Apple, Nike, XBox, and Lego, are active on social media, they would still be popular even if they weren’t, says Henry. In other words, social media isn’t necessarily the most effective way to attract young consumers. This investment doesn’t hurt a brand, but it doesn’t really benefit the brand either.
Meanwhile, TV viewing habits remain consistent. They watch via traditional TV. Tweens and children also like ads, particularly food, technology, and toys. While young viewers may not watch full shows online, many turn to the Internet for commercials. “They might see a TV ad once during a game, but then they will go to YouTube to watch it over and over again,” says Henry.
SOURCE: C+R Research, Amy Henry, VP Youthbeat, 500 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; 312-828-9200; ahenry@crresearch.com; crresearch.com.
© 2013 Business Valuation Resources, LLC (BVR). May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher.