Teenagers are increasingly tech savvy: report
07-12-2005
by Ciaran Buckley

Online advertising is one of the best ways to reach teenagers, even though young consumers are just as sceptical of online marketing campaigns as older people.

This was one of the findings contained in a new survey of 5,000 US and Canadian young people between the ages of 12 and 21, carried out by technology analysts Forrester Research. The survey -- entitled "Young Consumers and Technology," -- found that young people spend almost 11 hours per week online, on average.

Nearly 20 percent of the respondents between the ages of 12 and 17 spend 20 hours or more per week online. The survey found that 83 percent of young people use instant messaging, compared to just 32 percent of online adults. Chat was most popular among 15-year-olds, with 87 percent of that segment using instant messaging.

The survey also found that young consumers are just as sceptical of advertising as the older generation.

Mark Tarbatt, managing director of the Generator advertising agency told ElectricNews.Net that many Irish advertisers choose to advertise on the internet because it allows them to target young people, although none would admit to targeting consumers under the age of 18.

He said that websites such as the DAFT online accommodation website, which has a large number of registered users, allows companies to target consumers from a specific age segment. However, he also said that other media -- such as television and radio -- can also be targeted at a younger audience.

Forrestor's research also found that young people are very susceptible to viral marketing, whereby goods are promoted by word of mouth. Young people in the US and Canada rely on family members and their peer group when making a purchase, with 52 percent saying they rely on recommendations from friends or family when making a purchase, compared with just 34 percent of adults.

Forrester also surveyed young consumers regarding their use of various devices, gaming, music downloads and communication technologies.

Eighty-eight percent of boys ages 12 to 17 own a game console, compared with 63 percent of girls the same age. Fifty-five percent of boys would rather play games than watch TV.

More than three out of four young consumers have a mobile phone, while nearly 50 percent of the kids between the ages of 12 and 14 have a mobile phone. In Ireland, 94.7 percent of Irish children aged between 12 and 18 own a mobile phone, according to a major survey of teenage attitudes and ambitions, conducted for the National Children's Office.