How can brands successfully reach teen consumers?
It is no secret that kids of all ages now play a bigger role in family purchasing decisions than ever before
Over the last twelve months, the amount of influence that teens in the UK have over their parents has increased across all product categories covered by The Insights Family, specifically tech devices and TV subscriptions which have respectively seen a +75% and +52% growth in the last six months. With 12.2 million kids in the UK, there is a clear opportunity for brands to infiltrate the family home by engaging a younger audience.
Top media types for UK teens
So, where should brands go to reach teen consumers?
The top five media types used by kids aged 13-18 in the UK are YouTube, gaming sites, apps, streaming platforms and broadcast TV.*
When looking more closely at which media platforms teens are using, Netflix takes the lead as number one, with two in three teenagers saying that they have had this service at home in the last 12 months. After Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is the next most popular streaming platform among this demographic, ranking as the fourth most used site.
Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat take the lead in terms of social media, all competing for the attention of teenagers with new features, reels and mediums for kids to connect with each other. Even though YouTube is the number one media type, the top media platform used is Netflix, showing how kids are spread across a wide range of media platforms.
Digital advertising campaigns
With this level of engagement, the digital space is a great medium to reach young consumers. Beyond broadcast TV, adverts on social media platforms and video games are likely to generate audience interest in new products and trends. Over one in three teenagers say that they spend over four hours a day on their mobile phones, whereas just one in ten kids from this demographic spend this much time watching TV. We have seen clothes’ brands enter the gaming world, with Balenciaga collaborating with Fortnite and Nike promoting new releases in Roblox, as well as food brands on social media, as seen with Cadbury’s #justaskanaussie Instagram trend . The success of these campaigns reveals the opportunity of innovative digital adverts, which encourage teens to be excited by the brand.
However, as kids occupy an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem, it is unclear where brands should be positioning their advertising campaigns. There are endless digital locations for brands to engage teen consumers: According to the last six months of data in Kids Insights, 84% of teens in the UK own their own mobile phone, 79% have access to a TV and 78% play video games. The number of potential touchpoints highlights the importance of developing compelling content – if teens are not drawn to the message of an advert, they won’t click it, share it, talk about it or ultimately purchase it.
Top advertising locations
When asked about the location of their favourite advert, two in five teenagers in the UK named broadcast TV, ranking it as the number one preferred advertising platform. After TV, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are all closely tied, emphasising the importance of social media presence. The number one effect of adverts on this demographic is awareness, with two-thirds of teens stating that advertising campaigns increase their interest in a product or brand. The more touchpoints, the more likely the advert is to reach a wider audience.
However, despite the number of advertising locations, 27% of teens in the UK say that their favourite advert has no influence over their purchase decisions, increasing by +40% over the last six months. This suggests that brands lack an awareness of how to engage their audience because although adverts are reaching teens, the content is not persuasive or compelling enough to drive a purchase. Currently, only 18% of teens in the UK say that their favourite advert causes them to ask their parents to purchase a product, and even this metric decreases as kids age up. Given the rising influence of kids over household purchases, there is a clear opportunity for brands to benefit from loyalty amongst young consumers.
Converting adverts into action
To convert advert exposure into action, kids want to be excited and feel included. The number one most important factor amongst UK teens influencing purchase decisions is that a product makes them feel special, with over three in five kids of this demographic agreeing with this statement. In order to communicate this message, advertising campaigns should look to appeal to their values, as opposed to their parents, and build a community where young consumers feel represented and seen. Their wellbeing and the convenience of the purchase are also key factors, highlighting the importance of placing teens at the centre of product and advert development.
Traditional adverts are no longer the only way of promoting new products. Only 54% of UK teens agree that adverts are a great way of telling them what’s new, and trust in adverts has actually decreased in the last six months. Contrastingly, the same proportion of teens rely on influencers to share with them the latest trends and Instagram is the most popular social platform used by teens to keep up to date with their favourite shops. With one in two UK teens agreeing that it is important for them to own the latest products, brands should look to rethink their approach to the younger generation and use social media to generate excitement amongst young consumers.
The size of the kids and family ecosystem and its breadth across many different media platforms means that the key to successful advertising, licensing and marketing campaigns is innovative and exciting content. It is more important than ever for brands to focus on understanding the values and interests of their target audience and tune into the trends which capture their attention. By engaging teens from a young age, brands will secure their future through consumer loyalty as they age up and become the main movers and shakers in the commercial world.
Key takeaways:
- As the next generation are growing up as digital natives, there is a clear opportunity to reach a wider audience of young consumers via digital platforms.
- Due to the number of devices, social media and streaming platforms available to teens, it is key for brands to understand where their target audience are situated in an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem.
- Captivating content is crucial for engaging young consumers therefore brands should look to innovate their marketing strategies and use new mediums for advertising, such as influencers and gaming.
To discover more, explore The Insights Family’s real-time data portal here.
* According to The Insights Family Media Mix Compass – YouTube (13.5%), Gaming (12.7%), Apps (10.5%), Streaming (10.1%) and Broadcast TV (10.1%)
** All data taken from the last twelve months of Kids Insights Data