Raise your hand if you thought teenagers, the digital generation, are more likely to respond to online ads than anything else.
(My hand slowly goes up)
I tend to clump teenagers into a group of people that can not possibly keep their hands off of their phones, tablets, or computers for more than a few moments before they decline into a frenzy of connectivity withdraw. YouTube video sharing, Reddit comments, Instagram photo snapping…the opportunities are endless for advertisers to capture the mindshare of the young mobile generation.
But a new study by research firms Research Now and K&A Brand Research found that teenagers between the ages of 12-17 tend to have more favorable perceptions of non-digital ads (print, radio, TV) than digital ads.
Contrary to all that we perceive of teenagers, who seemingly only respond to us through text messages and Facebook status updates, they are actually listening and responding to messages in a non-digital capacity. Check out the chart below to see their different responses:
The finding that really struck me the most was that half of respondents responded that they remember offline ads for a long time, while only 12% said they are likely to remember online ads. Want a teenager to think of your brand first? Speak to them in a non-digital channel.
The biggest takeaway of this study is to not skirt traditional media as an option when seeking to hail the attention of the youth. While social media is cheap and 9 out of 10 teenagers use social media or text, offline ads is the more effective way of capturing their buying power.
The teens are listening. Are you speaking?