Introduction to young people

The youth audience is at the cutting edge of trends and can be considered to be opinion formers. They are often an audience underestimated for their influence in their parent’s households purchasing decisions as well as their own buying power. For advertisers, the internet is now their primary channel to connect directly with this audience; Habbo’s own research shows that online is one of the most valued media sources for teens and arguably more influential than TV.

As a generation of digital natives, young people are changing the game. Although their core values haven’t necessarily shifted; the most important thing to them is unity and being valued and respected in their peer groups. It is the internet that has dramatically widened the playing field. The opportunities for brands are many but an understanding of what this young audience is looking for from their online experience is crucial.

Around 50% of teens polled by Habbo actively create their own online content in numerous forms. In a nutshell a key area for engagement for advertisers is how to encourage and provide the building blocksfor this creativity to flourish. However, a tailored approach is required to closely match the online environment advertisers are targeting. A campaign that might attract a large number of users in a virtual world may not resonate as well in a social networking environment or on a video sharing site and vice versa.

The inquisitive nature of this young group means that they are far more interested in being openly talked to by brands, as opposed to being advertised to. Traditional advertising is often seen as an intrusion in their personal online space, adding value and enhancing the user experience of their favourite sites and media channels should be the ultimate goal. By giving the online experience a ‘level-up’, brands can capitalise on the amplifier effect that this type of engagement marketing offers verses traditional communication methods; the brand becomes part of the conversation and the intended target audience does the work of spreading the message through compelling peer-to-peer interaction. Often thought of as consumers of the fashions of the times, embarking on a conversation in this way with teens around products that are aspirational can start a ripple effect that spreads as they turn into young adults.

This is a digestible guide to the habits of young people online, with research looking at the sub-sectors of this category, from teenagers through to young adults. Where do young people go and what are they into? How do you design an engaging youth campaign? All these questions will be answered here, alongside some useful links, site reviews and outstanding case studies illustrating how brands have made the most of what youth internet marketing has to offer.

Next Page