REPORT - TEEN POWER 2000: Give 'em what they want: fun, laughter, and above all, honesty

<p>To effectively communicate with the elusive teen market, advertisers </p><p>have to give them what they want - honesty, laughter and fun - according </p><p>to Adpower Media Consultants International MD Georgina Chin Quan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>She referred to a global youth survey conducted last year by DMB&B (now </p><p>D'Arcy), which covered 26 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, </p><p>Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Teens said that in order to reach them, marketers needed advertising </p><p>which could make them laugh, used popular music, was fun, used young </p><p>actors to whom they could relate, and above all, be realistic. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey found that 50 per cent of respondents felt that most </p><p>advertising can't be believed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Thirty years ago, most advertising for teen products and services was </p><p>targeted at their parents," Ms Chin Quan said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Now, this segment is being targeted directly, and tends to address </p><p>emotive issues and aspirations - it's much more psychographic than </p><p>demographic." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The media and creative aspects of a campaign aimed at the youth market </p><p>have also become more complicated. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In terms of media, network TV once ruled. Now, interactivity is king, </p><p>whether through broadcast media or the Internet. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, Ms Chin Quan advised marketers not to abandon traditional media </p><p>options. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Don't sacrifice mass media in favour of the Internet - not at the </p><p>moment, anyway," she said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Plus, in each marketplace, people react differently to media." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>For example, consumers in Korea, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia tended to </p><p>prefer local media; in Hong Kong and Singapore, the more cosmopolitan </p><p>markets offered equal voice to foreign media in terms of reach target </p><p>groups. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Among teens, 73 per cent said their main source of information about </p><p>products came from television advertising," Ms Chin Quan said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"This was followed by TV programmes, at 62 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"TV is still the No.1 way to reach teens. Having said that, every single </p><p>market in Asia must be looked at separately." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>