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Trends from the Teen Front Source: The Zandl Group Hot Sheet
Highlights MYTech Technology has had a profound impact. Ten years ago their identity was defined by how others saw them in their high school bubble. Now they can define themselves through profiles on MySpace. Additionally, they can maintain control over their image and find like-minded people, making many feel more secure. Familiarity with young tech billionaires, like the college-aged YouTube creators, fuels their entrepreneurial spirit and boosts confidence about one day making it big. Tech has created endless opportunities for young people who view seniority in the workplace as less relevant. Tech makes them more curious about their world and empowers them with instant access to information (Google). It has also increased their creativity e.g. blogging, LiveJournal, fanfiction. Connectivity is 24/7 - cell phones are the lifeline, but there's also IM, webcams and online social networking sites. Portability facilitates an on-the-go lifestyle, e.g. iPods, PSPs, laptops. What's next More personalized and localized tech. Online role-playing, such as Second Life, are the next front for networking and connecting - marketers will soon follow. Cell phones with GPS create one-on-one marketing opportunities. Advertisers will continue to play catch up. New business models being developed for entertainment and advertising. Home and family-centric Home continues to be their favorite place to be (up 36%) as parents trick out the family house to be entertainment central with HDTVs, OnDemand, gaming systems and premium cable. Parents allow parties and co-ed sleepovers because they would rather have their kids socialize at home where they can keep an eye on them. Family is more significant in teens' lives - over half cite parents as role models (up 39%). They have more in common with their parents, look to them for advice and are less likely to clash over entertainment or fashion. Parents are more supportive and more likely to maintain an open dialogue about issues, including sex. What's next Teens appear to be getting more involved on the home front - savvy marketers will target teens for home decor, big ticket electronics/tech upgrades, even cooking and other home entertainment activities. The entertainment world vs. the sports world Sports involvement has dropped significantly (down 30-60% in all categories including fun, media, role models and aspirations). Reasons for the downturn vary from cuts in school funding to heavy practice schedules that kill social lives to the scandals/crimes associated with pro athletes. Free agency also runs counter to building loyalty to teams and makes athletes seem selfish. Most importantly, no one on the sports horizon has the leadership, talent and star appeal of '90s basketball idol Michael Jordan. MTV continues to be the dominant entertainment player. Teen culture is part of their DNA - it makes them fast, bold, and willing to take risks. Teens are turning to the entertainment world for some of their role models (up 33%) and career goals (up 75%) with more aspiring to become musicians, celebrity chefs and designers. Reality TV stars, especially on MTV, are often teens, which makes the entertainment world feel like a viable option. What's next The decline in sports involvement appears to be bottoming. More young people are concerned with health and fitness as obesity reaches a tipping point (e.g. drinking more water and cutting back soda). Additionally, the mainstreaming of alternative sports like skateboarding and motocross is creating a new group of sports idols (e.g. Ali Boulala) who are more down-to-earth and closer to their fan base. On the entertainment front, teens are becoming more involved - creating content, distributing it online. We'll see marketers offering consumers creative opportunities to bond with their brand, e.g. the Doritos user-created ads that will run on the Super Bowl. Less rebellious Parents are less strict and less likely to impose curfews or restrict stylistic expression (piercings, tattoos). With family and home life more peaceful, teens have less to rebel against. We've also seen an increase in the number describing "cool kids" as "nice & friendly" (up 36%) versus "bad/ crazy" (down 36%). What's next With more media awareness/buzz about school shootings, sexual predators, terrorism, being a "rebel" may be losing its edge/appeal. On the other hand, given the increase in entertainment world influences, we may see an uptick in rebellion as performance art. More grown up and resourceful Teens are looking to the future. They are more likely to value jobs (work/money as best thing, up five-fold) and career/success is increasingly on their wish list (up 150%). The number aspiring to own a business is up four-fold. What's next Their priorities are shifting. They are more career and education oriented, and as a result less likely to be prematurely committed to a steady boy/girlfriend, also less likely to be thinking about marriage/family while they are young (down 30%). Girls more independent & career-focused More girls than boys are now planning to attend college - among the girls, a 30% increase vs. 10 years ago. Girls are also more likely to pursue professional career goals - outpacing boys in law, medicine, and teaching. Girls are also more specific in their career goals, e.g. boys are twice as likely to aspire to a non-specific "good job." Teen girls have also become less marriage-oriented (down 37% as a future goal). What's next As boys continue to fall behind academically, we will start to see educational planning specifically for boys' needs, e.g. single sex schools, more male teachers. Ironic/ smart Teen interest in smart, ironic humor has increased. TV shows like the Family Guy and South Park, comedians like Dave Chappelle, pop culture/advertising spoofs on YouTube are all growing in popularity. One of the drivers of this trend may be the spread of skateboard culture with its twisted sense of humor, as well as the growth of MySpace and blogs dedicated to snark and ferreting out of hypocrisy, e.g. the-n.com/insider. What's next More snarkiness at the teen level. Becoming rockers After a decade of hip hop ruling the entertainment and fashion scene, teens are re-discovering rock. Almost half still consider rap/hip hop their favorite music but since its peak in 2004, hip hop has been declining. More teens now want to become rockers and dressing emo and punk. Tight jeans on guys are becoming the norm vs. hip hop styles. What's next Continued growth of rock/alternative lifestyle for suburban teens at the expense of hip hop. Long tail/ more diversity Teens are becoming serial brand loyalists, bouncing from one brand to the next as their choices increase. With so many options, longstanding brands are losing ground to niche brands (e.g. Levis down 74% among panelists, Gap down 86%, Nike down 30%). What's next Teens eagerness to try new products will keep the new product machine well-oiled. We also expect more brands to be in constant revitalization mode whether it's a retailer, a service or a packaged goods company. Brands that get teens Apple has been a pioneer in providing stylish, designer technology that is relevant to the teen lifestyle. Services that teens are highly involved with include Google, Yahoo, MySpace. In fashion retail, over half of teens are shopping at specialty stores (up 27%), e.g. American Eagle, Pac Sun, Forever 21, Abercrombie, Hollister. Less than 1 in 5 do most of their shopping at department stores (down 35%) - Kohl's is the star retailer in that category. Mass has the least appeal for teens but both Walmart and Target have become more popular over the last ten years. Sneakers are the favorite footwear of almost 3 in 4. Nike remains the dominant brand (5x more popular than Vans, the #2 brand). L'Oreal has caught teen's attention with Garnier Fructis with its packaging, advertising and web-presence. Unilever's Axe and Dove also have a strong connection with teens. The Zandl Group has been acknowledged as one of America's foremost trend research firms. Zandl specializes in "what's next" for business providing clients with trend forecasts, consumer insights and marketing perspectives. The Zandl Group is well known for publishing the Hot Sheet, a widely subscribed to trending report that has been keeping marketers and advertisers tapped into youth culture since 1992. They have also just completed their 1st Annual ethnography of 25 - 35 year olds - a "Year in the Life" snapshot of young adults, conducted nationwide from June 05-may 06. Zandl Group clients include Viacom, Disney, Toyota, Bath & Body Works, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, and Starcom Media. Visit the ZandlLand blog for some insightful fun.http://zandland.blogspot.com |
