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Monday - August 21, 2000
Study Reveals Insight into
Teen Surfing
Last year, Cheskin research conducted a study of over
2700 online teens, to analyze teen attitudes regarding Internet
advertising, current and future Web technologies, e-commerce,
and Internet fears. The findings help give insight into the
way teens think while viewing Web pages and advertising.
"The current generation
of teens is not intimidated by technology and does not
share the same fears as the rest of us concerning the Internet," explains
Davis Masten, Principal of Cheskin Research. "They
are very tech savvy and also less susceptible to marketing
hype. This was validated in our study. As they mature,
their experiences on the Internet will vastly influence
its future development. If you look at their purchasing
power alone, they already have a huge impact on how e-commerce
is developing."
The study confirmed the fact
that teens online are just as focused on social interaction
as they are in the real world and they view the internet
primarily as a means to keep in touch with their friends
and explore. Top teen web sites, including yahoo.com, hotmail.com
and cyberteens.com, are communication or community oriented.
Surprisingly, while teens do shop on the Web, spending
approximately $38 each time they buy, they do not see e-commerce
as it's major function.
"When teens go shopping
at the mall, it's a social activity, not just a way to
buy things," explains Julie Richer, president of Able
Minds, Inc. "We see a great opportunity to integrate
the social aspects into online shopping, and this study
confirms that we're on the right track. The survey results
also provide some valuable input for our advertisers on
what teens find most appealing in ads as well as what they
don't like."
Additional results from the
study found that teens fear loss of privacy on the Internet,
though this has less to do with abuses of personal information
and more to do with the Web's ability to provide teens
with a place to interact away from parental supervision.
It was also found that teens feel the Web is better than
watching TV.
One of the findings was that
Online advertising needs a new approach to attract teens.
According to the report:
"While a significant percentage
of teens click on Internet ads, most find Internet advertising
annoying and not informative. This generation of teens
is significantly more aware of and consequently more immune
to marketing hype. Marketers have an opportunity to readdress
their approach to Internet advertising in a more authentic
and effective manner...
While 79% of respondents have
clicked on an ad, 49% get irritated when they see Internet
ads. Explorers in particular find Internet ads annoying
and click on ads the least. In addition 86% of teens said
they pay less attention to ads on the 'Net than to other
ads and only 23% of teens find online ads better looking
than ads in other media. Least effective of all are advertisements
sent via email.
When asked about their preferences,
teens responded positively to online ads that are humorous
and have cool animation. While younger teens seemed to
still be attracted to graphics, music and animation, these
attributes were less significantly appealing to older teens.
Given this information, marketers
have the opportunity explore more innovative and authentic
ways to catch teen attention on the Net."
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