Teens talk branding

Advertising is dead. That’s what I keep being told. But it isn’t really, not completely; for many people a TV, print or outdoor ad is they only way they learn about a brand. However, the idea of advertising is radically changing, with increasing channels and ways of communicating and the people who only get exposed to ads will reduce as other methods of marketing increase in an effort to capture more and more attention.

So is the move to online, engagement, interactive, game, conversational etc etc marketing working? Brandweek discussed a recent report that implies that it is. Teens, often a key target in non0-traditional marketing, talk about brands far more than adults

Many a parent has tried to penetrate the teen argot to understand what they’re talking about. It turns out they’re talking about brands. A lot.

Members of Generation Y have 145 conversations a week about brands, which is twice the rate of adults, according to a new study.

“They are extremely engaged in conversations about brands,” said Brad Fay, COO of The Keller Fay Group, a New Brunswick, N.J., word-of-mouth consultancy whose TalkTrack survey canvassed 2,046 teens ages 13-17 during the first five months of the year.

Teens aren’t just conversing about brands; they’re talking about advertising as well. More than half (57%) said they cite marketing and media in their conversations compared to 48% of adults.

They talk, text and IM about brands, 19% of teen word-of-mouth happens online versus 7% for adults. They talk about Media and entertainment (75%), sports, recreations and hobbies (68%), technology (67%). Interesting, these areas are the ones that often push the boundaries in trying new forms of advertising, in connecting emotionally with people, engaging them and not just pushing a message.

So whilst straight advertising may be becoming less effective, creating a story with an emotional connection that gets people to talk about you is alive, kicking and growing in influence. But you knew that already – but it’s always good to have the stats to prove it ;-)