Teens audience profile
In the following analysis teens are defined as young people aged
15–18. The data sources referenced consist of both Canadian and American
data compiled using a variety of data-collection methods and for
teen audiences ranging from age 12–19. A complete bibliography, including
a summary of methodology for each source, is included at the end
of this document. The following information is a broad analysis.
It important to note that within the teen audience there are many
subgroups.
The only constant is change
There were an estimated 2,081,000 teens aged 15–19
in 2001. (Statistics Canada)
It is
estimated that the teen population will continue
to grow until 2026 when it will begin
to decline. (Statistics Canada)
Teens today were born after 1985. They are termed
Generation Y, the Millennials,
or the Echo Boom. (Bibby, 2001)
This generation is interested in issues that affect
their lives…post-secondary
education, violence in schools, quality of high-school education,
the environment,
poverty,
and gun control, to list
a few. (Kundanis, 2003)
Apply It! Consider incorporating broader incentives such as the
environment and equality into your messages.
The single best word to describe "teen" is "change." (Zollo,
1999)
Teens are evolving as human beings emotionally, intellectually,
and physically. Yet, each generation
has their own set of characteristics, which are a result
of the events and
environment
of that
cohort's teen years. (Zollo, 1999)
Taking occasional "snapshot" views of teens
can be misleading.
To market to teens you must engage
in a long-term process of talking, listening and monitoring.
(Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Involve
teens in the campaign development process. For example, the
Truth antismoking campaign and the Hamilton
Crew for Action Against Tobacco were developed by youth for
youth and with
adult support.
Apply It! Immerse
yourself in youth culture
or consult with experts. Sources of information
about youth include Teenet
at the University of Toronto,
Youthography newsletter,
Youth
Intelligence free
daily trend
updates (subscribe
by email),
and Strategy Magazine.
The wide age range of a "teen" (12–19)
results in great diversity. (Zollo, 1999)
Teens
are highly segmented demographically and
psychographically.
(Zollo, 1999)
It is impossible to market effectively
to the group as a whole.
Apply It! A target teen audience should not span more than four
years.
Apply It! For any
objective, multiple messages with different incentives, different
creative design
elements, and different mediums should
be used to reach a diverse
teen target audience. For example, the store Bluenotes carries six private labels
for each type of teen
out there: preppy, skater, rocker, hip
hopper, etc. (Halpurn, 2004)
Much of what teenagers are is what they do.
(Zollo, 1999)
Teens are more accurately
segmented by behaviour than by attitudes.
(Zollo, 1999)
Teens tend to choose friends
based on shared interest. (Zollo, 1999)
What teens do with their
leisure time segments them, profiles them, and offers marketing
opportunities.(Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Consider
segmenting a teen audience by the activities in which they participate.
Teens
are defined
by where they spend their time
Teen lives can be divided
into three parts:
- Their own time socializing with friends and doing social
activities
- Family time when parents
often control what teens do
- School where primarily teachers
control their time
Messages will be
processed differently in different settings.
Apply It! Collect formative
audience analysis data and design messages for the context in which
they will be received. Pretest them in the
relevant environment, or ensure that pretest participants
are aware of the environment in which the message will be received.
Teens are most likely to buy products made for people their age
instead of a product with the label “teen”. (Zollo, 1999)
Many older teens are turned off by the name “teen.” To
them “teen” means a younger teen or tween. (Zollo, 1995, 1999)
Some teens feel “teenager” has a stereotype. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Do not
use the label “teen.” Instead use design to identify that an ad
is intended for a teen audience. (e.g., use of music, language,
etc).
Funds, fashion, fun & freedom: What matters to teens
Money
Teens are savvy consumers and their limited funds are precious to
them. (Zollo, 1999)
Over 50% are concerned about lack of money. (Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Consider
paying teens for their input. Teens may be happy even with
a nominal amount. This will give teens an opportunity to
develop skills and gain experience. For example,
the Stupid campaign engaged teens throughout the campaign
development
process, sometimes paying as low as $100 for a month of ad hoc work.
Apply It! Use potential
loss or gain of money as an incentive in campaign messages
to change or prevent behaviours. For example, The
U.S. ad “Wasted
Money” reminds teens that
they waste money when they use drugs.
The items teens buy reflect what they think of themselves and how
they wish others to perceive them. (Zollo, 1995)
The act of buying can be one of independence or conformity, self-expression
or socialization. (Zollo, 1995)
“Newness” is associated with coolness. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Create
a brand for your campaign that reflects teen values. For example,
the Truth campaign has a
solid brand. For more information, check out the Fall
2002 edition of Social
Marketing Quarterly, pp 17-30.
Apply It! Change the creative design and copy of your campaign messages
often.
Apply It! Partner
with "cool" brands/companies
to get your message out.
Physical Appearance
For girls, apparel is the most important product category consuming
the greatest proportion of their disposable income and their greatest
parent-campaigning efforts. (Zollo, 1995, 1999)
After fashion, girls spend the most on personal-grooming items. (Zollo,
1995, 1999)
51% of girls and 38% of boys are concerned about their looks. (Bibby,
2001)
45% of girls and 21% of boys are concerned about their weight. (Bibby,
2001)
Boys convince parents to buy clothes and shoes. (Zollo, 1995, 1999)
In 1999, the top five coolest brands were Nike, Guess,
Levi’s, Gap and Sega.
The top four are apparel and shoe brands, which reflects the emotional
importance for teens to wear
the “right” clothes and shoes.
(Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Incorporate
“gear” into promotional efforts. For example, Xpoz
Coalition, a
youth-led anti-tobacco industry movement in Nevada,
has its own store to raise funds to take
down the industry and get the message out to other youth.
Apply It! Use potential loss or gain of physical attractiveness
as an incentive in campaign messages to change or prevent behaviours.
Apply It! Monitor top apparel brand advertising efforts to determine
what works with teens.
Fun
The only item to override purchase motivations is to have fun and
much of youth income is spent in this pursuit. (Zollo, 1995)
Teens can define “fun” in many different ways.
Apply It! Use potential
loss or gain of "fun" as an incentive in campaign messages
to change or prevent behaviours. For example, Real
kids across the U.S. shared
their reasons for staying drug free with Partnership
for a Drug-Free America campaign developers.
Freedom and independence vs. peers and socializing
85% of teens view freedom is very important. (Bibby, 2001)
76% of teens say having choices is important (Bibby, 2001)
Teens are gaining independence both socially and financially. They
are acquire driver's licenses, hold part-time jobs,
and begin dating. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Develop messages that assure teens that they can adopt
the desired change without changing their individuality.
Apply It! Use potential loss or gain of personal freedom as an incentive
in campaign messages to change or prevent behaviours.
Teens are characterized by contradictions. They want to carve
out their own identity, yet they want to belong to
a group. (Zollo, 1999)
The desire to fit in with peers cannot be underestimated as it
drives so much of teen behaviour. (Zollo, 1999)
Older teens also admit to being influenced by peer
pressure. (Zollo, 1999)
Many teens seem to have an intuitive sense that
“who you know and how you relate to them” is
more important
than skills/productivity.
Therefore, teens care more about friendships
than about their grades. (Murray, 2004)
Almost 40% of boys and over 50% of girls are
concerned about losing friends. (Bibby, 2001)
85% of teens view friendship as very important.
(Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Ensure, through testing, that campaign messages are not
perceived as recommending behaviours that would result in isolation.
Apply It! Show peers
modeling a recommended behaviour.
Apply It! Design messages for youth opinion leaders and enlist their
support.
Apply It! Supplement your media campaign with peer-led initiatives
and peer-education groups. For example, the “Be
on the Safe Side”
campaign is a peer-led initiative to prevent teen pregnancy.
Apply It! Focus more on the social benefits of a recommended action
than personal development.
Social activities include shopping, sports events, concerts, movie
theaters, video arcades, theme parks, teen clubs, and promotions
linked to activities and interests. (Zollo, 1999)
Teens like the social aspects of school best: friends, boy/girlfriends,
extracurricular, free periods, recess, lunch, and
learning. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Provide
an opportunity for teens to simultaneously socialize and
receive your
message. For example, the Hamilton
East Kiwanis Boys & Girls Club and the YWCA
of Hamilton run a “Teen Zone” in a local
mall to provide a
safe place
for teens to hang out and
socialize. The area includes music, couches,
video games, pool tables, etc. Teen Zone
is staffed by
young adults usually in college or university.
On different days, once a week, a public
health nurse and an outreach worker from
the Sexual Health
Awareness
Centre “hang out” at Teen
Zone building relationships with the
youth, answering questions, making referrals,
and providing presentations
based on the teens’
request and interest. As well, health
and wellness information is displayed
and other youth serving
agencies are promoted.
Apply It! Portray
and use incentives that related to the social aspects of schools
that teens enjoy. (Zollo, 1999) Consider, for
example, the Britney
Spears video for “Baby One More Time,”
which portrays Britney as a flirtatious 18
year old with attractive and
ethnically diverse friends who dance their
way out of class, out of school, into the
local mall and finally into a car…this is
a near-perfect
portrayal for Britney’s target: teen girls
12–17 years old. (Steward, 2001) In the video
the teens celebrate their freedom from school.
(Steward, 2001)
Helping others
Nearly two-thirds of teens say that “it is very important” to get
involved in things that help others to make the world better, even
if it’s not important to others their age. (Zollo, 1999)
62% of teens (73% girls and 51% boys) view having concern for others
as very important. (Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Provide an opportunity for teens to help others. For example,
highlight the value of peer support in helping a friend adopt healthy
behaviour.
Although teens say being with friends is their most favourite
thing about school, pressure surrounding friends and
peers can make school unpleasant and even stressful, at least for some.
(Zollo,
1999)
67% of teens feel pressure to do well in school. (Bibby, 2001)
66% of teens are concerned about what to do when they finish school
(Bibby, 2001)
61% of girls and 52% of boys feel that they never
have enough time. (Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! When appropriate, use stress reduction as an incentive
to adopt a behaviour. For example, highlight how physical activity
and a nutritious breakfast can help reduce stress and improve concentration
in school.
Apply It! Respect the multiple responsibilities and limited free
time teens have when designing a “call to action” in your campaign.
Honesty
Teens are skeptical by nature. They demand truth in advertising,
with 65% of teens stating that honestly is truly the best policy.
(Zollo, 1999)
Teens demand honesty; if they detect a less than honest
ad they tend to reject the product or brand. (Zollo, 1999)
73% of teens (83% girls and 62% boys) view honesty as very important.
(Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Be honest and test ads for believability.
Respect
If a teen feels misrepresented or patronized they will reject the
ad. (Zollo, 1999)
Like adults, teens need to feel respected. (Zollo, 1999)
Do not talk down to teens. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Test to ensure your message is not interpreted as condescending
or preachy.
Parents
Teens hold their parents in high esteem. (Zollo, 1999)
Although the teen years are full of angst and parent-child conflict,
teens not only admire and seek advice from parents
but may also treasure the moments they share. (Zollo, 1999)
59% of teens (66% girls and 51% boys) view family life as important.
(Bibby, 2001)
When asked to choose, family was more important to teens than friends
and school. (Zollo, 1999)
More than twice as many teens say they like being with their family
than say they yearn to be more popular. (Zollo, 1999)
91% of teens see "the way you were brought up" as
influencing their lives a great deal or quite a bit.
(Bibby, 2001)
81% of teens see "your mother specifically" and 70% see "your
father specifically" as influencing their lives
a great deal or quite a bit. (Bibby, 2001)
"Middle-ages teens" are least likely to maintain an open relationship
with parents. (Zollo, 1999)
Two thirds can talk to at least one parent about sex,
drugs, drinking, or other serious issues. (Zollo, 1999)
Mom is the one teens are most likely to feel they can
talk to. (Zollo, 1999)
76% of girls (65% of boys) enjoy spending time with their
mom. (Bibby, 2001)
44% of teens (50% girls, 38% boys) view "what your parents think
of you" as very important. (Bibby, 2001)
45% of teens indicate that they are bothered a great deal
or quite a bit about not being understood by their parents.
(Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Use potential
loss or gain of parental trust, respect, etc., as an incentive in campaign
messages to change or prevent behaviours.
Apply It! Give parents the skills/tools with which to talk to their
teenage children about the issue. (Zollo, 1999)
Vehicle variety: Where to put messages for teens
Electronic
80% of teens say they have access to a computer at home. (Bibby,
2001)
Teens spend over one hour a day on the computer. (Bibby, 2001)
In 2001, 99% of teens used the Internet. (Environics Research Group,
2001)
79% of teens access the Internet at home. (Environics
Research Group, 2001)
71% of teens use the Internet to access information.
(Willms & Corbett,
2003)
32% of teens use the internet to find school-related
materials. (Willms & Corbett,
2003)
60% of teens use the Internet to communicate electronically.
(Willms & Corbett,
2003)
27% of teens report using email daily. (Bibby, 2001)
47% of teens use the internet to play games. (Willms & Corbett,
2003)
Significantly, more boys then girls play video games. (Zollo, 1999)
69% of boys and 26% of girls report that they play video/computer
games daily to weekly. (Bibby, 2001)
Apply It! Promote health messages on Internet sites that teens frequent.
Apply It! Acknowledge teens’ ease with technology. For example,
television, print, and radio messages can be supplemented by text
messaging and cell phones, which are immensely popular among teens.
Apply It! Provide
an opportunity for teens to participate in your campaign
electronically. Attract them to a website by promoting a
contest, games, music, unique cartoons or
video clips, chatrooms, homework help (such as this
page from Smoke-Fx),
a petition, etc. For example, the Degrassi
(a television show targeted
at Canadian teens) fan
site produced in association with CTV and Snap
Media Corp. provides
enhanced storytelling
on the
web in synchronization with CTV's television
broadcasts. In the first eight months after launching the site,
over 54,000 fans
registered
online as "virtual students" –
and they created over 23,000 lockerpages,
written over 46,000 detailed journal entries,
sent and
received over 200,000 d-mails to each other
and to Degrassi characters, and posted over
225,000 messages on the club message boards.
The
site averages in excess of 2 million page
impressions per month. In addition, these "students" are
able to visit the "guidance
office" for assistance from the online "guidance
counselor" (linked
to sites such as Health
Canada, Kids
Help Hotline, Media
Awareness Network, etc.) for
help and
advice on a huge range of topics that
includes everything from gossip to gay parents.
Apply It! Collect information from teen website visitors to create
a database for on-going communication with teens.
Television
Teens report watching over 2.5 hours of TV daily. (Bibby, 2001)
92% of teens report watching television daily. (Bibby, 2001)
Significantly, more boys then girls watch TV on a weekend night.
(Zollo, 1999)
Teens spend the more time watching TV than any other activity.
(Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Use
television to reach teens when the financial resources are available.
This can
be done through traditional commercials placed
during shows with high teen viewership
or by embedding messages in the plotlines of popular shows. For
example,
Degrassi: The
Next Generation explores dilemmas from the point of view
of kids in junior high and high school.
Radio
Since 1983 teens have consistently been the age group with the lowest
radio listening in Canada. (Statistics Canada, 2003)
Radio listening has declined substantially from 11.2 hours/week in
1999 to 8.5 hours/week in 2003. (Statistics Canada, 2003)
A third of teens listen to the radio between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m.
while 29% listen between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. and 7:00
p.m. and 12:00 a.m.. Only 10% listen between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00
p.m. (Statistics
Canada, 2003)
Teens listen to the radio mostly at home. (Statistics Canada, 2003)
Apply It! When using radio as a way to reach teens, make sure to
broadcast messages during the times most teens are listening.
Contests, prizes, promotions
Teens prefer simple, easy promotions that offer instant gratification.
(Zollo, 1999)
Teens prefer the better odds of winning one of many smaller prizes
than the odds of winning one grand prize. If there
is a top prize, teens endorse money but reject travel. They also
like college scholarship
offers. (Zollo, 1999)
Free samples and coupons are the most popular promotion among older
teens. (Zollo, 1999)
More girls than boys take advantage of free samples, coupons, and
gifts with purchases, probably because girls do more
shopping than boys. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Develop
promotions that are easy to enter that teens can win immediately.
Magazines
After friends, magazines are where teen girls find the most
information about trends. (Zollo, 1999)
Boys use magazines for information and entertainment. (Zollo, 1999)
Boys can be reached through print by tapping into niche publications
reflecting their special interests (e.g.,
Sports Illustrated enjoys the highest teen male readership). (Zollo, 1999)
Older teens are moving from teen magazines (Teen
People) to adult
magazines such as People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour,
and Vogue. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Magazines,
if chosen carefully can be a good way to reach teens.
Newspaper
Teens prefer comics, sports, entertainment, horoscopes, and
classifieds over the national news in a newspaper. (Zollo, 1999)
Average time reading a newspaper weekly ranges from 2.3 hours for
girls to 2.8 hours for boys. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Newspaper
ads can be used to reach teens, as long as placement is in the areas
that they are most likely to read.
The cool competition: Making your
messages stand out
Today's teens
are the targets of more marketing efforts than any other cohort of
teens before. (Zollo, 1999)
Teens view ads different that
adults. To teens, ads are more than product information. To teens,
advertising is popular
culture. (Zollo, 1999)
Advertising is entertainment for teens and is frequently a topic
of conversation, especially among older teens. (Zollo,
1999)
Teens are often skeptical about advertising and quick to reject
ads
they feel are off target. (Zollo, 1999)
Teens are wising up to marketing tactics. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Develop high
quality advertising that is entertaining and informative.
Apply It! Aim to get
teens talking about your ad/message. Pretest to assess success and
the types of conversation that result.
There are now many teen-specific media vehicles. (Zollo, 1999) They
are typically full of commercial advertising.
Apply It! To produce
high-quality creative that will compete with commercial advertising
directed at teens, explore teen-specific media
vehicles and programming with a high teen audience such as
Music
86% of teens say that they listen to music daily. (Bibby, 2001)
Music is probably the most influential and pervasive medium. It
can define a teen's experience and it is culturally
significant to teens. (Zollo, 1999)
53% of teens see music as influencing their lives a great deal
or quite a bit. (Bibby, 2001)
If teens like a tune or song they will pay more attention to an
ad. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Look for
ways to combine music with your message. Music is a staple of youth
culture
and should be a key part of your marketing
strategy. For example, the store Bluenotes
runs “Sound Session Saturdays” events in partnership with record
labels, where
they showcase 10
artists a week. A deejay is at the store
to draw a crowd, promote the artists, and remind people they can
buy an album
at the store.
They also showcase different cds on
their website. (Halpern, 2004)
Apply It! Consider
working with music celebrities to endorse a health
message. For example, the
U.S.
Partnership for a Drug Free America makes extensive
use of celebrities to promote their message.
The "Cool" Factor
Many teens think advertisers overemphasize the important of being
cool. (Zollo, 1999)
Teens want their private language (slang) to remain private. They
do not want adults to understand or use it. (Zollo, 1999)
Avoid using all but the most basic teen slang (e.g., "cool"). Slang
is not essential in creating relevant advertising. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply
It! Use music, fashion, attitude, activities and
appropriate talent (a less risky way) instead of slang to engage
teens. (Zollo, 1999)
Humour
73% of teens view humour as very important. (Bibby, 2001)
Teens say their favourite TV shows are situation comedies and their
favourite commercials use humour. (Zollo 1999)
Apply It! Humour in
advertising is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. When done correctly,
the potential to reach a large teen audience
is increased (Zollo, 1999). However, humour is not
always the answer and could be counter-productive if it does not make
sense. It is
also important to be original. (Zollo, 1999)
Other
When asked about the first person they turn to when needing advice
about a personal problem, teens answer friends first,
then mom, followed by girl/boyfriend, and then dad. Adult figures such
as teachers,
coaches, counselors, clergy, and hotlines ranked low. (Zollo, 1999)
Apply It! Understand
what teens talk about and with whom so that relationships can be shown
accurately in ads. (Zollo, 1999)
More than half of teenage girls and more than one third of teenage
boys do some food shopping each week for their family. (Zollo, 1995)
Teens influence household spending by sneaking items into the grocery
cart, giving items directly to the cashier, demanding
a specific brand, offering advice (e.g., on computers), and asking
for specific
gifts. (Zollo, 1995)
Apply It! Work through
teens to educate parents, introduce ‘healthy products” into the household,
and provide advice on “healthy product”
choices.
Download
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Teens
Audience Profile (Word, 187kb)
Teens
Audience Profile (PDF, 57kb)
References
Bibby, Reginald, W. (2001). Canada’s Teens, Today,
Yesterday and Tomorrow. Toronto: Stoddart.
Methodology: This book compiles the
data from a self-administered questionnaire completed by 3,500
young people age 15-19 in more than
150 randomly selected high school classes across Canada. Data was
collected during the late spring and early fall of 2000. The survey
provided information about what teens are thinking, how they are
living, their values, hopes, fears and how in general they are
putting the world together.
Biscope, Sherry. (2003).
Internet
Access & Use. Toronto: The Health Communication Unit.
Presented September 2, 2003.
Methodology:
This presentation compiled data from the following sources:
- Willms, J.D., Corbett, A.B. (2003). Tech and Teens: Access
and Use.
Canadian
Social Trends, Summer, 15-20
- Dryburgh, H. (2003). Changing
our ways: why and how Canadians use the Internet. Retrieved June 15, 2005, from http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/56F0006XIE/56F0006XIE2000001.pdf.
- Environics Research Group (2001). Young
Canadians in a Wired World: the students' view. Final
Report. Media Awareness Network/Government of Canada. Retrieved
June 15, 2005,
from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/survey_resources/students_survey/yciww_students_view_2001.pdf.
- Halpern, M. (2004) "Hip Huggers."
Marketing Magazine, August 23/30.
Kundanis, R.M. (2003). Children, Teens, Families
and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation. New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
This book was written for a college-level course on
children and the media. The approach is theory based with attention
to developmental,
gender, ethnic and generational differences of children ages 2
to 18.
Milner, Murray. (2004). Freaks,
Geeks, and Cool Kids: American Teenagers, Schools and the Culture
of Consumption. New
York: Routledge.
Methodology: This book describes why teens behave
the way they do, not how. There were two sources of primary American
data; the
first
included 304 descriptions of high schools and their status
structures
written by 300 college students, average paper was about
7,150 words. The second source consisted of observations in a single
high
school
(Fall of 1997 until May 1999). The observations were conducted
during the school lunch period, at public events and the
junior/senior proms.
The observers were undergraduate university students enrolled
in a course that focused on high school status systems. This
source defines teens as age 14-18.
Statistics Canada. CANSIM data base: Canadian
socio-economic information management system [computer file]. Ottawa:
Statistics Canada. Table 503-001 to 503-005,
“Radio Listening.”
Methodology: The results are based on a survey
of 86,639 Canadians 12 +, collected from September 1 to October
26, 2002. The return
rate was 42%, modest for Statistics Canada standards, it is in
line with Canadian and international broadcasting industry practice
for
audience measurement. It is recommended that the data be interpreted
with caution.
Statistics Canada. CANSIM data base: Canadian socio-economic
information management system [computer file]. Ottawa: Statistics
Canada. Table 052-0001, "Projected population, by age group and sex,
Canada, provinces and territories,"
Methodology:
Population estimates by age and sex are based on the 2001 Census.
Steward, D. (2001) "Britney 101." Marketing
Magazine, August 6.
Zollo, P. (1995). Talking to teens. American Demographics,
Nov 1995, 17,11, 22-28.
Methodology: Peter Zollo is president of Teenage
Research Unlimited of Northbrook, Illinois. This article was adapted
from his book Wise
Up To Teens: Insights Into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers.
Teen are defined as age 12-19.
Zollo, Peter. (1999). Wise
Up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers (2nd
Edition). Ithaca: New Strategist Publications,
Inc.
Methodology: This book is based on 15 years
experience as a researcher and marketing consultant with Teenage
Research Unlimited (TRU). Data
from TRU's syndicated study of teens "Teenage Marketing
and Lifestyle Study" is used by more than 100 top youth-oriented
brands. Insights from this book come from the author's research
and consulting on a variety of topics from athletic shoes to
the anti-tobacco
industry Truth campaign. Focus groups were conducted
regularly, therefore for the author to be immersed within the
teen culture. Teens are defined as age 12-19.
About this profile
This profile was created after reviewing numerous documents and
books identified in a literature and web search.
Although the search revealed some
proprietary data that may be relevant,
our budget did not allow us to acquire the documents.
This summary is only a beginning in terms of understanding the audience.
This information should be complemented by primary formative research,
collected using techniques such as focus groups, interviews, or surveys.
This profile is a work in progress and will be updated as new information
becomes available. Please send any current research, focus group
data or suggestions to
Jodi Thesenvitz
Resource Consultant
j.thesenvitz@utoronto.ca
Tel: (519) 763-8961
Copying
Permission to copy this resource is granted for educational
purposes
only. If you are reproducing in part only, please credit The Health
Communication Unit, at the Centre for Health Promotion, University
of Toronto.
Disclaimer
The Health Communication Unit and its resources and
services are funded by Health Promotion and Wellness,
Public Health Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this paper
are those of the author(s) and no official endorsement by the funder is intended or should be inferred.
Acknowledgements
For their input and assistance in the development of this resource,
THCU would like to acknowledge Urmila Chandran, Andrea Kita, and Jodi
Thesenvitz.
Version 1.1
June 16, 2005
