For consumer brands, entering the world of teens and tweens can be baffling. They are notoriously difficult to reach: brand-fickle (but the most brand aware); influenced more by their peers than by advertising; relatively high spenders on themselves; and trend followers (although they want to be seen as early adopters). It takes an imaginative and talented brand marketer to connect effectively.
To many marketers, the advent of social media, online communities and interactive advertising was heralded as something of a godsend. For the first time, they could see how teens and tweens were actively engaging online, monitor tone, language and trends, and communicate with them directly.
The biggest challenge is how to engage with a younger audience with less patience, lower tolerance levels and obscure loyalties, on their own turf, without being intrusive. The rewards can be high: word-of-mouth recommendations between peers are rife, and high interaction levels allow smart brands to create a dialogue that can influence sales.
But social media and online communities are where younger people hang out with each other, not with brands, or marketers well beyond this age range. Simply using traditional advertising to them on these sites is, at best, ineffective, and at worst, a shot in the foot.
Enter the new rules of engagement for online communities, social networks, virtual worlds, and interactive advertising. Teens and tweens have grown up in a world of instant response, where information is shared between friends over any platform (but increasingly, mobile). Social currency - things that make them look good to their friends –is critical and is gained in part through association with aspirational brands, fresh campaigns and causes that support a belief in hope and change (President Obama’s campaign maximised on this). Their minds and opinions are developing fast, but they still seek safety in pack approval. And, importantly, they are still children – and brands have a responsibility to keep them safe.
So, how do you get it right?
Firstly, make sure that what you want to achieve is right for (and wanted by) this market. Do your research, and listen to feedback before you create a campaign or community.
Inject some personality into your campaign that appeals to this group. Create a campaign or community that is authentic, multi-sensory and credible – getting language and tone of voice right, for example. It must have social currency. If word-of-mouth marketing isn’t working and your users aren’t bringing their friends in with them, something’s wrong.
Be prepared to interact, and respond instantly, over any platform. This is not an audience that will wait 24 hours for a response.
Don’t over-brand your campaign, or make the marketing too overt. It will turn users away. Avoid being intrusive, or communicating over the wrong platform. Make sure you’re offering something that is useful – either real value, or social currency. Don’t try to be all things to all people – know your niche, and stick to it.
Consider cause marketing. Some of the most effective campaigns to this group have focused on causes (for example, Habbo and War Child’s Global Peace Gathering). Or, creating a campaign that engages teens and tweens directly: Red Bull’s Music Academy is a great example of a campaign that really connects with its audience.
Finally, make sure your community or campaign is safe, and avoids cyberbullying. A campaign has to tread the line between setting boundaries to create a safe environment and one that protects your brand, while allowing freedom of discussion.
This article is based on a white paper –An Introduction to Using Community and Interactive Advertising to Engage Tweens / Teens, written by Tamara Littleton.
Author: Tamara Littleton, CEO, eModeration