Special Report: What Do Teens Want?

Nic Covey, director of insights for The Nielsen Company posed the question at the annual What Teens Want Conference. Experts from Brandweek, Marvel Comics, The Hollywood Reporter, and Microsoft’s Massive discussed texting, gaming, comic books, movies and more. Learn more about Nielsen’s research on teen media habits in the just-released How Teens Use Media report.

Teens More “Normal” Than You Think Regarding Media Usage

It’s 2009: Do you know where your kids are?

They might be on the Internet, or gaming or texting… but they could also be be watching live TV, listening to the radio or reading a newspaper. At the annual What Teens Want conference in New York, The Nielsen Company presented How Teens Use Media, which argues once you look past the hype - American teens are not as alien in their media usage as you might expect. Sure, it might sound hip and trendy to suggest they’re too busy texting, Twittering or LOL-ing to be engaged with traditional media, but ultimately, the research proves otherwise.

“The media experience is broadening for all consumers, not just teens,” said Nic Covey, director of insights for The Nielsen Company. “Looking at our research across markets and media, we see that, contrary to popular assumption, teens are actually pretty normal in their usage, and more attentive than most give them credit for.”

The comprehensive report combines insights from Nielsen’s global resources in Television, internet, mobile, gaming, moviegoing, radio, newspaper and advertising research to debunk myths and provide the hard facts around how teens use media.

Key Takeaways

• Teens are NOT abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6% over the past five years in the U.S.
• Teens love the Internet … but spend far less time browsing than adults: Teens spend 11 hours and 32 minutes per month online. Far below the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.
• Teens watch less online video than most adults, but the ads are highly engaging to them: Teens spend 35% less time watching online video than adults 25-34, but recall ads better when watching TV shows online than they do on television.
• Teens read newspapers, listen to the radio and even like advertising more than most: Teens who recall TV ads are 44% more likely to say they liked the ad.
• Teens play video games, but their tastes aren’t all for the blood-and-guts style games: Just two of their top five most-anticipated games since 2005 have been rated “Mature.”
• Teens’ favorite TV shows, top websites and genre preferences across media are mostly the same as their parents: For U.S. teens, American Idol was the top show in 2008, Google the top website and general dramas are a preferred TV genre for teens around the world.

For additional insights, download a free copy of How Teens Use Media

iPhone Users Watch More Video… and are Older than You Think

Upon Apple’s announcement of a new iPhone - the iPhone 3G S, slated to be available June 19 - Nielsen takes a look at iPhone insights on its users and usage.

• As of April 2009, Nielsen estimates that there are 6.4 million active iPhone users in the U.S., up from 2.1 million a year prior. The most impactful iPhone announcement this week may be the price reduction of $99 for the 8 GB version: cost has been one factor (in addition to AT&T exclusivity) that’s kept the overall iPhone audience modestly sized.
• 37% watch video on their phone (6x as likely as the typical subscriber)
• The iPhone audience is age-diverse: a device this powerful isn’t just for kids. There are roughly as many iPhone users 55 and older as there are 13-24.

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Teens Also Checking Out Advertising At The Mall

The shopping mall has been a destination for American teens for decades.  It has become “Main Street” in many communities, and is a convenient place for teens to meet friends and hang out.  According to a new report from Scarborough Research, teen mall shoppers are still spending significant time and money at the mall: 68 percent spend two or more hours at the mall ont heir typical visit, and more than a quarter spend upwards of three hours.  More than half of teens (56%) spent $50 or more on their last visit, with 29 percent saying they spent more than $100.

Of key interest to advertisers is the finding that 95 percent of teens notice some type of advertising at the mall, with display ads, hanging banners and displays where samples can be tried the most effective.  View the full study, free of charge, here.

“The findings show that teens do in fact notice advertising in the mall, and our study shows that they generally rate it positively,” said Jane Traub, senior vice president of research for Scarborough.

Read the full press release regarding Scarborough’s study here.

Text Message Ads Make Impression On Young

Given the immense popularity of texting in the U.S. and abroad, it’s not surprising that marketers have been ramping up their use of the medium to engage their customers. According to Nielsen, 16% of texters in the U.S. see some form of text-message advertising each month. Not surprisingly, teens are the most likely to engage with short-code marketing—35% see some form of text-message advertising in the course of a month. African-American and Hispanic mobile subscribers are also more likely than the average texter to engage with some form of text-message advertising in a month, at 24% and 23% respectively.

Of those texters who recall seeing some form of advertising while using text-messaging, 45% say they have responded in some way. And the most popular response to any type of mobile advertising (text, video, Internet, etc.) —sending another text-message. Fully one-quarter of responders sent another text-message—emphasizing the interactivity and engagement this medium presents.

Learn more about the growing impact of text messaging in the November issue of Nielsen Consumer Insight.

Heavy Internet Users Also Watch More TV

Television viewing and online video streaming go hand in hand — with the heaviest Internet users also watching the most TV, Nielsen reported Friday.

Internet users who rank among the top fifth in terms of time spent online also watch more than 250 minutes of television each day, according to Nielsen. In comparison, people who don’t use the Internet at all watch just 220 minutes of TV per day.

The data comes from Nielsen’s new TV/Internet Convergence Panel, which measures both TV and Internet usage within individual U.S. households. The panel consists of nearly 3,000 people in more than 1,000 households. TV viewing and Internet usage data are collected by Nielsen’s electronic People Meters and NetSight meter software.

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Nielsen Data Illuminates Habits of the “Online Video Generation”

Kids and teens consume more online video content than adults at home, Nielsen reported Monday.

The data, compiled by The Nielsen Company’s online measurement services, Nielsen Online and VideoCensus, shows that kids consumed more streams than those over 18, and spent more time watching online video from home in April.

Kids 2-11 viewed an average of 51 streams and 118 minutes of online video per person during the month, while teens 12-17 viewed an average of 74 streams and 132 minutes of online video. Those over 18 viewed an average of 44 streams and 99 minutes of online video.

• Full Nielsen News Release