Winning Strategies To Teens

by Myrka Theard

"Whassup!" One question...why so popular?

According to Laura Petrecca, Deputy Bureau Chief at Advertising Age, "People like to see characters that are likeable -- an average person they can relate to. Also, ads should have a good catch phrase, people like catch phrases, and of course, humor. Laughter goes a long way to getting viewers to pay attention." Advertising today should also appeal to teens, as they are quickly becoming the most sought after audience.

Now more than ever, teens have become a valuable resource for advertisers. So much so, in fact, teen marketing has caused many big advertising agencies to develop specialized agencies within their company to professionally target this burgeoning market. "Agencies are placing a good chunk of their resources into the teen market," Ms. Petrecca told me during a phone interview recently. "They are creating subdivisions and hiring professionals specifically for the purpose of alluring teens to the product sold." Griffin Bacall's Kids Think, Inc., The Geppetto Group, Julie Halpin, Saatchi & Saatchi Kid Connection are just a few of the names of marketing "afficionados" now assigned to figuring out how to get to teens.

Riding the wave of this new teen dominated market is Mountain Dew. Ms. Petrecca indicated that Mountain Dew's ads are full of energy and action, hip images, like sky divers drinking soda in mid air. This is pretty impressive to teens. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, Mountain Dew's marketing demonstrated great insight. One of the first companies to catch onto the teen scene before it became popular, Mountain Dew got involved in sponsoring "X-treme Sports" events, such as street luge and skateboarding competitions, as well as teen concerts with famous acts and the "band next door." This "grass roots" strategy was immediately embraced by teens, and as a result, Mountain Dew became a teen drink of choice.

With the new millennium, some other companies are just now getting the drift, but "they missed the buck," said Ms. Petrecca. Kids don't trust their incentives. For example, Right Guard deodorant, in hopes of attracting a younger audience, renamed their product using the word Xtreme. "Teens are smart and cynical and are not easily fooled by a quick marketing trick like that," Ms. Petrecca volunteered.