Try This At Home - Teens model lives after movies - Brief Article

Brandweek, July 16, 2001 by Becky Ebenkamp

Don't tell Sen. Joseph Lieberman, but movies do more than just entertain--they influence, if survey stats provided by teen research newsletter Beats Per Minute from Triple Dot Communications and Y-Access are to be trusted. Teens turn to films as career counselors, hair stylists and cause consultants, it shows. Some specifics:

* 56% of teens say they've gotten an idea for a future career after observing an occupation on the silver screen.

* More than half (56%) buy soundtracks after hearing a movie's music.

* 46% say that a film has been the impetus for them to become interested in a cause.

* 37% of teens have researched the subject matter that a movie was about for more information.

* Movies have given 70% a new attitude on life.

* More than a third (38%) discovered a new role model after watching a film.

* 30% have modeled their haircut after an actor/actress in a movie.

* On the other hand, teens are rarely influenced by clothing styles they see on the big screen. They also indicate they're not very likely to take up a new hobby--such as martial arts, surfing or playing a musical instrument--just because they saw it in a film.

When teenagers' busy schedules let up, they say that going to the movies is their second-favorite free-time activity, and ranked the experience ahead of shopping, Web surfing and watching TV. Catching a movie was only beaten out by teens' first choice: listening to music.

Overwhelmingly, teens say their favorite type of movie is a comedy (53%). Funny flicks were trailed by action (13%), drama (9%), horror (8%), independent (3%), suspense (2%), animation (l%), musical (1%) and foreign/sci-fi (1%) genres. No young respondent favored documentaries or movie classics.