Getting the Right Message to Tweens

Selling to Kids,  Feb 7, 2001  

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Creating advertising for tweens, stuck between childish whimsy and teen sophistication, is no easy task. Some marketers think the answer is to create messages geared toward teens because tweens aspire to be older. But new research says you might be better off erring on the side of childishness.

"There's always been this myth that there's no downside to showing teen advertising - anything that you direct at teens is accessible to tweens because they'll just be happy to be included," says Nicole Lindner, strategic planner for The Geppetto Group. "The wrong teen message can be more detrimental than a kid message."

Geppetto teamed with Lightspeed Research.com to identify "Six Pillars of Tween Advertising Wisdom," which can be applied to the overall marketing messages for the age group. Some 210 kids between 10 and 13 were recruited for the online survey. Thirty-two kids, age 11-12, were exposed to 16 kid-, tween- and teen-targeted commercials. Here are some of the team's key findings:

Getting It: Tweens feel more grown up when they get the message, but something too sarcastic and edgy can go over their heads. Not understanding a message causes frustration and reminds them of their awkward transitional state. For a majority of the tweens, silly, stupid and physical is the way to get the idea across. Another helpful tool - show someone not getting it, so they can feel better about themselves. "When they don't get it, it turns into 'it's your fault, not mine,' or 'this is not a brand for me because I don't understand what they're trying to portray,'" Lindner says.

Borderline Between Fantasy and Reality

While children have strong fantasy lives, tweens know what reality is and are testing its boundaries. Pure, traditional fantasy is seldom an effective tool in communicating to tweens because it's seen as childish. Pure fantasy ads that tweens like include GEICO Direct and Budweiser spots because the products are clearly not for them, Lindner says. For tween products, this group prefers fantasy that makes a joke out of reality, fulfills a wish, acknowledges the ridiculous and enables them to feel confident they "got it."

Lighter Side of Teens: Tweens see teen life as being much like a "Saved By the Bell" episode. They don't see or comprehend the angst, cynicism and rebellion that come with it. Commercials that showed the darker side resulted it comments like: "It felt scary because it was messed up," and "It was weird in a bad way."

Commercials that emphasized tweens perception of teens' freedom and popularity could be motivating. Comments included: "It's more mature, it's for kids our age," and "I'd like to be there doing that." One of the biggest hits was a carefree Pringles commercial featuring teens getting along together at a party.

Show Me the Product: Kids want products; tweens need them. They see products as a reflection of who they are. Thus, product comparisons aren't always a good idea. If you dis a tween's brand, they may take it personally. But while teens can be more conceptual and don't actually have to see the product in use, tweens need to know how to use it, how it tastes, etc. They aren't yet willing to buy something based on image alone.

Music

Music and humor tied as the most important element in a commercial. Music relates to the emotional/identity issues tweens are going through. But not just any old song will do.

Tweens Want
Popular radio song:    68%
Sound effects:         38%
Funny music:           32%
Retro:                 9%
Jingle:                7%
Just music:            7%

Love, Tween Style

Romantic/sexy commercials were the least compelling among tweens. Advertising can contain males and females and have sexy people - but just don't let them be sexy together. Think more along like the lines of first dates. Boys wanted to see kids their own age in these commercials, but girls wanted to see teens, as they see themselves as part of that culture. When it comes to mushy stuff, tweens want to see: dancing (69%), boy/girlfriends together (63%), romantic stories (36%). They least want to see: sexy looking people (19%) or people kissing (13%).

(Geppetto Group: Nicole Lindner, 212/462-8140)

What do tweens want to see in advertising?
Kids my age         56%
Musicians           42%
TV/Book/Movie
Characters          41%
Celebrities         40%
Movie stars         39%
Athletes            33%
Tweens & Products
Product in use      46%
Make it animated    41%
Celebrity using it  36%
Comparison          19%
Taste test          13%
Product not shown   3%

COPYRIGHT 2001 Access Intelligence, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning