Please value me (me being "them")

Very interesting article that my pal Matt pointed me to in which AdAge reported on a survey with findings from online teens and tweens (the word "tweens" still makes me giggle, you too?). Here's an excerpt of what I found most valuable...

"While 96% of online tweens and teens have used social networking technologies, 71% of online tweens and teens connect to a social network at least once a week, according to a study and white paper being released today from Alloy Media & Marketing, a youth-oriented marketing firm. And nearly half engaged with a brand in the space in the past month."

Yeah, 71% is an attention-grabber...but here's where I'm focusing:

"If there was a theme to their responses, said Samantha Skey, exec VP-strategic marketing at Alloy, it would be to meet teens and tweens on their terms. "The operative distinction they're making is: 'Do not interrupt me en route to a connection with one of my peers or in the midst of a conversation,'" she said. "They're saying: 'Enhance or facilitate my social-networking experience. Offer me utilities to enhance my production process or tools to help me better able to express or engage myself." In other words, give them freebies: utilities, cool downloads, exclusive content and other items of value. "Mix their music or animate their backgrounds or offer a countdown to a special day," Ms. Skey said."

Can you hear what they're crying for?

Of course you can.

They're asking for value.

And we know a lot about that since value creation is the whole purpose of marketing.

They're also asking us to help them better express themselves (them not us) in order to connect with others (those others aren't us).

And if the customer is asking, we should be listening.

But you fine folks knew that.

So spread it around, k? Cuz there remain A LOT of pesky interruptions. That makes for a lot of noise (and that noise makes it harder for us to hear them). We don't need more noise...just more value.

Update/Pertinent Example: Though not a teen--and definitely not a tween--I was approached earlier by a new social portal to be a beta-tester and give them content by uploading my bookmarks. In return for giving them time and my content, I would receive a t-shirt and set of pins...that advertise their offering. A better strategy would be to offer beta-testers incentives that are meaningful to them...or me, in this case. Perhaps get to choose from different t-shirts so as to find one that suits my fancy, including ones that advertise the offering. This just makes a whole lot of sense to me. Conversely, asking people to test a product, give you content and then thanking them by asking them to advertise for you does not. Especially when the brand has not reached a cult status like, say, Apple or Nike. But that's just me and the value I seek ;-).

Comments

[Gavin Heaton]

Too right, CK! But the same applies to us all. Who wants to be interrupted? Who would prefer just a little respect (me and Jabberjaw)?

Take a look at this short video ... fascinating insight into the tween and teen world.
http://nytimesshorts.feedroom.com/?fr_chl=5ffba501e74c858c758a3b94dfc38a4d706d9777

[Tangerine Toad]

@CK: Like I said the other day "Your brand is not my friend" - for this generation ads on their SN sites would be akin to us having to listen to a 10 second promo every time we tried to make a call on our cell phones.

@Gavin- very interesting. But take it with a grain-- heck, a whole shaker of salt. Greenfield very much has an agenda and (as the father of tweens being raised in a similarly upscale NYC burb) these kids are far from representative. Not unknown but certainly a tiny fringe. It all comes from the parents

[John Dodds]

Phrases like "engaged with a brand" are what gets marketing a bad name!

[CK]

@Gav: As I emailed you earlier, I watched the clip (and it made me sorta sad but i'm glad I viewed it).

@Toad: I have some ideas on your YBINMF series (getting that message out there). We'll talk it offline and you can take/toss the ideas (epiphanies?). Insofar as coming from the parents, yes for sure....but also very much from social groups (as Cialdini stated in "Influence" and Freakonomics guys cited in their great read). But I'm not saying that parents don't teach the good values. And who the heck am I to pontificate since I'm not facing the challenges of child-raisng in this competitive society!

Interesting too, is the VAST difference in old money vs. new money mentalities. Ya know what I mean, it's startling.

[CK]

@John: Not listening to customers needs and interrupting them are what get marketing a bad name (but I hear you on the buzzwords ;-).

[Tangerine Toad]

@CK- I hear you. But like I said, Greenfield has an agenda and she's found the most extreme examples of materialism. You're right that kids for whom that sort of thing really matters tend to find each other.
And I've found it's less about parents actively teaching "values" as much as it is parents who just don't define themselves by their possessions. If mom is an avid tennis player and that's the focus of her days, then it's likely the kids aren't taking notes on who has what pocketbook.

As for old vs new money, I just read something the other day-- I'll post again if I remember where- discussing the overwhelming amount of new wealth in the US and how they are rewriting the "rules" for being rich. Most interesting was that they tended to look down on old money types as being members of the "Lucky Sperm Club." There's also a huge difference in the 3 types of people who have become zillionaires in the past decade or two: Wall Streeters are different than Dot Commers are different than Sellers of Family Businesses. (But that's a whole 'nother discussion)

Finally, I'd love to hear your thoughts on those essays. I am always open to collaboration.

[NW Guy]

There is a better question to ask about the T-shirt - is it generic or flattering? She is now offline but Kathy Sierra did a good writeup/modeling of this issue a while back. Maybe you could do the same? j/k

Good points; it's a great approach...help me out and then please advertise for me!