Study: Friends Determine What Is ‘Cool’ Among Young People

MTV, Nickelodeon, Microsoft Release ‘The Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground’

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, July 24, 2007

When it comes to influencing young people, friends are often the best brand marketers.

That’s one of the key takeaways from a new global study about youth and technology called “The Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground” from MTV, Nickelodeon and Microsoft, which used both qualitative and quantitative methodology to talk to 18,000 “tech-embracing” kids (8-14) and young people (14-24) in 16 countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

In the study, MTV Networks and Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions studied 21 technologies that impact on the lives of young people: Internet, e-mail, PC, TV, mobile, instant messaging, cable and satellite TV, DVD, MP3, stereo/hi-fi, digital cameras, social networks, on and offline video games, CDs, HDTV, VHS, webcams, MP4 players, digital-video recorders/personal video recorders and hand-held game consoles.

As for the friends connection, Circuits indicated that advertisers and content companies that want to engage youthful audiences must understand the changes taking place in how they lead their lives. Almost all young people use technology to continuously communicate, express themselves and be entertained. The various devices enhance, rather than replace, face-to-face interaction, according to the study.

To that end, a majority of respondents said most of the Web-site links (88%) they viewed and the viral-video content they downloaded (55%) came from friends’ recommendations.

Audiences also wanted more control of what they watched and when they wanted it. Young people expect content to be on all platforms -- mobile, computer and TV.

“Traditional youth marketing considered opinion formers and influencers to be a small elite, but these days, the elite has become much larger,” said Andrew Davidson, vice president of VBS International Insight at MTV Networks International, in a prepared statement.

That notion is underscored by survey results showing that technology has served to dramatically increase the number of friends groups. Globally, the average young person connected to digital technology has 94 phone numbers in his or her mobile, 78 people on a messenger buddy list and 86 people in their social-networking community.

More specifically, the survey found that the number of friends for young males more than doubles between the ages of 13-14 and 14-17, jumping from 24 to 69. Moreover, the survey found that boys 18-21, who have on average 70 friends, are the most social group -- not girls aged 14-17.

Their technological immersion aside, the generation of digi-kids are not geeks -- 59% of 8- to 14-year-old kids still prefer their TV to their PCs, while only 20% of 14- to 24-year-old young people globally admitted to being “interested” in technology, which facilitates but doesn’t capture their lives. All the same, they are expert multitaskers, able to filter different channels of information.

Still, Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground found that what kids and teens do has not significantly changed in 15 years. For young kids, watching TV (85%) tops the list, followed by listening to music (70%), hanging out with friends (68%), playing video games (67%) and spending time online (51%).

Becoming teen-agers changes things somewhat. Among those 14-24, the favorite pastimes are listening to music (70%) and watching TV or hanging out with friends, tied at 65%. Next came watching DVDs (60%), relaxing (60%), going to the movies, (59%), spending time online (56%), spending time with girl or boyfriend (55%), eating (53%) and hanging out at home (49%).

“The survey revealed a strong dynamic between TV and the Internet, especially for 14-24s. Young people watch TV for stress relief -- 60% of the sample said they watched most of their TV lying down. The Internet, on the other hand, is cognitive and active, especially if kids are using it for homework or social situations,” Davidson said.

On the advertising front, the survey indicated that kids still enjoy good creative, especially on TV. While respondents indicated that “best ad they’ve seen recently” is still overwhelmingly on the small screen, marketers have the opportunity to extend their digital advertising across the other technologies kids are engaged with, including IM and social-networking sites, especially since 47% of youth IM each other about “what is on TV right now.”

“Far from being a background medium, TV is the only medium they use while not multitasking at all,” Davidson said. “ Linear TV is the medium for introducing people to new things they weren’t searching for in the first place.”