Observations on the Teen Demographic (Part 1 of 3): Who are you?

In America, you are not selling if you are not tapping the teen market.

There were 30 million teens in the U.S. by 2006. In 1999 it was documented that people under 18 made up 26% of the population. As you can tell by any night on television, and any movie marquis, and any newsstand, that’s a huge chunk of the population, and by percentage on of the largest with a disposable income. Therefore, they are a target. Their most persistent suitors, outside of television and movie advertisers, are the mavens of the teen magazine market. They learn hard lessons about what it takes to get a teen’s attention in just a few seconds, and keep it from month to month, because their livelihood, and their very existence, relies on that understanding. From a publishing perspective (even as a designer for a publisher which does not sell directly to the demographic) it’s equally important.

I do little these days to sell to teens, but in my last 2 jobs it was essential to understand this demographic and how to communicate with them. So I got some goods and nowhere to go with it. This next series of blogs will explore some elements key to communicating with this teen demographic, from my perspective and experience, gleaned from exposure to the elements of popular culture they are inundated with.

First and foremost, we need to keep in mind that there really isn’t one teen reader or audience. The teen population is extremely diverse. Aside from similar emotional and physical development stages, there is tremendous racial/ethnic, cultural and social diversity (the racial/ethnic proportions in our country are undergoing rapid and drastic changes now and in the near future). However, more than ever, styles of fashion, music and language are becoming more accessible to teens across the country and around the world because of TV, radio and the Internet; no longer are Californian or New York teens light years ahead of teens in the Midwest.

In every part of the country, Teens are living in an increasingly diverse population, racially and ethnically. Also, there are many social groups within any teen community. Caution should be used not to lump everyone together or assume homogeneity within the age range. Diversity must be acknowledged.

Inclusivity and diversity are thought to reach the biggest audience in marketing to teens. Teens these days, and increasingly in the future, are living in an increasingly multicultural nation. Not only that, but the proportions of those varying cultures are changing. In 1999, 65% of U.S. children were white, non-Hispanic. Since, taking Hispanic population as an example, the number of Hispanic children had increased faster than that of any other ethnic group. They were 9% of the child population in 1980, 16% in 1999. By 2020, it is projected that more than 1 in 5 children will be of Hispanic origin. By 2050, non-Hispanic Whites are expected to decrease to less than 53% of the population.

Such demographic changes are reflected in popular culture in the increasing prevalence of television programs that feature diversity, without calling attention to that diversity. Shows such as Greys Anatomy feature an ethnically diverse cast, without ever having that diversity showcased as part of the plot.

What this means in terms of imagery in product is that it’s quite different from 10 years ago. Then it was a difficult thing to find images of diverse teens in a group. Now using anything but fully diverse images feel inauthentic, which is the worst mistake to make in communicating with this demographic.

Next: The Birth of Generation Digital