It’s 1998, do you know where your teenage audience is? Chances are they’re surfing the Internet or sending e-mail. That’s the finding of the Simmons TeenAge Research Study (STARS), released by Simmons, a market research firm.
According to STARS, nearly 65% of teens ages 12-19 claim to have used or
subscribed to online services over the past 12 months, a 50% increase over the
43% who said they were wired two years ago.
Teens say they become aware of Web sites through word of mouth (25%), followed
by TV commercials (19%) and online browsing (17%). More than half-a-million
teenage boys claim they spend less time sleeping because of the Internet, and
at the same time, 1.8 million say they are watching less TV.
Almost 1.5 million teenage girls view the Internet as a new way to socialize
and 2.4 million girls say the Internet has increased their desire to learn.
“Teenagers are a powerful market segment and their importance to advertisers
is clear,” said Geoff Wicken, president and CEO of New York City-based
Simmons. “They have significant buying power, and our STARS study can help
advertisers not only examine teens’ service usage and purchasing habits, but
also see their likes and dislikes, attitudes and opinions
with regard to the important issues of the day.”
Teens were asked for their views on lifestyle issues, brand preferences,
leisure activities and media usage. The sample group consisted of teenagers
ages 12 to 19 and was a recontact of those households from Simmons’ Study of
Media and Markets who have
teenagers. For information on ordering a copy of the study, contact Simmons
Client Service at 800-999-7672.
