Youth Prefer You Tube over Boob Tube

Here’s another stat that will make traditional media properties cringe: 10-14 year-olds are spending more time online than in front of their TVs. According to a recent study by DoubleClick Performics, 83% of the youth sampled indicated they spend one hour or more a day online while the figure for spending the same amount of time watching TV was reported by 68%. The impact of this trend is not limited to parents, who are challenged to not only monitor kids’ online surfing behavior. Advertisers are affected by this tend, too.

Not too long ago, reaching youth markets was easier for advertisers as they could rely on TV to deliver this coveted audience. Now, with youth spending more time online (and on wireless devices), another audience has become more fragmented and difficult to reach. The study does point out some specific behaviors that should enable advertisers to pinpoint youth web surfers better such as the fact that over 70% visit social networking sites (especially MySpace). The trend toward greater use of the Internet by youth could be viewed as an opportunity in that online media provide ways for marketers and consumers to engage in meaningful interaction that simply is not possible through mass media advertising.

Link: The New York Times – “Preferring the Web over Watching TV”

Author: Don Roy

Don Roy is a marketing educator, blogger, and author. His thirty-year career began with roles in retail management, B2B sales, and franchise management. For the past 27 years, Don has shared his passion for marketing as a marketing professor. Don's teaching and research interests include brands, sports marketing, and social media marketing. Don has authored over 20 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored two textbooks, and self-published three books on personal branding. Don is an avid hockey fan and enjoys running. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons. View all posts by Don Roy