Real You: How will you market to my teenage daughter?

Posted on | February 20, 2009 |

“Well,” she says thoughtfully, “I usually like what my friends like.”

Of course, I thought. And when she asks her friends a question or for a suggestion, she texts on her cell phone. She doesn’t call. She is at the later edge of Gen Y, the folks projected to spend 1/3 of their lives online. She’s one of 80 million. And as a young woman, she’ll be making the purchases. Now, and long into the future.

But we had more time, so I thought I’d push for information on the way home from school today. I’ve found conversation to be useful in times of terror. You see, my 15 year-old was driving me instead of the other way around. But that’s another blog.

What medium would a marketer use to reach you? “Text messages,” she says, “And then doing something on Facebook.” I ask her if it would be OK for advertisers to embed messaging or products into her favorite Sims games. She thought that would be kinda cool. She loves going to movies, so ads before the show have her attention. As for television, that still works, she says, are fast food ads because she’s “always hungry”. On tv, trailers for movies coming out make her want to see the movies, then she sees ads at the movies and “it’s a viscious circle.”

(Hear a screech as we stop suddenly. I am getting car sick but continue to probe. She agrees, but only if we can drive through Starbucks. I wonder if she can navigate the drive-thru but agree, reluctantly.)

As we pulled up to the window at Starbucks, she was asked if she would like to buy a pound of coffee to send to the troops. She was paying, and she agreed, upping the total by $11.00. I was impressed. As we drove away, I said, that marketing seemed to work well. Why did you spend your money?

“The guy asked me. I would’ve felt guilty saying no. I thought it was important for troops to stay awake,” she answered.

Simple enough. Be a trusted brand like Starbucks. Be relevant - by using sustainability as a founding principle - and be direct. And if you have a retail presence, talk to your customers. Treat them like real people, even if they’re 15 and having trouble navigating the drive-thru.

Kaira Sturdivant Rouda is the mom of four teenagers, and thankfully, made it home from school in one piece. Today.