NEW YORK: A Ketchum study of teenagers released last week has revealed that Generation Y trusts traditional sources when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
NEW YORK: A Ketchum study of teenagers released last week has
revealed that Generation Y trusts traditional sources when it comes to
making purchasing decisions.
The survey, conducted by the agency’s global brand marketing practice,
polled nearly 1,200 young people aged 14 to 18 in 27 countries via
face-to-face interviews.
While Generation Y is often described as more cynical than its forbears,
its members trust non-advertising media, friends and even parents more
than traditional advertising.
Non-advertising media was the second most-trusted source for purchases
of beauty, sports/fitness, car/bike, clothing, CD/computer game and
non-prescription health products. Friends were the most-trusted source
in nearly all product categories.
’Media reports could be the most direct and persuasive way to reach
teens,’ said Karen Strauss, a creative director in Ketchum’s NY
office.
The study also found that teens rarely view pop culture as a credible
source of information. TV news messages were deemed reliable ’most of
the time’ by 77% of those surveyed, and newspapers, radio, magazines and
Internet reports were all trusted more than advertising.
Predictably, responses varied by culture. European teens were the most
skeptical, US teens placed significant trust in celebrities and Asian
teens did not find endorsements as appealing.
And mom and dad still exert substantial power over their kids when it
comes to spending, with parents proving the top overall source of
information prior to purchasing.
