Brands are witnessing a heightened duty of care towards their audience, as a result of consumer pressure. This duty of care includes brands aiming to become the go-to source for a wide variety of people both via online and offline means, ensuring they are being as inclusive as possible, and making informed decisions in regards to their marketing materials.
As teenagers will make up the consumer pool in the years to come, it’s important for brands to always be ready for the next generation of their audience too. Advertising to this group is therefore vital. The teenage generation utilise different shopping techniques than their parents. Think social network influence such as Instagram, streaming platforms and reviews from platforms like YouTube, this is a generation that grew up with the internet.
If you feel that your business could be doing more to help the younger generation, join us as we take a look at six brands which have delved into marketing activity which supports teens…
How Clearasil is supporting teens
Many teenagers will see skincare as being a fight that they are always losing. However, there are a few tried-and-true brands that generation after generation head back to. Clearasil is one of those brands, the go-to name in facial scrubs for the acne-prone.
One bold action by Clearasil though was when they launched a campaign which saw them admitting that they ‘didn’t know teens’. Perhaps more triumphantly, the brand’s ad campaign rose from their incorrect use of a meme, which was duly torn apart by teenage viewers saying Clearasil clearly didn’t know what teens liked. The campaign consisted of a series of videos in which employees of Clearasil presented themselves as being woefully out of touch with teen culture. The employees admit that they while they know teen acne, they don’t know teens. The campaign’s success lay in the sense of honesty, which teenagers would connect with, rather than attempting to present themselves as “cool”.
How Doritos is supporting teens
When Google recently carried out a study prompting those between 13 and 17 years old to chart brands in terms of ‘coolness’, both Instagram and Apple ranked lower than Doritos.
Just what is Doritos doing to reach out to provide a helping hand to teenagers? One key way for brands to appeal to teenagers is to support the movements they support. Doritos nailed this by showing their support for LGBT campaigns with their limited-edition rainbow-coloured snack. To get one of these colourful packs, a donation had to be made to the It Gets Better Project. Naturally, this resonated hugely with consumers and the limited-edition Doritos quickly sold out.
If you take anything away from Doritos’ example, it’s that the brand has displayed their support for a global concern that holds value with today’s teens. They didn’t claim to be the entire solution to the problem either.
How DOVE is supporting teens
Young people should be allowed to reach their full potential — that’s a key belief at toiletries firm DOVE. As such, the brand has launched the Self-Esteem Project that has changed 40 million lives since 2004 through educational programmes. Their research discovered that nine out of ten girls with low self-esteem put their own health at risk by not seeing doctors or missing out on meals.
There’s a collection of parent, teacher and youth leader resources which are provided by DOVE free of charge, which seek to assist adults speak to a young person who may be lacking in confidence. As well as this, their onsite blog allows you to learn more about key areas that influence a teens life — from social media and reality TV pressures to school bullying and mental health.
How Lil-Lets is supporting teens
It’s an important time in a young girls’ life when they start their period. For many though, it can be an anxious time too. However, Lil-Lets has created their own teen range which is perfect for breaking the stigma around periods.
Period starter kits from Lil-Lets are created with age in mind, for instance. These kits make sure that everything is designed to reflect what appeals to young girls; using pastel colours and love-heart sketches on the packaging. The discreet design reinforces the idea that periods don’t have to be a scary thing to encounter and will allow young girls to carry products around without feeling embarrassed when the time comes.
Then there are Lil-Lets’ teens pads. These have been created so that they are smaller and narrower, which means they are often a better fit for a young girl’s body. They are also just as absorbent as adult products and are comfortable to wear.
How Nike is supporting teens
In the Google study that we mentioned earlier when shining the spotlight on Doritos, Nike also scored incredibly well. In fact, teenagers ranked it the same level of “cool” as Apple, and the brand outdone the likes of Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Twitter.
Similar to Doritos, Nike is another brand that doesn’t turn away from providing their support to movements which are valued by teenagers. For example, their classic “Just Do It” campaign recently featured Colin Kaepernick, the American Footballer who started the “Take a Knee” protest against racial and social injustices by kneeling during the national anthem. Nike continued to show their support for sports stars who were standing up against racial injustices with their latest campaign, featuring Raheem Sterling. This willingness to “speak out” in defence of equality has a huge value to teenagers in particular, who have a greater appreciation not only for what a brand sells, but what it stands for.
How River Island is supporting teens
In a move that worked to reject stereotypes and instead championed self-expression, River Island launched its ‘Labels Are For Clothes’ campaign when partnering with the anti-bullying charity, Ditch The Label. For its 30th birthday, the fashion store created advertisements that featured a range of body types and abilities to heighten inclusivity.
People from many different backgrounds, such as those with Down syndrome and disabilities, were used when River Island promoted its AW18 range. It was arguably the brand’s most diverse campaign yet. River Island has acknowledged its responsibility to project the world around them, seeing as everyone wears clothes.
Shopping via high-street brands like River Island is seen by many young people as a part of growing up. To see that different people are being represented on a national scale will allow them to become more accepting of the world around them.
These are just a few key examples of how brands are working to meet the demands of modern culture and ensuring they cater to a newly found audience who will quickly become their most important consumer base. By capturing a person’s custom at an earlier stage, you’ll be able to focus on retention and ensure loyalty as that individual transitions from teen-to-adult in the near future.
Sources:
https://www.lil-lets.co.uk/products/teen-range
https://www.dove.com/uk/dove-self-esteem-project.html
https://storage.googleapis.com/think/docs/its-lit.pdf
http://time.com/4038837/doritos-rainbow-chips-pride-lgbt/