There’s a fantastic report coming out of Morgan Stanley that analyzes the way teens consume media in this day and age. The source was a 15-year-old boy; he interns at the company. The results will the music industry, make Hollywood very happy indeed, and put to bed the notion that everyone is head over heels in love with Twitter.
So the boy, one Matthew Robson, says the following:
• Teens don’t want to pay for music, and certainly not CDs. They’ll either download it illegally or going on streaming sites to listen to what they want, when they want.
• Radio is dead to teenagers, as we’ve said in the past.
• Teens hates intrusive advertising.
• Teens still spend money going to the movie theater, but merely because it’s a social activity. That would explain why something like Paul Blart: Mall Cop was such a big hit.
• Print media is irrelevant to them. Irrelevant!
• Teens don’t use Twitter because no one is reading their tweets. Twitter is totally different when you have thousands of people following you versus only a handful of your co-workers.
• Teens use Facebook like it’s their job (so no idea where these “the graying of Facebook” stories are coming from)
• Teens don’t watch live TV anymore, preferring to watch content online. (The report cites the BBC iPlayer, but that’s because this is a UK-based report. I imagine you’d be able to substitute that with Hulu when dealing with American teens.)
• Sony Ericsson phones are seen as being high-end. Again, that’s another European bias—when was the last time you saw anyone, let alone a teen, in the U.S. with a Sony Ericsson phone?
• Well-to-do teens listen to music on the iPod, less well-off teens use their cellphone
And that’s about it.
One thing that strikes me: teens don’t like advertising, yet they want everything for free? Hope they have their What.cd account safe and secure, then.
Oh, and lest we forget: this entire report is based on the handiwork of a single 15-year-old boy who interns at Morgan Stanley, which either suggests that he’s wicked smart or that he comes from a decidedly middle class family. (I would suggest that most 15-year-olds don’t intern at gigantic financial institutions.) His views may not accurately reflect the views of the “average” teenager. It’d be like asking a Goldman Sachs exec how his life is: he’d say it’s going great, but there’s a hell of a lot of people who are hurting out there.
I’ll be sure to seek out his advice the next time I’m young and clueless.
“Steal everything you own? Who gave you that advice?”
“Oh, that was Matt, my Morgan Stanley agent. By the way, cancel my magazine subscriptions. Print media is Irrelevant.”
I could have told you exactly the same.. who doesn’t know these things?! I thought it was common knowledge…
I’m 17 and living in Germany, was in the US for 1 year.. but the media live is not that much of a difference, except for the phones (it really is true: Sony Ericsson phones are high end over here, but they really are.. I guess they are just not selling in the US.
can’t wait until he tries to get a real job or even better, start his own company. All his ‘values’ will be flipped upside down.
But just goes to show that one marketing solution isn’t going to reach everyone on the web. Must have multi-pronged approaches (even men vs. women’s buying habits & behaviours etc)
teens dont twitter? teens dont pay for music? I hate facebook, i know many people who regulary twitter, and almost everyone i know has a sony erection, or an iphone (i have an iphone)
Stop this garbage.
Oh, and im 13
You have an iPhone and are 13?
That’s a lot of paper routes to pay that monthly bill!
and this is exactty why i laugh when people say that you should take blogging/comments seriously!!!
as a 48 year old, there’s almost nothing a 15 year old could say to me, about a topic that we’d have in common..
so until someone creates a process that allows me as a reader to have background information on the poster, all comments/articles are taken with a huge grain of salt!
Maybe that’s why print media is irrelevant to teens – it’s mostly written by ~48 year olds…?
It’s written by older people because not just anyone can write for printed publications. Typically you have to be a real writer of some sort and not some random blogger like 99% of us internet folk. Say what you will about the future of print…at least whenever I saw someone’s name in print, it added a great deal of credibility to whatever they said (afterall, not only did the publisher pay to publish their words, so did the advertisers!).
Yea I have a sony erection too, a big one.
15 year old intern?
Sorry – that wrecks all the credibility of this report right there.
And what’s with the 99%,80%,percent-only rubbish? How many teenagers were “interviewed” anyways? Unless it’s over 1,000, I’m not interested in the data.
I’m confused. This ‘report’ about ‘the way teens consume media’ is based off of the experiences of only one 15 year old, and particularly one who was able to get an internship at Morgan Stanley at 15 years old?
Unless the story is about how serious people are taking the word of a 15 year old rather than seriously researching teenage attitudes and habits, this makes no sense.
Exactly, why would anyone even write this – its bad journalism and just stupid. Who gives a …. about one rich kid working for his daddy’s investment bank.
people work start working at a younger age in the UK, so it’s possible for there to be a 15 year old intern, though i’m not sure why MS would focus a whole report around one person.
I’m 15, and I do listen to the radio- though I’m looking at a zune hd depending on the price. I use twitter/facebook, though twitter more. I use both fm radio and pandora (heavily) and I’ve never watched much tv, online or otherwise. news I get from 95 rss feeds in greader
reeeeeeeeetarded.
I’m a 17-year-old blogger trying to start a small web-based business, and
- I don’t buy much music. I rip my parents’ rather large CD collection, listen to Last.fm, and buy the occasional new CD.
- I hate intrusive advertising, but I make some good money from ads of a much higher quality than what the majority of sites use. (I have a no-Flash policy, for one thing, and I keep my banners small.)
- I pretty much never go to movie theaters. Maybe 2-3 times a year at the most.
- Print media is not totally irrelevant. I read a lot of books, fiction and nonfiction.
- I use Twitter a lot, and have well over a thousand followers.
- I rarely use Facebook. Overall, it’s a waste of my time, and my friends use it far too much.
- I don’t watch much TV, except for Smallville and Legend of the Seeker. I used to enjoy Jeopardy too, but haven’t watched it in some time. I prefer watching defunct shows online or via Netflix, which are much better quality than what’s on today. Quantum Leap, Alias, The Pretender, Early Edition, etc.
- I don’t own a cellphone, and can’t see myself ever paying the exorbitant rates for one. My iPod Touch is great. Music, podcasts, and internet access virtually everywhere. My only regret is that I’m limited to open Wi-Fi access points, rather than having a 3G or EDGE connection. Generally, though, I don’t touch phones. And I loathe SMS messages.
OK then how do we make money off these punks if they won’t buy anything but movie tix and iPods?
clothing & shoes.
First off: what’s with all the remarks about theft? Teens don’t hate “advertising”, just “intrusive advertising.” Here’s how advertising works when it’s not intrusive:
Pandora’s ads are off on the side and never obscure the music player. I can watch TV shows on Hulu with a single 15-second commercial per break. (In comparison, it feels like half the time on TV goes to commercials.) And if that’s too many commercials, Netflix has a bunch of shows available for online streaming without any commercials. YouTube’s ads don’t block my videos. I use Twitterific on my iPhone which is a “free” app that runs unintrusive ads on the bottom.
So there’s free and then there’s free. The online future will be to the companies that do “free” right (or at least really cheap, like 99-cent apps).
Lastly, if you want me to watch an ad then make it funny. I’ll watch it on youtube and pass it to my friends. Google “trunk monkey” and see what I mean.
I’m no teenager, but I’m tired of junk commercials too. I won’t pay anybody a subscription for news (Except that Time magazine offered 3 years for $20 bucks… I don’t even read it but I got it just because.)
I’m not sure what a 15 year-old is doing interning at Morgan either, but if you don’t like this report then just ask whichever teens you have handy for their inputs. I think you’ll find the report isn’t too far off…
This report is consistent with some of what I’ve observed in fellow teens, but it isn’t as definitive as it seems. It’s true that we FB to an almost ridiculously large extent and don’t like advertising (who does?) However, I think the success of iTunes and cell phone music shows that teens are at least willing to pay digital dollars for their favorite songs.
- teens Twitter, but it’s more about who you’re following than who’s following you
- I hardly ever go to the movies or watch TV. Waste of time, and it’s not interactive.
- finally, I think it’s dangerous that print media is irrelevant, because print and digital have vastly different cultural influences and social consequences. They shouldn’t be viewed as interchangeable.
I’m 19.
Because every normal clued-up fifteen year-old spends his or her summer geeking in an investment bank…this is a shoddy PR stunt at best
1. This is true for some but I also know a lot of people who buy music from itunes and more that keep vinyl collections.
2. Radio is not dead; listened to less, sure. But not dead.
3, Who doesn’t?
4. Teens do go to the movies but not to see things like Paul Blart: Mall Cop, or at least not my friends.
5. Unfortunatly this is sort of true…
6. Although Twitter does have privacy settings like facebook it is often overlooked by people. And yes most don’t use twitter but everyone has a
facebook or myspace.
7. Don’t know what graying of Facebook is but yes facebook is used a lot.
8. FALSE. Everyone watches TV, and Hulu is nice but that popular. Lots of TV is still watched.
9. Don’t know what this phone is…
10. This kid sounds like he’s pretty rich considering the use of words like well-to-do and has a crazy good job for a 15 year old. Everyone has a iPod, everyone (even the “less well-off”).
In this article is the true downfall of web 2.0. These teenagers expect everything for free and they hate intrusive advertising. I would put that teens don’t like advertising in general and have growth an ability to block it out of their minds when they surf the web.
Teens will consume your free content, but won’t allow you to make money from them off of advertising, which most of these web 2.0 companies depend on.
You couldn’t play the stereotype of ’stuffy old person’ any more with that comment. I was literally waiting for the words ‘damn teenagers’ to come out of your mouth.
If I was to generalize (and I will), I would agree that teenagers (and I think I qualify, as a 19 year old) DO hate intrusive ads. We hate advertising that gets in your face and demands our time, even if it’s just to mute an obnoxious pre-roll or close one of those in-site pop-up ads (I don’t know the exact term for them), while we’re trying to do something.
But let’s face it: It’s teenagers and people in their 20s who helped companies like MySpace and Facebook take off. If Facebook had started with a group of middle-aged businessmen, or even tech entrepreneurs, as opposed to a core group of well connected Ivy League students, would it have exploded the way it did? No chance!
Saying that our generation is the ‘downfall of Web 2.0′ is remarkably unappreciative of the web 2.0 market. You’re right, we HAVE developed the ability to ignore ads, but that’s because the advertisers forced us to become that way. We don’t like it when you slap brand names all over everything, and get in our faces with ads. We’re tired of seeing ads about our credit score and ways to ‘make easy money.’ Just give us good advertising, targeted at our interests, that piques our curiosity while not interfering with the content of the website we’re browsing, and we’ll happily let you ‘make money off’ us, as you so elegantly put it.
“We don’t like it when you slap brand names all over everything”
Then *please* stop wearing those damn Aeropostale and Abercrombie and Fitch shirts.
Think about it. You’re paying good money to advertise a company (that certainly is overpriced).
That’s fundamentally different. When someone buys a shirt with ‘Abercrombie and Fitch’ written on it, it’s because they bought the shirt from A&F and don’t mind other people knowing. We do the same things with appliances (I bet your dishwasher or fridge says its brand on it) and cars (I can’t even think of a production vehicle that doesn’t have its model and brand written on it), but you’re not calling for those companies to pull their name of their own product!
Now, if people went to A&F and started buying shirts that said Coca-Cola and Nike on them, that would be ridiculous, and I think you would find that they wouldn’t sell well. It’s fine to put your own name on your own product- but it’s really annoying to see other brand names in our face, trying to distract us from the issue. I don’t mind finding out that your shirt is from A&F (although I might think you’re kind of a tool), but I would mind if you had a bright ad that flashed and made noise to get my attention plastered on the front of your shirt.
So very true.
I’m 16, and I’ve been browsing the web for hours already today.
The thing is, I can’t name one ad. I’ve seen since I’ve started.
Teens’ [at least me personally], have an unbelievable ability to block out the ads.
Without scrolling up this page I honestly can’t tell you if, and where there are any ads on this page, or anywhere on this website even.
This needs to change so that companies can monetize their services fully, rather relying on blind-clicks; ugly, badly developed flashy ads; etc.
As a future web entrepreneur, I will make sure that I try my best to employ far better monetizing strategies for my sites’ users.
All I can say is… DUH! None of this information is new, we know people have quit listening to the radio, quit watching traditional TV, quit reading print media, and HATE advertisements. Also we know people have stopped buying CDs, that came to an abrupt stop a long time ago with the creation of Napster… remember them? They were here before itunes and the ipod was ever heard of!
Nothing new, this kid isn’t a genius other than the fact that he some how found a way to receive a considerable amount of hype and press over second hand information. Come on old folks, get with it.
Also, 15?! Is it even legal to be working at that age? I suppose it depends on what state you live in…
Most working age laws don’t apply to internships.
It would be different if he were working at a restaurant or something… but even for that, the age in California is technically 14.
Very interesting, and very HELPFUL article, explained in plain english! Everyone involved in marketing should realize how teenagers consume music!
For more info on this topic by witty Wayne Rosso, visit our post here: http://www.themusicvoid.com/2009/04/teens-cut-online-music-spending-use-free-web-sites/
Sorry:
“Sony Ericsson phones are seen as being high-end. Again, that’s another European bias—when was the last time you saw anyone, let alone a teen, in the U.S. with a Sony Ericsson phone”
As usual you American guys have a bias: you confuse UK with Europe. Sony Ericsson is not the major player in many European countries…
So whats the Sample size? sound like a version of the annoying french intern in the alex cartoon.
Bet this comes back to haunt him in later life after all he got teh piss ripped of hi in the guardian this morning
I’m 14, and I feel I’m opposite of nearly everything on there.
+ Music, I do download off P2P, but it’s because I don’t have the money to buy it. But I love owning CDs and stuff. Having a hard copy of something is just so much better.
+ Radio, I love listening to. I may not listen much, but on a drive or something, sure, it’s great!
+ Ads, that’s the only one I really agree on. I hate ads of all kinds, anywhere. (well, there are a few exceptions, like a bilboard or on a bus, but on sites and television annoys me quite a bit.)
+ Movies, I hate watching. Even if there’s one I’m interested in, I won’t go.
+ Print media, I assume is meant like newspapers? I love reading newspapers. Reading news online isn’t nearly as fun, and it’s not a big deal if I spill breakfast on a paper, compared to the keyboard.
+ Twitter is great, and I don’t care if people read my tweets or not. Same as with blogging, I don’t do it for others, I do it for myself.
+ Facebook… bleh. Nothing more.
+ TV, I don’t watch a lot of shows, but picking between watching online or on TV, I’d definitely pick the television.
+ Phones, I can’t really comment on that…
+ iPod, I love mine. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
+
Just cant stop my self to comment on your blog. Good post.
I’m also a teen and I totally agree with the Twitter thing but I totally disagree with the music thing where they just download it illegally or go to a streaming site. That’s messed up. That’s what poor kids do. My friends and I are either rich or middle class. He must be poor. Pfft. :P Print media is not irrelevant. I like reading a good informative book or two. Or maybe a novel. Yeah. Agree with the FaceBook thing. It is still alive and kicking. I do listen to the Radio. ‘Intrusive’ advertising is not unpreffered. There is not truth on the Sony Ericsson thing. They are nice. It just depends on the person. It’s the same with the other brands like Samsung and L.G. What the fuck? I do watch live T.V.
Overall, I see this Matthew Robson guy as a typical kid (who I think are losers) used to free stuff. These are mostly immature. They have no long term goals. They are pathetic.
I would like to emphasize my approval of the teens don’t use Twitter thing, though.
I hate twitter. But I am in love with Facebook. Certainly I don’t spend hours on it, but I love to talk to my friends from my old schools.
I am a teen writer at RadicalParenting.com which is a parenting blog from the kid’s perspective there are 60 teen and tween writers run by teen author, Vanessa Van Petten. We just posted a video of “Why do Teens Use Social Networking Sites?” here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6YT6sEDZiE
and would love for you to check it out and tell us what you think or repost if you like it,
Cheers, thanks for checking it out!
G and the Teen Team
http://radicalparenting.com