Capture Teens in a Mobile Web
Teens: a great demographic
As the mobile web reaches maturity, major brands are scrambling to stake their claim on the new frontier. Targeting the teen audience is a logical step; they are the fastest to adopt new mobile technologies, and the immediacy of the mobile web is an intrinsic part of their culture. However, the marketer venturing into the mobile space to pursue this demographic must be careful. Success depends on an understanding of how teens want to be spoken to, as well as how they will perceive the message. Failure is often very costly, and controversy is quite public given the media attention focused on the topic. The time is right, the rewards are great, but the risk is real.
We'll explore the teen market and how their use of mobile technologies shapes a pragmatic approach to reaching them with a positive, resonant message.
Surly, savvy and sophisticated
The first thing to discuss is teenagers themselves. In some ways, they are a dream demographic; is there anything better than a group of potential buyers who are informed, bestowed and besotted with money from their parents and who consume technology and goods avidly? In other ways, however, reaching this group can be extremely difficult. It's not easy to reach people in the throes of anti-establishment, anti-adult and anti-corporate brand rebellion. Teenagers are a very tough audience, and a successful mobile campaign has to reach them in the right place, at the right time, in the right way.
They are connoisseurs of media consumption and have been raised in a world of rapid technological change. Accordingly, teenagers definitely have strong opinions that could impact how a mobile campaign is rolled out and adopted by end users. One challenge is how to speak to this audience by delivering a brand message on a screen the size of passport photo. Choosing the correct voice is essential, as teens will know when they are being pandered to, and they won't like it.
When coming up with terminology, such as navigation nomenclature, check in with Urban Dictionary to make sure that the word does not have alternative meanings.
Recently a major brand on the verge of releasing a mobile application had to rename key functionality because the terminology it had innocently selected was rife with lascivious connotations. It is best to make sure that the copy and content on the mobile application is consistent with the brand and does not try to use any teen-speak or lingo.
On-target brand messaging, thematically consistent with other channels, will be well received by the audience. In some recent usability testing for a mobile site, teenagers liked seeing a major consumer brand subtly placed on the screen.
Providing autonomy and privacy
Brand affinity is a powerful identifier for kids, and they are selective about who they associate with, even if they don't use the product. In one recent survey, a large telco found that 95 percent of the respondents it queried had a strong affiliation with its brand, but only 5 percent were actually purchasing the product.
Kids are at a point in their lives where they are simultaneously trying to conform to a larger group while establishing their independence. Successful mobile campaigns will give kids the ability to express themselves, where appropriate. For example, teenagers expect highly customizable avatars, such as those found on Yahoo!, and they are turned off if they don't have the option. Similarly, if teens are putting up any profile information about themselves, they will want to be able to say a lot, and control exactly what they say.
Brands that are considering this platform must be careful, however. Given the recent mishaps with predators on MySpace, kids and adults alike are very sensitive to who can access what data.
"Don't talk to strangers" has long been a mantra of child safety, and mobile devices are not an exception. Teenagers understand the implications of having a very public MySpace page and a private Facebook identity. If they are sharing content in a social networking context, they will want to understand who has access to their data and when. Consider this when brainstorming mobile functionality. For example, a mobile phone tool that allowed users to know where friends were by mashing up triangulation and a map was not well received by teenagers.
Kids generally do trust well known corporate brands; however, they skip the terms and conditions content to get right to the goods. When designing a mobile experience, funnel users directly to the good content and minimize the legal mumbo-jumbo.
The power of text messaging
What makes a mobile application truly useful is the context. Walk around the mall and you'll notice that young women like to shop in pairs. If a girl can't be with her BFF (best friend forever) at the time, she, and another 48 percent of her demographic, will browse with the phone plastered on her ear as she describes the color, size and cost of the garment she is eyeing. If Mom is nearby, listening carefully, the daughter might resort to sending SMS or MMS text messages, or using instant messenger to privately communicate with her friends in real time.
According to Forrester Research, more that one-third of U.S. online teens text friends while in offline stores. Applications like Twitter enable kids to post their whereabouts, as well as the latest sale at The Gap, in real time for mass consumption. Developing tools that promote viral messaging through SMS and MMS channels can successfully incentivize youth to reach out from the store to their friends.
Another innovative use of the tool is to tie online browsing with offline purchasing by letting kids generate a shopping list and then text it to themselves for purchase at a later date.
Another great example of reaching teens through text messaging is found in concert stadiums. Users are being provided with the opportunity to sign up to text messaging networks to win prizes and even play with famous bands. Up to 20 percent of Gwen Stefani's audience paid 99 cents to send text messages to get the chance to have their seats upgraded. For a fee, teens will send text messages to a short code and see them broadcast on a screen behind popular performers like Howie Day. Other artists are trying even more sophisticated interaction through the mobile web, including creating video clips, which were then sent to their phones.
Invasive marketing and data charges
Even when there is no money on the table, marketers employing these texting techniques are getting valuable information: the user's mobile phone number. They have to be very careful with this, however, because the key to a successful relationship with this market is a solid bond of trust, and spamming them with unwanted messages is not the way to build it.
The temptation for retailers and brand marketers might be strong, but must be resisted. Analysts such as Forrester feel that teens are not amenable to push-promotion on their mobile phones. It is invasive and interrupts their interactions with each other, and if it incurs data charges, it will be very negatively received.
Read what a consumer had to say after getting the following SMS from his provider:
In general, charges are a barrier to mobile web and texting usage that must be accounted for. One major brand doing user research found that kids are generally fuzzy about what is free and what isn't, but they are very sensitive to the costs. When an otherwise free promotion or site incurs data costs, kids often associate the charges with the brand providing the service, not the carrier actually imposing the bill. This has very negative ramifications on brand perception and should be avoided.
Even if the company is providing very popular phone accessories such as ringtones, wallpapers or videos, some kids would prefer not to incur the costs. Urban youth pay for their plans, and they don't want to shell out for something. Suburban youth are concerned with upsetting their parents. In both cases, teens are savvy shoppers and will go to lengths to minimize their costs.
Twenty-five percent of one sample audience has two phones: a simple one for a voice plan and then a T-Mobile Sidekick to browse the web and use social networking applications.
Making it successful: usability and adoption
With multiple phone models comes differing expectations on how applications should work. A recent study showed that users of the Sidekick and iPhone expected an interface similar to the web, while users of less sophisticated technologies did better with a simplified, text-based interface. As the application is being built, it is important to consider these different platforms and how users are adapting to rapid change. Fortunately, kids are used to rapid technological growth and have mental models of how devices and interfaces work.
While performing usability testing of users on their mobile devices, one prominent soft drink company found that kids intuitively recognized key design patterns on mobile devices. However, there are also critical problems that greatly impact information design. For example, many users did not understand what MMS messaging is and how they can use it to send pictures. Also, some teens were so proficient with texting and using their phones that they would get ahead of themselves while entering data, causing hang ups and impairing their ability to use the platform.
Finally, interactive mobile sites can be confusing for end users, no matter how streamlined they are. Error messages can come from three places: the application itself, the phone or the carrier. And while teens frequently work through these problems, it can impair conversion. Before you launch the application, test it thoroughly with core demographics, and make sure that the experience is streamlined, simple and smooth.
Once the mobile web application is ready for launch, one large hurdle remains. If the tool is not readily adopted and used, it will languish and fail. Carefully consider how to best introduce the application to the audience by finding key influencers and encouraging them to be the ambassadors. "If losers are doing it, then nobody else will" were the memorable words of one teen.
Teens are social beasts and are driven by what is cool. There are other motivators, too. Young women adopt technologies such as texting and mobile instant messaging in order to communicate with one another. Young men follow them online in order to find romantic trysts. One mobile company put up a tool that allowed kids to express themselves. Very quickly their urban teen audience turned it into an enabler for mobile booty calls and turned out to be unexpectedly popular.
The mobile web is rapidly achieving maturity, and currently the teen audience is a great place to start programs. Many major brands are considering forays into this space, and it's a great opportunity to take a prominent leadership role. Success awaits the intrepid brand manager who does their homework, ensuring that the application is useful, usable and technically sound.
By talking to the intended audience in the correct voice, providing a tool for on-the-go expression and communication, companies stand to benefit greatly from forays into the mobile space.