Report from: Irma Zandl, president ZANDL GROUP
Key changes we’re noting in their media involvement over the last five
years:
1. More fragmentation rarer to find 3 or 4 big winners within a category
2. More alternative media, e.g. cable tv vs. network, the internet vs.
magazines, mp3s vs. buying cds
3. Girls are getting more hardcore e.g. rap and rock music, angeline jolie,
the fast and the furious, vin diesel.
Teen girls are involved with a full-range of media, from tv to music to the
internet to magazines. In fact, “entertainment”, led by music, movies and
tv, is the usual topic of conversation of 26% of teen girls (up over 40% in
the last five years).
TELEVISION
Friends continued to grow in popularity as it became more widely syndicated
making it the favorite show of 22% of teen girls (up slightly from last
year and up a phenomenal 630% from 1998). However, the show has now
clearly peaked.
Various mtv shows (e.g. trl, real world) are favorites of 9%, followed by
the simpsons (8%). Reality shows, with the exception of mtv’s real world,
are seldom mentioned as “favorite tv show” possibly because they are
perceived to be more like “specials” than on-going shows.
Other notables: sponge bob square pants, a cult favorite from nickelodeon
with licensed goods available at hot topic.
MUSIC
Rap, rock and r&b are the most popular music genres among teen girls.
Rap/hip hop is holding steady at 29% with eminem and nelly the most
popular. Rock has been coming on strong, up over 40% in the last year.
Pop has taking a nosedive, down over 30%. Two smaller genres showing signs
of life: punk and country.
MOVIES
Teen girls buy their favorite movies so they can enjoy them whenever
they’re in the mood to do so. They like both comedy and drama, but their
favorite movie last year was all action: the fast and the furious with vin
diesel (a small movie that offered something fresh both in subject matter
and stars). in general, movies with cool soundtracks have the inside
track, e.g. in 2001 the big movie of the year was save the last dance (a
small mtv movie).
ACTORS/ACTRESSES
On the actor/actress front, josh hartnett and vin diesel are the new
hotties but their popularity (at 8% and 4%) pales compared to leonardo
dicaprio’s star rating five years ago when he was the favorite actor of
almost 30% of the girls. Julia roberts still dominates amongst actresses
but her star is fading with J. lo and angeline jolie nipping at her heels.
MAGAZINES
teen magazines have taken a huge hit over the last five years. While 53%
of teen girls mentioned at least one teen magazine as their favorite in
2002, 98% did so five years ago, a 46% decline. The teen girl magazine
shakeout has to be just around the corner, especially as girls make the
internet a more integral part of their lives.
INTERNET
76% of teen girls have a favorite web site and one quarter bought something
online in the last year. Popular web sites include yahoo, hotmail,
opendiary, abercrombie & fitch, alloy, blackplanet, lyrics, and the spark.
using the web is an every day activity and is the preferred way to check
out everything from what’s on tv to concert listings to the latest sales at
the gap.
