Marketing Research and Promotional Message

Marketing Research and Promotional Message

In developing a promotional message toward today's teenagers, one must identify the correct method in marketing research. There are three areas that should be identified and those are the needs of the consumer, perception of the consumer, and the attitudes contributed among the targeting consumer. The "targeted consumer" being individuals 13 - 17 years of age live in a digital world and must be taken into consideration as the old method of advertising or promotional messages of a product has changed.

Over the past decade the world we live in has changed and along with that so has the method which one must communicate their promotional messages. According to Leigh and Gabel (1992), teenagers feel the importance of social group memberships, periods of role transition and increased levels of disposable income and independence. Because of the need of social groups, teenagers are now more than ever using technology (Internet, mobile devices, and chat forums) to express themselves and fit among others. Since the development of the Internet this generation teenagers are socializing more on chat forums than in person. This allows them to develop a feeling of security, acceptance, and understanding within the social network group. Unfortunately, the old strategy of sending a promotional message through television must change as teenage consumers either purchase items online or research the product before going to the store to purchase. Commercial television viewing has dropped 36 per cent, music and magazine sales have declined over the last two years because of the Internet (Spero & Stone, 2004). Television no longer satisfies teenagers and the marketing strategy must be focused toward the Internet.

Teenagers perceive the world around them differently from the last generation with the development of the Internet. Still, like most teenagers the need to fit in still exist therefore the perception of the product must mimic that urge to fit in. The perception of teenagers must be viewed by the interest to determine what the teenager is interested and direct the promotional message in the same manner. Attitudes among teenagers have not changed much from previous generations as independence, privacy, ownership, status, and peer pressure. The attitudes are more direct toward a digital age and expressing their emotions or feeling through the Internet that allows the independence, privacy, and the feel of ownership. Although one may not think that peer pressure arises on the Internet like in school, yet it does. By monitoring the