As the old get younger, the young do indeed get older

Part of our market trackers training series looks at different audiences and the ways that the latest social media trends are reflecting their changing profiles.  Every generation thinks that kids grow up younger but the stats do indeed, in the case, back this idea up.

Ofcom’s recent report offers some useful insights.  74% of homes now have internet access. This suggests that beyond those who do not have the means to afford it, pretty much every home with a young family has access to the web.  This offers a whole world of new opportunities: 67% of 5-7s rising to 82% of 8-11s now use the internet at home.  That’s pretty much everyone interested, so it is universal access (or close to it).  Half of these parents think their children know more about the internet than they do.  So who is leading who here?

One direct indicator of getting older younger is tweens eagerness to get onto more teenage sites.  Around a third (34%) of children aged 8-12 who use the internet at home have a social networking profile on sites, like Facebook, which requires users to register as 13 or over.  That number is up 36% in a single year and no doubt will continue to rise whilst these sites continue to be popular with teenagers. One third of 8-11s (37%) rising to two thirds of 12-15s (66%) watch YouTube regularly.  And there is a whole education to be had just on YouTube.

Another insight is offered by research commissioned by Marketing Week.  It looks at brand awareness amongst kids.  Perhaps unsurprisingly more than 90% 6-10 year olds recognise popular kids FMCG brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Tropicana and Ribena, alongside other classics like Nike, Adidas and Disney.  Yet as kids grow from six to ten years old, grown up brands like BlackBerry and Apple become more important and child friendly brands fade in value and importance.  This is pretty young.  Before this I would have said perhaps between 8 and 12, not 6 to 10.  It is also fascinating to note that favourite ads for older kids in the age group include GoCompare, Cillit Bang and Webuyanycar – so products aimed at adults but all with catchy jingles.

All of this has important implications for us as marketers and makes for great onechocolate market trackers.