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by Jon C. Malinowski, Ph.D.
Over the past few months, we've been summarizing
data from a custom dataset purchased by the Association
from Teen Research Unlimited, Inc. (TRU) that
compares the attitudes and preferences of teens
who attend camp with those who do not. This month,
we'll focus on what the data might mean
for marketing to potential campers both in terms
of advertising as well as program innovations
that might attract campers. For the sake of argument
here, we'll assume that we want to market
to those teens who are similar to the ones who
have chosen to go to camp. The argument could
be made that camp directors should find ways
to attract atypical campers, but that is a discussion
for another day.
Magazine Readership
The TRU
data show some interesting differences among
teens who said they would attend camp and those
that said that they would not. First of all,
there is strong evidence that girls aged twelve
to seventeen who attend camp read fashion and
style magazines more often than those girls who
choose to not attend camp. For example, 37 percent
of girls aged twelve to fifteen attending camp
listed CosmoGIRL as a favorite magazine, compared
to 18.3 percent of girls not attending camp.
Similarly, 39.2 percent of twelve- to fifteenyear-
old girls listed Teen Vogue as a favorite, compared
to 18.9 percent of non-attending girls. In
Style and Glamour show similar trends. These differences
hold for white and nonwhite populations alike.
While these differences might highlight gaps
in the socio-economic status of those youth who
can afford and cannot afford camp, it is an interesting
finding nevertheless. Camp directors must be
mindful that perhaps a majority of the girls
attending their camps favor reading fashion and
style magazines over other options. For camp
directors who need to spruce up their marketing
materials or reinvigorate their program offerings
for girls, look to these magazines for ideas
and inspiration. Even the look and feel of the
Web sites that accompany these magazines may
serve as an artistic model for a site overhaul.
We all know that camp offers much more to young
women than the opportunity to learn about fashion
and personal style, but as a way of getting girls
into youth programs, and thus exposing them to
a wider range of potential interests or hobbies,
the look, style, and content of these magazines
can serve as an inspiration.
For boys, the trends
are harder to apply to marketing. The data clearly
show that boys who attend camp are less likely
to list video gaming magazines as their favorites
compared to nonattending teen boys. For example,
Game Informer is the favorite magazine of 16.3
percent of nonattending teen boys ages twelve
to fifteen, but it is the favorite magazine for
only 7.8 percent of boys attending camp. Overall,
the top three favorite magazines for twelve-
to fifteen-year-old boys attending camp are Sports
Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, and Rolling
Stone.
The first two are also popular with nonattending
boys, but Rolling Stone is not (10 percent versus
2.2 percent). Given Rolling
Stone's content,
this suggests that music programs might be a
draw to at least some boys with a propensity
to go to camp. The data suggest that Rolling
Stone is also more popular among nonwhites that
attend camp compared to nonwhites that do not
attend camp.
Newspaper Readership
Newspapers
are a common medium for camp marketing efforts.
But where do you place your ad within a newspaper?
The TRU data indicates that the comics page is
the most read section overall, with nearly 48
percent of teens indicating that they read it.
Sports and entertainment news were close followers.
Over 40 percent of teens said they read those
sections. Among teen boys ages twelve to fifteen
who said they would attend camp that year, comics
and sports are read by a majority of respondents.
Among girls of the same age, entertainment news,
comics, and advertising, such as clothing sales,
were the leading sections. Overall, non-white
campers also indicated high readership of the
horoscope pages (over 47 percent). This suggests
that when spending on newspaper advertising,
it makes sense to work with the paper to place
your ad wisely. Obviously, if parents are the
target of your ad, perhaps a different section
is most appropriate.
Radio
We know that teens
love music and listen to the radio, but what
formats are most popular today? Among teens planning
to attend camp, hip-hop or rap stations are the
clear winner, with over 43 of TRU respondents
listening to them. This is interesting, because
more than likely many camp directors are not
even aware of their local hip-hop stations. The
rise of the art form in the 80s means that there
is often a musical generation gap between campers
and older staff members that grew up in the 70s
or earlier. Yet, as camps try to promote diversity,
it should be noted that this dataset indicates
that 67 percent of non-white teens attending
camp listen to hip-hop or rap radio stations.
Clearly, if you intend to use radio marketing
to attract teens, hip-hop stations are the place
to start in most markets. Naturally, regional
differences exist, but the data does not allow
us to look at those patterns.
After hip-hop radio, the favored formats for
teens attending camp were current hits (35 percent);
country (24 percent); Christian (19 percent);
alternative (19 percent); and hard rock/heavy
metal (16 percent). Classic rock is listened
to by only 13 percent of camp-bound teens, and
oldies and other formats are all below 10 percent.
Country music stations, although a favorite of
24 percent of respondents overall, is more highly
favored by white teens (33.0 percent) than non-white
teens (1.4 percent). Teens listening to Christian
stations were more common among camp-bound teens
(19.4 percent) than among all teens surveyed
(10.3 percent).
Television
With so many cable
stations today, it is hard to point at a few
networks and declare them the overwhelming choice
of teens, but there are a few frontrunners. Among
teens attending camp, the top networks were MTV,
Disney®, Cartoon Network®, Fox, ABC Family,
Nickelodeon/ Nick at Night®, Comedy Central®,
and MTV2. Disney was listed as a favorite of
over 21 percent of camp-bound teens while MTV was favored by 19.4 percent of respondents. Younger
male teens (twelve to fifteen years) favored
the Disney Channel the most, while older male
teens (sixteen to seventeen years) indicated
ESPN as their favorite. Younger teen girls most
commonly chose the Disney
Channel, while older
teen females favored MTV. If you use cable television
advertising, which is obviously a significant
investment, always be sure to ask about targeting
your ads to ensure the viewership you want.
When
asked to indicate a favorite television show,
the clear winner was CSI, a favorite of
10 percent of all teens taking the survey who
were attending camp. It was especially popular
among teens aged sixteen to seventeen. Numerous
camps, museums, and other providers of youth
programming are offering forensics and CSI-themed
curricula, and these data suggest that the choice
is a good one. After CSI, the survey indicated
the favorite shows overall include Full
House, Family Guy, and Hannah Montana. One
Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, and Grey's
Anatomy were popular among older
teen girls taking the survey. Non-white campers
expressed higher preferences for Degrassi,
Charmed, and Friends. While it would
be beyond the marketing might of most camps to
target ads only in certain programs, this sort
of information may still be useful. First, make
sure that as camp directors and staff members,
you are familiar with these television shows.
This will help you relate to your campers. This
is especially important to camp staffers without
their own teens at home. Second, consider secondary
media outlets such as Web sites or fan conventions
where teens may visit.
Conclusion
If you regularly spend money
to market to teens, pay attention to what your
campers like to watch on television and listen
to on their iPods®. You may be able to find
outlets for your advertisements that your competitors
have missed. But more importantly, as camp professionals,
it is our obligation to understand our clients
and the popular culture that affects their daily
lives, attitudes, and interests.
Originally published
in the 2008 July/August issue of Camping Magazine.
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