Mediaweek this week published some invaluable insights into tweens released by Pacific Magazines, publisher of K-Zone and Total Girl. This information better informs us about this important marketplace:
Pacific Magazines has announced findings from its third Tween Tracker – a biennial research study which to date has surveyed over 1700 tweens (aged between 6 – 12 years), delving into their lives and lifestyles.
Miriam Condon, Research and Strategy Director, Pacific Magazines, comments: “Australia has over 1.9 million tweens, who control a $1.4 billion annual spend in the economy. Children are often at the heart of family decisions, with activities and purchases centred on their likes and interests.
“This latest research reflects Pacific Magazines’ commitment in the future generation of consumers. As one of the most innovative research studies of its kind in the country, Tween Tracker presents a unique overview into the needs, likes, fears and ambitions of Australian tweens today.”
Key findings include:
* Overall tween happiness levels are higher today than in 2010
* 3 in 5 tweens have a say in choosing the grocery products bought each week
* The i-generation: 65% own or have access to a smart phone; 49% own or have access to an electronic tablet, e.g. iPad; 88% of those who have access to a smartphone/tablet have used an app
* 1 in 3 tweens say their parents do not check what they are doing online
* 52% of parents say they are strict / very strict – but only 16% of kids say the same thing
* Social connections are more important than ever, with the top 5 sources of happiness in 2012: Family, Friends, Pets, Magazines, and TV/Movies
* Concerns are moving closer to home – with global concerns on the decline, and personal concerns such as pressure to do well at school on the increase
* Pressure to excel is linked to a 25% jump since 2010 in the time spent on homework, with tweens spending an average 2.8 hours per week on homework
* 81% of tweens say they have a busy schedule – one in three want to be less busy, whilst the majority (57%) wouldn’t have it any other way
Mychelle Vanderburg, Youth Publisher, Pacific Magazines, says, “The results provide a barometer into the hearts and minds of Australian youth – but also clear-cut guidelines to marketers on how to communicate, engage and interact in a meaningful way with tweens today.”
The new research demonstrates a growing and unrivalled understanding of the tween market, as Pacific Magazines continues to expand and deepen the touch-points for K-Zone and Total Girl readers, be it magazines, websites and television
Pacific Magazines’ youth titles K-Zone and Total Girl continue to lead the tween market. In the past six months, K-Zone and Total Girl’s circulation has increased by 3.0% to 42,042 copies and 3.4% to 48,145 copies respectively, indicating the continued strength of this medium with kids.