In addition to creating the best advertisements for teenagers, marketers should know that these young consumers also care about social issues. Teen passion for these topics gives marketers another way to sway purchase decisions.

Teenagers are spending 6% more year-​over-​year, with the average amounting to $2,361, according to Piper Sandler’s survey of 13,515 young people with an average age of 15.8 years. These young consumers, with at least 34% working part-​time, mostly spend their hard-​earned money on clothing items, beauty products, food, and video game categories. 

What to Feature in Advertisements Aimed at Teenagers

When it comes to shopping, teen girls still like specialty retail for beauty. But more of them are going to mass retailers and drug stores for these products. e.l.f. remains the preferred brand of cosmetics. The average teen spends $342 a year on core cosmetic products. 

Teen girls favor brands like Nike and Lululemon regarding apparel, while Coach and Louis Vuitton claim the prize as the go-​to brands when it’s time to match accessories with new items of clothing.

Teens love to eat, with top chain restaurants including Chick-​fil‑A, McDonald's and Chipotle. They rely on energy drinks to power them through the day, and they make a point of looking for Monster (26%), RedBull (25%) and Celsius (15%). For all important snack choices, teens rely on Goldfish (12%) and Lays (11%).

Teens of all genders spend money on footwear. Favorite brands include Nike, Adidas and Converse. They shop online as needed. Go-​to sites include Amazon (52%) and SHEIN (8%).

Emphasize Social and Environmental Cause Support in Advertising

Gen Z teens are very aware of the environment and what they can do to protect it. Around 58% of US. teens are very worried about climate change. Therefore, marketers should promote what they are doing to support initiatives such as the circular economy.

Younger Gen Zers are also value-​driven. They expect brands to reveal "authenticity, diversity and social responsibility."

Their top purchase motivators reflect a healthy self-​interest. According to AudienceSCAN data from AdMall, 26% prefer to buy products that make them feel healthy and comfortable.

Keep in mind that the top issues for this age group are racial justice (53%), women's rights (42%) and LGBTQ+ (30%).

Favorite Media Channels for Teens

We all know that today’s teens cannot live without their phones. They use their devices to stay in touch with friends, track what's trending and create their own content. They report that 30% of their daily video consumption is spent on Netflix. For 27%, the favorite is YouTube. 

However, teens are tech-​aware. As such, 30% say they'll be upgrading "their Apple hardware in the next six months because of Apple Intelligence.

Here are the favorite social channels for this age group:

• TikTok — 39%
• Instagram — 32%

Your clients should be advertising on these sites to connect with their important teen audience. Members of Generation Z are also heavily influenced by digital advertisements and deals. Last year, this demographic was motivated to action by either mobile smartphone ads or text ads (71%), ads on a social network (71%), and ads on daily deals sites such as Groupon (57%), according to AudienceSCAN . 

They're also 20% more likely than others to click on text link ads on websites and 7% more likely to sacrifice some privacy to see relevant ads. Given their life stage and their budgets, teens are likely to respond to advertisements on clothing items and makeup. 

Keep in mind that “Gen Z teens make emotion-​driven and functional purchases, so brands need to be able to speak to both of these needs,” reports SuperAwesome. These consumers may be fickle and quick to cancel people they distrust, but your clients can boost sales by creating advertisements for teenagers.

Image by Cristiano Silva on Pexels.