VOLUME
33
Feature
Story
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Moms
and Families
Extra
Credit
Feature
Story
 Teens
Conquer New Language
The
widespread use of e-mail and instant messaging has spawned the
proliferation of slang, short-hand writing and a general denigration
of proper language use among the teen population. English teachers
across the country have been crying themselves to sleep ever since.
Now, just when Internet lingo like brb (be right back) and lol
(laugh out loud) is becoming common knowledge and generally accepted
in society, a new version of information-age slang is on the rise
with teens. Leetspeek, or leet for short, (leet is a vernacular
form of “elite”) is a type of Internet slang where users replace
regular letters with other characters to form words phonetically.
Leet words can be expressed in hundreds of different ways, using
a multitude of combinations and substitutions. This new language
can seem very difficult to decipher to the inexperienced, but
once one learns the basic principles, leetspeek isn't that difficult
to pick up.
 Leetspeek
is like all other forms of Internet slang – users rarely obey
rules of grammar and mistakes often go uncorrected. However, according
to Microsoft®, there are several distinct characteristics
that set leetspeek apart. For instance, numbers are often used
as letters, non-numeric characters can replace letters they resemble
and letters can be substituted for other letters that sound alike.
With leetspeek, non-alphanumeric characters can also be used to
form letters, and teens often use the suffix “0rz” with words
for emphasis or to make them plural.
WonderGroup
® takes pride in being the youth and family expert. This means
putting a lot of effort into keeping on top of the latest ways
kids, tweens and teens communicate. We know that
if we are going to help our clients effectively communicate with
these different age groups, we must first understand how they
communicate with each other. If you'd like to learn more about
how WonderGroup can help you create powerful communication that
resonates with your target, please contact Greg Livingston at
513.357.2950 or glivingston@wondergroup.com.
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Kids
 Housing
Has Gone to the Kids
Kids
influence all sorts of things from bedroom furniture and decoration
to automobile designs. So it's no surprise that they are now influencing
home builders. Developers looking to lure families are designing
houses and neighborhoods that excite both the kids and the parents.
Inside the house, more space is being dedicated to kids. Two-story
family rooms are being phased out in favor of a second entertainment
room upstairs, above the family room, for the kids. Children's
bedrooms are becoming larger and larger. Garages are expanding
to include more room for bikes and sports equipment. Formal living
rooms and dining rooms are being eliminated to give more space
to family rooms and kitchens, where many kids do their homework.
When it comes to designing neighborhoods, many developers are
including bike trails and parks. Some are even beginning to feature
pools and water park features. When laying out neighborhoods,
designers are beginning to get away from the traditional grid
pattern in order to eliminate long, straight streets. They hope
this will keep traffic slower and kids safer.
WonderGroup
's Perspective
Developers'
efforts to focus on kids are going to pay off. The purchase of a
house is a highly emotional experience and, of course, parents want
the whole family to be excited and like the new home. Because of
this, kids are very influential in the buying process. When house
hunting, not only do parents look for things that they think their
kids will like and need, but kids go along to scout things out for
themselves. The power of choice is a huge motivator with kids. They
get excited driving through the neighborhood. They love walking
through models, picking out their potential rooms and carpet colors
and imagining what all of it will look like. This excitement adds
to the significant excitement parents already feel themselves. Anything
builders can do to generate excitement and help families make an
emotional connection with a house will go a long way to help cement
sales.
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Tweens
Tween
Techies 
With
sales of traditional toys declining, companies like Mattel®
and Hasbro® are focusing efforts on meeting tweens' desire
for the newest and coolest electronics. Mattel is set to introduce
Vidster®, a $99 digital video camera that allows kids to record
up to 15 minutes of video or 30 digital pictures or a combination
of the two. Hasbro has introduced ChatNow®, a $75 cell phone
look-alike that works like a 2-way radio and allows users to talk
to each other over a 2-mile range. Other toy companies are sure
to follow suit. These new electronic toys appeal to tweens who
don't want kid stuff anymore, but aren't yet ready for adult electronics
either.
WonderGroup
's Perspective
New
electronic toys will continue to be popular for many reasons.
Tweens imitate and aspire to be more like their older counterparts.
This aspiration drives them to want the same gadgets they see
teens and adults use. Tweens have grown up using electronics their
whole lives (according to NPD Funworld®, on average, they
are using personal computers at age 6 or 7, DVD players by age
7 or 8 and digital cameras by 10 and 11), so they expect these
electronic toys to work like the real things. And toy companies
have done a good job of delivering on these expectations. Most
of these electronic toys are fully functional and do really cool
stuff.
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Teens
 Coffee
Talk
According
to Connecticut Post , coffee shops grew 11% nationwide
last year. Teens looking for a jolt of caffeine and a place to
socialize are fueling a surprisingly big part of this growth.
Lattés, cappuccinos and mochas are being downed by customers
that are younger than ever. Plus, for those who haven't yet acquired
a taste for coffee drinks, many coffee shops offer a caffeine
fix in the form of energy drinks like Red Bull®, Monster®
and Full Throttle®. There's no doubt, many teens really like
the taste of these drinks, and many use the caffeine to help them
stay awake and study or to get a kind of legal buzz, but the big
draw is the atmosphere. Old-school, dingy coffee shops have been
replaced by chic coffeehouses with funky furniture and hip music,
for a comfortable, welcoming place where teens can hang out and
socialize.
WonderGroup
's Perspective
There are so many flavors of coffee drinks, including ones that
taste like anything but coffee, so it's no wonder teens have taken
a liking to them. Add into the mix an ever-increasing disposable
income to spend on these often high-priced drinks, and you've got
a nice combination for any coffee shop operator with a good location
and the ability to construct an atmosphere with the right vibe.
Teens are too young to get into bars, so coffeehouses give them
a place away from mom and dad's house to hang out, socialize and
meet people. Here they substitute coffee and caffeine for alcohol,
but much like bars for twenty-somethings, it's the social atmosphere
that drives the popularity. Building an atmosphere where teens feel
comfortable and welcome to stay and hang out for a while has translated
into nice sales for coffeehouses. This is something other establishments,
like restaurants and videogame, music and electronic stores, can
learn from coffeehouses.
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Moms
and Families
 Balancing
Act
Working
moms continue to have a tough time trying to juggle work and family.
According to ClubMom's® 2 nd Annual Voice of Mom Poll, sixty-six
percent of these moms find this balancing act to be difficult.
The poll also reveals that working moms feel guiltier about missed
time with family than missed time away from work. Only nine percent
complain of missed job opportunities or promotions because of
obligations at home and only six percent are jealous of the careers
of their childless friends. Of all moms, working and stay-at-home,
only eight percent would work full time if money were no object.
Working moms think they are doing a better job as an employee
than as a mom. Sixty percent give themselves and “A” on their
job as an employee and only forty-five percent say their job as
a mom deserves an “A.” Despite the difficulties they face, most
working moms feel their kids aren't paying the price. Fifty-seven
percent of working moms say that children of working moms do just
as well as children of stay-at-home moms.
WonderGroup
's Perspective
Working
moms have a tough gig. It's natural for them to feel stressed
out and have a sense of guilt. It's nice to see that they are
placing greater importance on family time than their jobs. Finding
more family time will always be a priority for working moms, and
no matter how much more time they do find, it will never be enough.
The prevalence of flex time, telecommuting and on-site daycares
will continue to grow as employers seek to keep talented working
moms in the workforce. There is also a definite opportunity for
success for companies that can offer products and services that
simplify the duties of working moms and give them more time to
spend with their families.
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Extra
Credit
 May
the Force Be With You
Have
you heard the news? The LaunchForce® sitelet is up and running!
LaunchForce, the division of WonderGroup that specializes in new
product development and naming and branding, helps clients get
bigger ideas to market faster. LaunchForce can also handle all
of your research and packaging needs. Of course WonderGroup ,
as the only fully integrated marketing agency, has always offered
these services, but now this successful division has its own name.
If you want to learn more about LaunchForce, go to www.wondergroup.com/launchforce.
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Drop Us a Line
Thanks
for reading! If you have any questions or comments or would like
to submit a possible idea for an article in an upcoming issue
of Youth University , please email Adam Siegel at asiegel@wondergroup.com.
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We
hope you find Youth University valuable and helpful. WonderGroup,
a full-service youth marketing agency provides services including:
Advertising, New Product Development, Research, and Promotions.
You can learn more about WonderGroup by visiting WonderGroup.com,
or by calling Greg Livingston, glivingston@wondergroup.com.
at 513.357.2950.
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