• by LeeAnna Buis , Op-Ed Contributor, October 1, 2015

“TV is dead.” “No one listens to the radio anymore; especially teenagers.” “These are tech-savvy kids who got their first tablets at 2 years old and have no idea what a DVD is.” “There’s no way teens are reading magazines.” Or at least that’s what many in the marketing world would have us believe. In today’s teen marketing world, the focus seems to immediately go to digital and social.

The assumption is that kids are online constantly. Pile on the fact that digital can be less expensive and is touted as a leader in verifiable ROI and marketers run straight for it. But don’t get caught up in the hype. Yes, everyone is spending more time online these days. I’ve seen reports that have 13-17 year olds plugged in anywhere from two hours a week to four hours a day across PC, tablet and mobile. But that doesn’t mean they are abandoning traditional media en masse and running for the nearest laptop (and neither is everyone else). 

Nielsen’s recent report, “Kid’s Audience Behavior Across Platforms,” shows more than 95% of 2-17 year olds with access to a TV watch live or on-demand programming at an average of 20 hours per week. And hold onto your hats because they also report that simultaneous use of TV and computer has dropped 22% since 2011, landing at 35% in 2014. Teen Vogue has a paid subscription base of over 1 million and readership of over 5 million. And December 2014 Nielsen reporting shows that 90% of kids 12-17 tune in to radio at least once a week. Admittedly, they may be spending less time with traditional media than their parents. Teen TV viewing from 2011 to 2014 has dropped by 90 minutes in an average week. Still, traditional media is alive and well, and a key component to reaching teens. 

If the evolution of cable TV has taught us anything, it’s that there’s plenty of room in the media universe. How many channels did we start out with back in the day? Twenty? Now there are hundreds. The cable lineup has expanded dramatically, adding more viewing options for subscribers, just as options like social media and digital video have been added to the lineup of content and entertainment mediums, added being the key word here. 

The challenge in this kind of media environment is audience fragmentation. You can, theoretically, have an unlimited number of media channels. But there are only so many people. It’s only natural, as we add more entertainment destinations, that we spend less time with each one. So our limited audience is stretched thin across this spectrum. That makes it more difficult to reach them and, more importantly, do so with enough frequency to be effective. This just furthers the argument for a well-rounded, cross-channel marketing approach. Focusing on one medium is never going to be as impactful as using a combination of media, hitting your audience repeatedly as they move from one place to another. 

The difference between now and 20 years ago is simply that there are more options out there. TV, radio, outdoor and, yes, even print are still valuable and impactful content delivery tools that are now supplemented by other options like streaming radio, social and online video. One does not have to die in order for another to be born. The field is expanding, not shrinking. This is not the time to go with one big social push or mobile campaign and abandon your comprehensive marketing plans.

There is no one-size-sells-all fix here. Focus all of your efforts in one or two places and your audience will become accustomed to seeing you there. You will start to lose impact and eventually become invisible, just like that sticky note you’ve had stuck to your monitor for so long that you’ve learned to look right past it. Be thoughtful in your planning. Consider the big picture. And don’t count traditional media out just yet. It still has plenty of good years left.