• by August 17, 2000

Kids and teens ages 5 to 18 will spend an estimated $1.3 billion online in 2002 according to NFO Interactive, but reaching this market has always been hit or miss. Understanding their ad viewing habits could help reach young net surfers more effectively – any advertiser’s dream – so Nielsen//NetRatings has taken it upon themselves to investigate.

The first project of the new Nielsen//NetRatings Internet Advertising Strategies service, which provides in-depth analysis of Internet advertising usage across various categories, found that children ages 2 to 11 consistently click on web ads more than any other age group, while teenagers ages 12 to 17 click on them less than other age groups.

This first report reveals that kids ages 2 to 11 averaged a click rate of 0.87% in June 2000, whereas the average click rate for the 12 to 17 age group was 0.19% during the same period. These figures compare to the overall average Internet audience click rate of 0.45% during this period according to Nielsen//NetRatings data.

In June, for example, Trident Gum’s "Adventures of Supertooth" game ad received the most clicks from 2-to-11-year-olds with a click rate of 9.8% and a unique audience of 164,748 people.

Nintendo ranked second with a 7% click rate. The Cartoon Network's "Powerpuff Girls" ad tied with Bonzi.com at third with a 6.3% click rate.

"The strategy of leveraging strong offline brand loyalty with interactive elements online, such as game playing or contests, is working to reach kids," said Kate Maddox, Director of Internet Advertising Strategies at NetRatings. "The challenge will be to keep reaching this short-attention-span audience with new and creative advertising to break out of the clutter."

Maddox adds that "although the click rate is higher for kids, it continues to decline at a steep rate, meaning advertisers will have to know what's working and what's not when it comes to reaching this segment."

For the 12 to 17 age group, the top click rate in June 2000, an astonishing 20.4%, was generated by an ad for Eastpak, which featured a contest for a free backpack stuffed with prizes, seen by 93,339 people. Second and third place were held by The Cartoon Network at 12.7% (featuring a "Sailor Moon" game in the ad) and MailBits.com at 7.7%, respectively.

Prizes and games aren't the only lures, however. Ads with useful information, such as "Potfacts" about the dangers of drugs and Apartments.com featuring apartment searches by state, also placed in the top ten clicked ads.

"It's no secret disaffected teens are a tough audience for marketers to crack,” said Maddox. “Jaded by advertising, they've historically clicked at a lower rate than the average Internet audience.” However, she said, despite their low average click rate, teens are clicking on ads that are highly targeted to their interests, such as ads that offer free goods and useful information.

- David Cotriss