PHL teens tech-savvy, 60% brand conscious, study says
9/22/2011
GMA News
Today’s Filipino teenager embraces technology – particularly the cellular phone and social networking sites – and, though brand conscious, sees local brands as being at par with imported brands. The average Pinoy teen also highly values family, religion, and education.
“The results of the TRU study remind us that the mindsets, preferences and purchasing habits of Filipino teens, whether on brand values, the latest product offerings, or on values and social issues should not be ignored," said TNS Philippines managing director Gary de Ocampo in a press release Thursday. “And because they represent a significant percentage of the Philippine population, teens will continue to play a big role in shaping the future of business success and the Filipino society."
Favored brands
“To most Filipino teens, imported brands wield no advantage over local ones, or vice versa," the press release revealed.
The study said that approximately 9 out of 10 teenagers see local brands as being at par with other imported US brands. Filipino clothing brand Bench topped the teens’ list of favorite brands, followed by Nike, Adidas, Jag Jeans, Jollibee, Lee, Levi’s, Avon, Natasha, and Nokia.
The study also found that 60 percent of teens surveyed equate certain brand names with quality, and believe it important to use branded products. The remaining 40 percent will not automatically shun an unknown brand, particularly if it happens to meet their other requirements.
High value, limited budget
The study pictured Filipino teens as “a high-value segment in terms of purchasing power – except that their spending is still subject to their parents’ approval and more importantly, their spending capacity." It found that the average Filipino teen spends about P278 per week, which translates to a total national expenditure of roughly P224 billion annually.
“Despite the Filipino teens’ having limited budget to spend, low price does not necessarily make any brand a shoo-in for their patronage," explained TNS Philippines associate research director Ming Barcelona.
‘Fully embracing technology’
Filipino teens surveyed, the study said, admitted to fully embracing technology, ranking as the hottest trends today social networking sites (81 percent), multi-player online games (78 percent), online photo sharing (75 percent), PC games (76 percent) and Smartphones (67 percent). The study attributed this to “various influences from globalization."
Mobile phones are the gadget of choice for their functionality and relative affordability, with majority of Filipino teens owning mobile phones. The dominant phone brand is Nokia, which accounts for three of every four handsets currently owned by Filipino teens.
The TRU study noted, however, that despite Nokia’s market penetration, the mobile phone maker still has much room for growth, “especially for affordable but quality phone offerings."
Values and social issues
The study also discovered that Filipino teens still give importance to family (89 percent), religion/faith (86 percent) and personal well-being (84 percent), all these transcending their gender, age, economic status and geographic differences.
Education is also a major consideration, “with 8 out of 10 teens believing that getting ahead in life would be difficult without it," the study stated.
The study showed that Filipino teens “have a keen awareness of issues that plague the country." It cited as “key social concerns" of Pinoy teens crime (50 percent), child abuse (38 percent), and drug abuse (32 percent) – with AIDS particularly worrisome for teens in Visayas and Mindanao, and climate change/global warming bothersome for teens belonging to the upper class (39 percent. — MRT/VS/GMA News
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