Feature: Teen Girls Targeted In Latest Web Ventures

A report by Fletcher Research last year showing that more teenage girls than boys are using the internet (see Research Shows More Teenage Girls Than Boys Online) created a flurry of web-based women-focused activity . Advertisers and publishers were quick to seize the opportunity to channel women’s content and create online portals, such as IPC’s beme.com, with in-built e-commerce opportunities to exploit women’s shopping prowess.

Amidst these developments, which all targeted the older, higher-spending female, however, the teen market itself was left relatively untouched. This failure to tap into the burgeoning teen girl community could explain the reversal in the gender of teens online, with young men now the dominant sex in the under-18 category, accounting for 61% of teens using the internet, according to Fletcher’s latest statistics.

Now, however, the balance is being redressed with teen portals expected in the next few months from both WOWGO, backed by Unilever, and Britain’s number two teen publisher, Attic Futura. Both are planning to build online communities tailored specifically to the needs of this age group.

Research has shown that the sexes use the internet in different ways. Fletcher’s UK Internet User Monitor has reported that teenage girls want to use the internet to enhance relationships and for social interactions. Of all female Net users under the age of 18, 47% go to online chat services and 80% use email. Only 15% go online to read magazines or news in their personal time.

This type of research has led to the creation of demographic-specific sites which can be used to accommodate and discover the needs of a sector. WOWGO, which claims to be providing “Europe’s first lifestyle brand for teenage girls”, has been developed through extensive research into its target group and will be 80% driven by the teen girls themselves, providing advertisers with valuable data on the sector.

David Peller, chief executive of WOWGO says: “Having recognised that teen girls are both difficult to reach through traditional media, and under-served in the digital environment, we have positioned ourselves to capture the huge opportunity this market represents in terms of size, value and influence.”

There are currently 1.8 million girls in the UK between the ages of 12 and 16. With self-expenditure within this group at £1.3 billion a year, WOWGO estimates that 10% of this – £130 million – will be spent online by 2001.

While large brands have struggled to speak to the female teen sector in the past, demographic-specific websites may finally address this deficiency.