Nine Out of Ten Teen Mall Shoppers Notice Mall Advertising

Teen Shoppers Spend More than Two Hours at the Mall and Over Half Spend Fifty Dollars per Mall Visit

Scarborough Research and Arbitron Inc. Release White Paper with Results from Teen Mall Shopping Attitudes and Usage Survey

NEW YORK, June 4 /PRNewswire/ — Almost all (95%) of teen mall shoppers* notice some type of mall advertising, according to a recently released report from consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research (available for download free of charge at www.scarborough.com/freestudies.php). The Scarborough/Arbitron Teen Mall Shopper Insights White Paper, examined seven types of mall advertising**, finding:

• 91% of teen shoppers notice poster display ads at the mall
• 85% notice hanging advertising banners
• 77% notice sampling
• 58% notice promotional events
• 57% notice TV/video screens
• 48% notice interactive displays/kiosks
• 31% notice moving images projected on the floor or walls

Teen Shoppers Spending Significant Time and Money at the Mall

On a typical visit, 68% of teens spend two or more hours at the mall, with more than a quarter (28%) spending upwards of three hours. More than half of teens (56%) spent $50 or more on their last visit, with 29% spending $100 or more.

The study found that while at the mall, teens are engaging in a wide variety of activities. These activities fall into four broad categories: shopping, eating, socializing and entertainment. Seventy-one percent of the teen shoppers surveyed shop, 57% of teens eat, 49% socialize and 40% are at the mall to be entertained (movies, video games, etc.).

“The findings show that teens do in fact notice advertising in the mall, and our study shows that they generally rate it positively,” commented Jane Traub, senior vice president of research for Scarborough. “As mentioned previously, teens spend considerable time in the mall, so it is not too surprising that they do notice the advertising that is present in that environment.”

Teen Mall Shoppers Experience and Current Economy

The Scarborough/Arbitron Inc. Teen Mall Shopping Insights White Paper also addresses the impact of the current economy on teen mall shopping behaviors and attitudes. Teen mall shoppers are indeed aware of and concerned about the economy. Seventy-seven percent of them agreed that they are concerned about how the economy will affect their families’ future. The findings also show that two-thirds of teen mall shoppers (66%) pay attention to advertising that features items for sale at the mall. Seventy-five percent of teen mall shoppers cited that discounts on items they purchase at the mall are more important to them than they used to be.

While 37% of teen mall shoppers said they go to the mall less often than they did six months ago, well over half (62%) said that their frequency of visiting malls has increased or stayed the same. Fifty- four percent of teen shoppers reported that they have spent more or about the same money on a typical visit to the mall then they did six months ago.

“Hollywood has long portrayed the mall as a key center of teen culture. Our data shows that it still serves a very prominent role in teen society. It seems some preferences are established early in the consumer life cycle and continue as the person moves into older demographic groups,” said Ms. Traub. “This idea reinforces the point that marketers need to advertise to teens while they are in the process of establishing their purchase preferences.”

More detailed results from the Scarborough Research/Arbitron Teen Mall Shopping Insights White Paper are for download at www.scarborough.com/freestudies.php. Additionally at www.scarborough.com/teenwebinar/ you can watch a free webinar on this subject.

About the Scarborough Teen Mall Surveys

Scarborough Research and Arbitron Inc. conducted a national study of teens aged 12-17. The survey of teen mall shoppers questioned 1,687 teens across the country regarding their experiences, opinions and behaviors with shopping malls. The data from this Primary Teen Mall Shopping Attitudes and Usage Study was collected from October 2008- January 2009.

Additionally, we conduct a supplemental survey on teen spending at the mall to help determine how the economy has changed teen shopping patterns. The Teen Mall Shopping Attitudes and Economy Update Study was fielded in April of 2009.

The Complimentary Teen Mall Shopping Insights White Paper incorporates the results from both of the studies listed above and each page is sourced as such. For more specific methodology details please see page 19 of the white paper.

*Teen mall shoppers: teens ages 12-17 who have visited a mall in the past 30 days.

**Note: These media are not present in all malls which may have impacted their reported recall.

About Scarborough Research

Scarborough Research (www.scarborough.com, info@scarborough.com) measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns, media behaviors and demographics of American consumers, and is considered the authority on local market research. Scarborough’s core syndicated consumer insight studies in 81 Top-Tier Markets, its Multi-Market Study and its national USA+ Study are Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited. Other products and services include Scarborough Mid-Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and Custom Research Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations), sports teams and leagues and out-of-home media companies. Surveying more than 220,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. (www.arbitron.com) and The Nielsen Company (www.nielsen.com).

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is a media and marketing research firm serving the media — radio, television, cable, online radio and out-of-home — as well as advertisers and advertising agencies. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The company has developed the Portable People Meter, a new technology for media and marketing research.

Arbitron’s headquarters and its world-renowned research and technology organizations are located in Columbia, Maryland.

SOURCE Scarborough Research