Survey: Teen Market Fickle When It Comes To Internet Marketing

Today's teens may be tech-savvy -- but when it comes to advice on purchases, they trust parents and friends far more than the Internet or electronic media. In the worldwide survey "Teens Talk," by global public relations firm Ketchum, top sources trusted "all the time" for purchasing advice were parents (48%), doctors and nurses (40%), local clergy (31%), friends and peers (29%), and television, tied with teachers (21%). Sources that teens "rarely or never trust": politicians, mystics, salespeople, holistic experts, and newspaper ads. Among most-trusted media sources, television and newspapers each ranked tops; the Internet ranked fifth; while ads in all media comprised the bottom half of the list. Overall, European teens are the most skeptical regarding media, while Americans trust celebrity endorsements more than their peers. While 60% of teens in Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta said they trust the Internet all or most of the time, only 30% in the two most wired cities, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., expressed that trust.