The two principal audiences targeted by the Too Smart To Start initiative are 9- to 13-year-olds and parents/caregivers. The profiles presented here are based on data drawn from surveys such as the 2000-2001 national PRIDE surveys14,15 and the 2000/2001 Nickelodeon/Yankelovich Youth Monitor.16 These provide a general idea of what the audiences think, believe, and do. Your Too Smart To Start planning and recruitment meet-ings, activities for target audiences, and promo-tional and sponsor development efforts will be more effective when you understand your target audiences and what influences and appeals to them.
14 PRIDE Inc. (2002, April 5). 2000-2001 Pride national summary: Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, violence, and related behaviors grades 6 thru 12. Retrieved June 5, 2002, from http://www.pridesurveys.com/us00.pdf
15 PRIDE, Inc. (2002, May 7). 2000-2001 Pride national summary: Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, violence, and related behaviors grades 4 thru 6. Retrieved June 5, 2002, from http://www.pridesurveys.com/ue00.pdf
16 Nickelodeon/Yankelovich. (2001). Invasion of the spotlight snatchers starring the planet youth players 2000/2001 (Youth Monitor Trend Reference Books 1 and 2). Norwalk, CT: Yankelovich.
The Parents/Caregivers
Parents and caregivers of 9- to 13-year-olds tend to be ethnically and racially diverse. They also tend to be more liberal about social issues such as interracial marriages. Many enjoy the advantage of good education, which translates into greater earning power.
The majority of these parents value family time, eat dinners together with their children, and are involved in their children’s education. Parents of 9- to 13-year-olds feel it is important that their children always tell the truth, have dreams and ambitions, are self-confident, and get good grades. Concerning alcohol:
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Parents tend to underestimate the vulnerability of their 9- to 11-year-olds to alcohol-related problems and are therefore less likely to take steps to protect their children from alcohol use.
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Many parents also lack accurate perceptions about the dangers associated with alcohol use.
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Some parents accept alcohol use as a rite of passage and tell their children to “drink responsibly” and believe it is less harmful for their children to drink than to use drugs.
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Other parents feel that they lack the knowledge and skills to communicate with their children and do not know what specific actions they should take to prevent alcohol use.
A majority of parents think of the Internet as an “educational tool” as well as an important source for leisure activities and entertainment. Another popular medium is film: 51 percent go to the movies at least once a month. A recent radio survey showed that one-third of all adults turn to radio for their news and listen for an average of 3 hours a day.
The 9- to 13-Year-Olds
The youth audience consists of 9- to 13-year-olds who are nonusers or infrequent users of alcoholic beverages. Members of this audience tend to live with two parents, are optimistic and self-reliant, and think of themselves as good kids who are also friendly, smart, and happy. They name their mothers, fathers, and grandparents as sources they trust “a lot.” They trust their best friend a lot, too, and prefer having more time to spend with friends than having more time to themselves. The majority of this audience do not use alcohol. They tend to believe that alcohol is addictive and will lead to destructive behaviors.
The oldest members of this audience (11- to 13-year-olds) believe that alcohol is easily accessible and that most of their friends drink. They also believe that liquor is the most harmful form of alcohol, followed by beer and wine coolers. They tend not to talk with their parents about the problems associated with alcohol and drug use. Of those who have used alcohol, their first use tends to occur during periods of transition, such as during the transition from elementary school to middle school.
Peer acceptance is very important to this audience. Therefore, 9- to 13-year-olds who use alcohol may believe that if they stop drinking they will not be accepted by their friends. In addition, parental trust is very important, and youth who do not use alcohol state that their parents influenced their decision. Thus 9- to 13-year-olds who are not using alcohol may believe that they will breech their parents’ trust if they drink alcohol.
Typical activities for 9- to 13-year-olds include doing chores (such as cleaning their rooms, taking out the garbage, taking care of the family pet, and washing dishes), participating in school clubs and bands and on school sports teams, and attending religious services.
Members of this audience consume approximately 7 hours of media a day, including television, videos, movies, music, computers, video games, books, magazines, and newspapers—in addition to any media used in school or to complete homework. The media consumed during the 7 hours consists of an average of 4 hours watching television, taped television shows, and commercial video tapes; 50 minutes reading for pleasure; and 30 minutes each engaging in watching movies, playing video games, and using computers. Approximately 35 minutes are spent listening to the radio, 47 minutes listening to CDs and tapes.
Although television is the medium of choice for this age group, it is not necessarily the best channel for delivering messages. According to the 2000/2001 Nickelodeon/Yankelovich Youth Monitor, when commercials come on television, 56 percent of youth ages 9 to 11 change the channel. Of this 56 percent, 37 percent “sometimes change” the channel, and 19 percent “usually change” the channel.
