Apple losing 'cool' among teens, says marketing group
updated 12:24 pm EST, Thu January 10, 2013
Microsoft Surface, Samsung Galaxy phones gain appeal
Apple is losing popularity amongst American teenagers, claims youth-targeted marketing agency the Buzz Marketing Group. "Teens are telling us Apple is done," BMG's Tina Wells remarks to Forbes. "Apple has done a great job of embracing Gen X and older [Millennials], but I don’t think they are connecting with Millennial kids. [They’re] all about Surface tablets/laptops and Galaxy."
Forbes also cites several other teen marketing surveys, in which Apple either remained static or dropped several spots. A Smarty Pants poll still shows 67 percent of rich teenagers wanting an iPhone as their next phone upgrade, but Samsung is in second place at 22 percent -- unusually high considering Apple's once overwhelming dominance in teen preferences.
Wells suggests that several factors have hurt Apple's popularity. As Apple has encountered glitches in some of its products, other companies have filled in the gap with innovative products that are frequently cheaper. Samsung has also been spending millions of dollars on marketing campaigns which portray the iPhone as a device for parents and late adopters, and phones like the Galaxy S III as the "next big thing." A recurring theme in Samsung ads has been the absurdity of waiting in line for a smartphone, something which still happens with every iPhone launch.
Conversely however, Wells argues that Apple can reclaim momentum. "Everything moves in cycles and you can’t rest on your past glory. You’ve got to evolve to maintain relevance. Apple just needs to focus on innovation and teens will come back," she says.





Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: 08-20-01
"[They're] all about Surface tablets/laptops and Galaxy."
Haha, nice one. Surface tablets, sure. They're crazy about them. Absolutely.
Having said that, I have no trouble believing that Apple's image in that demographic is currently fading. Consumer infatuation, especially in that age group, isn't a long-term thing, so it's natural to go up and down. Looking forward to whatever Apple is cooking up to counter that.