Digital Smarts - Do Teens Respond to Social Media Ads?

While many teenagers are likely to scroll past advertisements on social media, video ads that feature "micro-influencers" (quasi-celebrities paid by brands to talk about products to their legions of adoring fans) are more likely to grab their attention. Most teens know these influencers are being paid, sometimes in the millions, to persuade their buying choices, but they also say they trust the authenticity of the reviews, especially since many of the spokespersons are forward about their financial arrangements. Marketers are looking more and more to enlist influencers to help capture a portion of teens' $44 billion in annual purchasing power.