Targeting Teens? Stick with Search...

A new study by the team at Yahoo! Search Marketing surveyed 486 college students to find out where they go for information and what they place their trust in when they are researching topics. The survey mostly looked at online search, traditional media and friends and family. The findings may surprise some traditional marketers as teens now view search engine results as more trustworthy than traditional media outlets like television ads.

Some of the findings include:

81 percent of college students rated search engines as the best source of information; friends and family were rated best by 64 percent of students, while just 34 percent said traditional media was their best source of information.

Seventy-seven percent of college students also told researchers that keyword searches provide the most relevant information, compared to 64 percent of students who said the same about family and friends, and 34 percent who said that traditional media provided the most relevant information.

When it came to trustworthiness, search came in second to family and friends--but by a small margin.

That means that companies seeking to reach teens with information or products that aren't already focusing heavily on search engine marketing and advertising might need to seriously reconsider their marketing plans.