How 'Give It A Ponder' Could Help Teens Think Twice
After citing LG’s new “Give It A Ponder” initiative in yesterday’s Essentials, I decided to give the campaign a closer look. Here’s the overview from the press release:
(LG Mobile Phones) has launched a multi-faceted campaign for tweens and teens that raises awareness about mobile phone misuse. The campaign, “Give It A Ponder(TM),” was born out of extensive, proprietary research LG conducted among tweens and teens.
Through its research, LG discovered important insights about tween and teen mobile phone behavior, including one that LG has dubbed the “tabloid teen.” While the unfortunate reality is that most teens interviewed consider certain behaviors such as forwarding text-based gossip and sexually explicit or compromising images of classmates a normal part of teen life, LG discovered that “tabloid teens,” those who belong to an accepted social circle or clique, and use gossip as a form of social currency, are the ones most likely to engage in, and be the target of this type of behavior. This was a contradiction to the more common belief that bullies seek out the weaker outcast victim… LG has focused its outreach efforts on bystanders, those teens who are reactionary or passive participants but enable negative behaviors that have far-reaching effects such as forwarding an image or spreading a rumor.
Before we consider the campaign itself, a word about this research. To me, it sounds like the brand did its homework and uncovered… Mean Girls. Not exactly a new high school archetype (even if you do slap on a gender-neutral name like “Tabloid Teens”), but one that is unfortunately evolving with new technology, and causing plenty of parents and educators to struggle with understanding and discussing the issues involved with tweens and teens. So how does LG handle the job of go-between?
Not too badly. Aside from a slight overstatement of high schoolers’ lax morals (Do “most teens” really see sending “sexually explicit” pics of classmates as a normal part of life? Hmm…), LG does seem to be on to something here by keeping the tone light (more on that) and the focus on the average teen or the”bystander.” This seems like an especially prescient move, not only because, as the press release points out, those are the players who “enable negative behaviors,” but also because of the blind spot teens occasionally have towards their own negative behaviors. Either way, I see the move away from heavy-handed preaching as positive. Given that this exercise in self-restraint is one we really all could take to heart, it’s a nice change to see the message delivered as levelheaded advice.
As for the out-of-date lingo. It’s actually part of the campaign’s fairly brilliant execution that centers around… the disembodied beard of James Lipton (yes, the Inside the Actor’s Studio host). Basically in each spot Lipton appears to deliver his words of wisdom to potential text abusers as they consider sending gossip or suggestive pics (added bonus: the word sexting doesn’t appear once!) and then places the creepy, goofy Ponder Beard on their face as he gives them time to think. I know. Sounds a little weird. But somehow it’s just offbeat enough to work, both in terms of humor and message. The rest of the standard social media components build off this mix of beard-based humor and common sense messaging with links to the ‘Ponder This” Twitter feed, a Facebook page where fans can add their own bearded pics and lastly, but most interestingly, the Wikipedia entry on Mobile Harassment. Although it would have been nice to see LG team up with one of the many, great nonprofits in this space, Wikipedia does seem like a fairly neutral resource for those who want info, but not a lecture.
The bottom line here is the more teens who are empowered to better manage their digital lives and restrain from any form of cyberbullying, the better. Here’s hoping that this effort has a real impact, and the additional program elements set to be unveiled in 2010 prove just as playfully thoughtful.
For more coverage of the latest trends and developments in mobile technology for youth, check out the Ypulse Mobile Channel.