Connect with execs from Axios, The New York Times, Paramount and more.
There’s a narrative that’s taken place that takes as accepted fact that Facebook’s once ironclad grip on the fickle teen market has slipped, as evidenced by the surge of other apps like Instagram and Whatsapp, which Facebook paid a combined $20 billion to acquire.
It’s undeniable Instagram and Whatsapp, among others like Snapchat, which Facebook also reportedly offered to buy, are surging. But it turns out Facebook’s core service is doing just fine with teens. New data from Forrester bears this out, showing that Facebook is still the default social network with teenagers.
The researcher found that three quarters of teens said they used Facebook monthly, over twice that of Pinterest, Tumblr and Snapchat. Facebook use is more than Instagram and Whatsapp combined, according to Forrester.
Forrester surveyed over 4,500 teens for the survey.
The data is a bit of an about face to the marketer view of Facebook. After all, it was only in October that Facebook CFO David Ebersman admitted teens were using the service less frequently.
“The bottom line: The sky is not falling,” Forrester analyst Nate Elliott, who has been critical of Facebook in the past, wrote in a blog post. “Facebook does not have a problem attracting or retaining teen users.”
More in Marketing
To manage 300,000 creators, Unilever automates everything but the relationship
Unilever is using AI to vet creators and automate workflows as it scales a 300,000-creator network without handing over creative decisions.
Nike versus Adidas: Who’s spending more in race to claim the World Cup crown?
With the World Cup at the midway point, ad spend estimates show the apparel rivals taking opposite tacks in their media approaches.
Platforms’ AI dilemma: scale without sameness
Using AI to create content risks a lot of it looking the same. But the platforms agree creativity will always come from humans.