Los Angeles (PRWEB) June 3, 2009

Habbo, the largest virtual world for teenagers, today unveiled the results of their Global Habbo Youth Survey (GHYS) Brand Update 2009. The study explores teens’ connection and interests toward individual brands and highlights their preferences in a variety of categories, including consumer electronics, music, sportswear and media consumption habits.

For the study, conducted in April 2009, Habbo surveyed 112,000 teens between the ages of 11 – 19 (4,500 teens from the U.S.) from more than 30 countries around the world. As a follow-up to the 2008 GHYS, the new results reveal an updated and deeper understanding of teens’ brand opinions in the U.S. and worldwide, along with the top media properties that are resonating with teens to date in 2009.

In the U.S., the 2009 GHYS shows that 50% of teens surveyed feel it’s important to express individuality and want their brands to help them stand out. This urge by American teens to distinguish themselves from peers differs from teen feedback worldwide. Globally, only 38% surveyed prefer to be seen as unique and distinctive based on the brands they purchase.

“The teenage years are developmentally important in exerting themselves as adults,” said Emmi Kuusikko, director, User and Market Insight for Sulake, the parent company for Habbo. “Status is important, being recognized for who you are and what you stand for. Brands provide means to show which group you belong to and which you do not want to be associated with. For the youth, brands play an important part of helping to build their identity and self image among their friends.”

The 2009 GHYS survey also revealed that, due to the iPhone’s increasing popularity and availability, American teens moved Apple up to the third most preferred mobile phone manufacturer, up from last year’s #8 ranking. For the second consecutive year, Verizon was named the most popular mobile carrier.

Additionally, MySpace and YouTube continued to be U.S. teens’ #1 and #2 favorite Web sites respectively (Habbo was excluded). Facebook has now moved into third place, up from fifth in 2008. This finding is in contrast with the global consensus, where teens rank YouTube and Facebook as their top Web destinations, with MySpace appearing at #4 on the list.

The Global Youth Survey Brand Update 2009 is available to purchase as a 98-page paperback book. For inquiries and orders, please contact the Sulake Web Store at: http://webstore.sulake.com.    

About the research

The research was conducted within the virtual world, Habbo, and the total amount of respondents (after data cleaning) was 112,000. The research was conducted during April 2009 and results on favorite brands are based on answers written in open text fields. Over 30 countries were surveyed and statistical weighting was employed to give all participating countries an equal weight in the global results. Research is available from the Sulake Web Store http://webstore.sulake.com.

About Habbo

Habbo is a richly colorful, multi-dimensional virtual world and community for teens. Users join by creating a fully customized online character called a Habbo. From there, they can explore many public hang-outs, participate in a variety of activities, connect with friends, decorate their own rooms, and have fun through creativity and self expression. Currently there are Habbo communities in 31 countries on six continents. To date, 132 million Habbo characters have been created and 11.8 million unique users worldwide visit Habbo each month (source: Google Analytics).

www.habbo.com

About Sulake

Sulake is an online entertainment company focused on virtual worlds and social networking. Sulake’s main product is Habbo, one of the world’s fastest growing virtual worlds and online communities for teenagers. There are localized Habbo communities in 31 countries on six continents. To date more than 132 million Habbo characters have been created and 11.8 million unique users worldwide visit Habbo each month (source: Google Analytics). Habbo brand is being extended to include mobile games and content as well as real-life products.

Sulake has offices in 13 countries. Headquarters is situated in Helsinki, Finland. Currently the company has 300 employees worldwide.

www.sulake.com

Accompanying graphs from the research are available on request. General Sulake and Habbo press images can be downloaded from: www.sulake.com/press/image_bank.

For more information or to request a PDF of the research, please contact:

Susan C. Mills

Edelman Public Relations for Habbo

323-202-1050

Erik Fairleigh

Edelman Public Relations for Habbo

323-202-1026

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