What inspires engagement and loyalty in tweens in Latin America? To find out, Nickelodeon Kids and Family GPS conducted a study of kids ages 9 to 13 in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina in late 2014.Here are key findings from that project:

Allegiance is a key value for Latin American tweens—one that they feel should last over time.

• Respect, loyalty, trust, and honesty are other values they associate with allegiance
• Among tweens, allegiance is associated primarily with family and friends, and to a lesser extent with boyfriends/girlfriends
• Being loyal means not betraying, not letting the other down, not cheating, speaking openly and honestly, and looking out for the other

For tweens, the family is the unambiguous symbol of unconditional love. Family ties supersede friendship.

• They experience “unconditional love” and “everlasting love” with their parents
• For tweens, familial love is the strongest, deepest love
• While friends are almost as important as family, tweens believe friends are more likely to change over time
• An untrue friend betrays your trust, is dishonest/disloyal, talks behind your back, bullies
• While they aspire to have families similar to their own down the line, tweens’ priorities today are sports, friends, school, and family

Besides family and friends, other topics inspire tween engagement: sports, religion, pets, and national pride.

• Favorite sports are soccer, tennis, martial arts, swimming and basketball
• Tweens play soccer and are loyal to favorite teams; they also share their passion for soccer with their families
• Most tweens say they believe in God or religion of some kind; going to church is an important shared activity with their families
• Tweens love pets like they’re part of the family; they’re aware of their animals’ unconditional love and loyalty
• A sense of national belonging is also important, especially in Mexico

Tweens are loyal to brands that deliver on promises, maintain quality levels, and don’t change over time. When brands let tweens down, they stop consuming them.

• The engagement is off when brands decrease quality, raise prices, and associate themselves with unpopular celebrities
• Tweens also lose interest in brands that no longer seem to represent them as they get older

Sponsored events, online initiatives, and television all inspire loyalty in tweens.

• Beyond actual participation, sponsored events can have a positive impact by improving brand recall
• Tweens appreciate authenticity and only support online social causes, challenges, and initiatives that they really believe in

Main takeaways for engaging with Latin American tweens:

• Social networks are excellent vehicles for generating tween loyalty and engagement, especially Facebook and Google
• Through sponsorship, “owning” a relevant event that unites tweens builds awareness and active consideration of the brand
• Driving and supporting social causes appeals to and unites tweens, strengthening the brand and its associated values through their participation
• Participatory activities/actions/initiatives should be user-friendly and easily accessible to tweens; complexity discourages their participation and engagement