10 Principals for Engaging Teens/20 somethings

Here are some principals I’ve been talking about recently in different presentations about the new marketing model for engaging young people…it definitely focuses on digital natives around the world.

1. It’s not just about the BIG IDEA anymore, it’s about TRIBAL IDEAS – ideas which spark a rapid mobilisation of youth via social media, they can be big or intimate, they just have to get the tribe connecting with each other QUICKLY

2. It’s about interesting and provocative BRAND BEHAVIOURS, not brand statements or promises, it’s about DOING NOT SAYING

3. Youth are not a destination or target for your messages, they are your PARTNERS IN PRODUCTION and modulation of ideas

4. Think about CREATING CULTURE not mimicking it, provide an interesting lens into their world, rather than putting a mirror up to their lives

5. COLLABORATIVE CREATIVITY is the new platform for engagement, they want to participate in brand ideas, put their own spin and co-develop brands..they know your brand better than you do

6. Spark CONTINUOUS CONVERSATIONS NOT CAMPAIGNS, ban the word campaign from your marketing plan, think about what conversations in social media you are stimulating, fostering

7. CULTURE JAM with youth, be subversive and disrupt the status quo, find something for the tribe to CHANGE

8. INSPIRE THE SWARM don’t try and talk to individuals as decision making is a team sport

9. Ideas have to be FLUID and evolve, youth are chameleons and interests/passions change on a daily basis, so your ideas should morph and evolve with what the tribe wants

10. Have a clear and compelling reason to why youth will FOLLOW YOU

If you can apply a couple of these principals to your next conversation you have with youth, I reckon you may have some success..Word.

Levi’s ‘Go Forth’ – inspiring Generation ‘O’ (Optimism or Obama)

Wieden & Kennedy Portland have just launched their latest work for Levi’s and I’m impressed, I think it will definitely strike a chord with American youth. American youth want to be proud of being American for a change, and this campaign helps them do that.  I worked a little on the brand at my time at BBH New York and I’m happy to see the brand stand for something ‘bigger’ than just sex appeal and make their heritage mean something.   The campaign has been designed to connect the 150-year-old brand with the youth of today, tapping into the fact that this generation is patriotic about the US and optimistic about life. 

 Doug Sweeny, vice-president for Levi’s brand marketing, said of the young Americans at whom the campaign is aimed: “They’re realists — they understand the challenge. They’re optimistic about the future, they can project forward. We found that really powerful and tried to evoke it in the campaign.”  So, they’re talking to Generation Optimism or Generation Obama (as we like to call it)  who want change, and levi’s is the quintessential American brand who can help reflect a new brighter future for youth. I think this campaign is culturally relevant in todays environment when youth are searching for something/peopel to believe in. I especially like the manifesto piece which sets the tone for this new brand belief. Will be interesting to see how global youth react to it in other Western cultures, but I think the thought of  ‘Go Forth’ is globally relevant despite its obvious US history connotations. Well Done Levi’s.

Levi's 'Go Forth' manifesto....the return of the manifesto, havent seen one like this since Impossible is Nothing

Levi's Go Forth outdoor

Iranian youth uprising via social media… GREEN REVOLUTION

Brands can learn alot from about sparking movements from political uprisings. One is going on right now in Iran post the dodgy elections over there as hundreds of thousands of Iranian youth hit the streets in protest, powered by the interconnectivity of Facebook and Twitter. Irans draconian internet filtering is no match for the 33% of Iranians between the ages of 15 and 29 who are interconnected and politicised by virtual social networks. It’s been nicknamed the ‘Green Revolution’ as Hussein Mousavi’s ( opposition leader) supporters have adopted the colour green for their movement ( a strong Islamic colour).

The mobilising power of Facebook and Twitter, combined with the face to face solidarity of the gatherings and protests is creating a frenzy of conversations and actions in Iran seeking a recount of the votes. In the wake of the contested election the Iranian state has harnessed every last iota of its coercive power to disrupt communications and prevent organised protests. Iran has more blogs per capita than any other country so it will be interesting to see what happens when the Iranian government ‘turns off’ the internet and shuts down the mobile phone towers. Apparently Moussavi is now encouraging youth to ‘connect’ via landlines, one public utility the government won’t shut down. It is yet to be seen if this youth uprising will  work in achieving their goal.

The key things brands can learn

Iranian youth using twitter and Facebook to mobilise...the 'Green Revolution'

 for this type of uprising led by digital media, is that youth mobilise around the promise of CHANGE, just like American youth mobilised in huge numbers around Obama in 2008. Show how you can  change the status quo and people will follow you.

Happiness is the language of ‘ING’

Obviously there’s no one thing that make Western youth happy. Was chatting with my mate PC and he came up with an interesting thought. The language of happiness for youth can be defined by the language of ‘ING’ words. What are ‘ING’ words you ask? The following list of action oriented verbs are what drive youth happiness. In no particular order of importance:

Happiness is an ING word for youth

SHARING

CREATING

REMIXING

FRIENDING

BELIEVING

SOCIALISING

JAMMING

EXPRESSING

COMPETING

REVEALING

BELIEVING

CARING

ACTIVATING

FAVOURITING

TEXTING

EXTREME LIVING (surfing,skating, free styling etc)

and of course LAUGHING

If your youth brand doesnt tap into at least 2 or 3 of these keey youth drivers of happiness, you need to ‘rething’ your brand strategy.

Youth are NOT a target audience, they are Partners in production

Marketers need to stop thinking of youth as their ‘target audience’.  This description treats them as a destination point for marketing messages and assumes they live in isolation of each other. In reality web 2.0/ social media platforms have made youth remarkably connected and the way in which they discover, process and share information and content has changed dramatically. Forget target audience and trying to talk to individuals. Think about what ‘COLLECTIVE’ you can interact with and inspire – they are all about belonging to a group and now rely absolutely on that collective for which brands to engage with.  Todays youth are obsessed with remixing content and need to be treated as your partners in production and distribution of ideas – think of them as ‘message carriers’ – your biggest media asset.

Young people appreciate brand narratives which build and involve them across different touchpoints, not just linear one dimensional ads. This requires us to stop thinking about marketing communication programs as rigid structures – the future will all be about flexible ‘open source ideas’. It’s difficult, but you need to plan for content you don’t create. Like the fact that people may rip off your ads on youtube or create facebook fan pages, or blog negatively about your ideas. You need to be able to embrace this type of community feedback.

Our job as marketers is to spark conversations in culture around topics of interest relevant for youth, then allow for collectives to jam on it and send it on.  Savvy brands tell interesting and engaging stories which zig and zag across multiple media platforms but are built around a common theme which creates cultural capital amongst youth collectives.

The Technology Umbilical Chord – How 16yr old girls use technology

I got a 16yr old girl from a nearby school to talk me through how she uses technology on a daily basis…She seriously has an umbilical chord to her friends, she cant breathe without constant contact and it’s scary how savvy she is… Enjoy

MY DAY…by Emma, 16
Ahhh early morning wake up my mobile alarm woke me up, I hate that stupid default tone, I’ve got 15mins to get to the train station. Heading out the door I put my ipod in and select the ‘on the run’ playlist, it gets me moving quickly! Damn ipods out of battery, plug my headphones into my hiptop i’ve got about 70 songs on it, should be enough to get me to school. Just in time for the train, oh my god there’s that boy i’ve got to text Sarah and tell her all about it. Train trips are so boring, sign into msn on my hiptop and see who’s online. No one worth talking to is online so i’m going to check out my myspace, yay 3 new comments! Just got off the train hhahaha the funniest poster in the tunnel, take a photo with my hiptop and send it to my mates. Damn at school got to hand in all electronics. They make me, the other kids can keep theirs

Finished school, Finally!
Put in my ipod and run to get the early train. On the train I call Lee and find out how the auditions went, then get on my hiptop and use my phone internet to finish off my homework. At I home I get on the computer and download a list of songs from limewire and itunes. I check my email, myspace, facebook, bebo and sign into msn and yahoo messenger. I use my webcam to chat to my cousin overseas and put my itunes on and turn vol up to 100%. Before i go to bed i put dates into my hiptop calendar and set my phone alarm for 6am. Over and out.

Youth Want Constant Change

Gen C embrace constant change in their lives – they expect it and love it. Rapid technological advancement in the past 10years has resulted in them being hardwired to teach themselves new stuff. They lead fluid and flexible lives, they want the ability to pick up and go at a moments notice. They want to be in control of the change, or at least not be dictated to by others. They see life in their 20’s as a collection of life experiences – carpe diem is definitely the mantra. You’re now judged a success by how many interesting places you’ve visited, not by how much you earn or what car you drive. Here are four friends from Sydney talking about change.

Like to go to school here?

How could you not be creative studying here?

I feel no sympathy at all for any kid in Berlin who complains about school if their school is Erika-Mann Grundschule II . The entire school was recently re- designed by the kids themselves with Baupiloten, a group of architecture students.

A group of just under 10 architecture students worked on the Erika-Mann Grundschule II project. The kids who are using the space participated actively in the design process, giving the architecture students their views on how they will actually use the space, how it should function and what they’d love to see in their school.
Together they sought to lighten and cheer up the heavy and authoritarian air of their old school building from 1915. They developed a playful concept based on a fantastical world of the Silver Dragon. The farther into the building one moves, the stronger one feels the presence of the Silver Dragon whose spirit changes, moves, glows and shimmers.

The different spaces are called Snuffle Garden, Snuffling Room, Chill Room and Dragon’s Breath, each starting with a clean white background and offering freedom of expression in the form of flexible furnishings. I think a few of the schools in Australia could do with a makeover like this???

Melbourne ‘Shuffle’ infiltrating Sydney youth culture

I’m a Sydney boy but I have to say that every time I visit Melbourne I see new and interesting reference points for youth culture. The Melbourne Shuffle is a style of street dancing been around since the 80s in underground subcultures, but has picked up in the past 2-3 years. This youtube click has almost 8million views, pretty cool for a style of dance that 90% of Aussies have never heard of. Co-incidentally a digital strategist Mark Pollard twittered about seeing ’shufflers’ in Sydney and I ended up seeing the same crew on Sunday afternoon down near Darling Harbour. I’m surprised no streetwear brand has aligned itself with the ’shuffle’ dance style, could be a good opportunity for real youth traction.

Addicted to Remixing and Mashing

Digital Natives treat content as collaborative as recombinant. Remixing is a digital behavior that is increasingly prevalent, as media production technologies facilitate easier and easier mashups . Gen C naturally understand that re-deploying pre-used content is an easier way to make their own things. ‘Control C’ is their most commonly used keyboard directive and they love anything open source that gives them the chance to play and participate. Check out youtube and search on ‘spoofs’ and you’ll see how many brands and movies have been spoofed and remixed by Gen C’ers.