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May 2006 - Strategy Magazine
Special Report: Reach Youth

The right connection
The "whatever" generation is no longer. In its place? A bunch of teens who are ready to fight for what's right. As you might imagine, they want brands to take a stand too. Here's everything you need to know about youth - and the best ways to permeate their culture

by Lisa D'Innocenzo
page 45

Just when marketers thought they had youth all figured out, they've flip-flopped. The optimistic, exuberant teen that came of age in the mid-to-late '90s has disappeared. Quite the antithesis, today's youth are filled with trepidation (terrorism and all that), and at the same time, are much more passionate, courageous and determined to fight for what they want out of life. What this means is that many of the messages recently honed to reach youth have gone the way of the Ugg boots trend.

At least, that's the main thrust of Chicago-based Energy BBDO's GenWorld global teen study, which surveyed 3,322 teens aged 13-18 last summer. (See sidebar on page 48.)

"A lot of the advertising and marketing we saw that addressed youth in the past was all about 'The sky's the limit' and communications were pretty mindless and frivolous," says Chip Walker, director of account planning at the agency. "These were young people who didn't seem to have a care in the world, who seemed to think that money was freeflowing and for whom stuff - buying it, wearing it, displaying brands - was an amusing diversion."

Nowadays, kids are consumed with "brand me," says Walker, who explains: "It's figuring out my own true self...and I don't want to substitute a label for [that]."

So what's going to do it for them? In short, a meaningful connection. That means not only understanding youth culture but finding your place inside it, because posers aren't welcome; in other words, it definitely has to be a genuine association.

This is now more crucial than ever, because young people are increasingly inquisitive about what brands stand for, says Walker, who adds that their number-one concern is their own ability to navigate through life. So themes like empowerment resonate with the average 16-year-old. Walker points to Adidas as a marketer that gets it, with its "Impossible is Nothing" campaign. Also on his good list is denim brand Diesel's marketing efforts, in particular an instalment called "Action for Successful Living," which depicts a young woman who appears to be protesting. The copy reads: "If you want a successful life, you have to fight for it."

Adds Walker: "Diesel gets the nuance of the emotional tension these young people are up against, and they portray it in a likeable, fun way.... It's funny, in the background of this ad, there's a group of protestors and there's a guy with a sign that says 'Respect your mom.' Which is something else that's very true about this generation - they really love their mom."

But while empowerment is a message that resonates, what your brand does at street level is just as vital. "It used to be grass after mass, but now they're equally important points of entry to the youth sphere," points out Mike Farrell, partner and director of research and strategy at Toronto-based youth marketing consultancy Youthography. "Kids are looking for that now - they're open for business but it has to be on their own level, on their time, at their leisure.... They'll embrace you as long as you come in and embrace that culture. [But] you need to really support it."

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