Young Canadians Now a very brief overview

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Young Canadians Nowa very brief overview

• Presented by
• Mike Farrell
• January, 2004

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about youthography

• Founded in 2001, Youthography is Canadas leading
  youth marketing consultancy
• Youth market research, strategy and marketing
• Plenty of research (quant and qual)
• We put youth at the epicenter
• A lot of marketing
• money where mouth is factor

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some of our clients
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contents

• demographics
• psychographics and values
• youth trends right now
• media
• The key influencer

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demographics
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the 4 x 5 factor

• The 10-29 population divides into four equal
  five-year cohorts
• This is the one thing you need to know

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demographics

• Statistics Canada, 2003

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demographics

• 80 of them come from families with only 1-2
  children at home
• 60 of women work out of home
• 67 of unmarried 20-24-year-olds live at home
• Fairly stable regionally
• Slightly lower rate of kids per home in major
  urban centres particularly Toronto
• Slightly higher rate of women working out of home
  in urban centres

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demographics

• 88 high school completion rate
• 1 in every 2 young people (20-24) attending
  post-secondary school
• More students working part-time and taking longer
  to graduate than previous generation
• longer time to graduate has risen quite
  dramatically in past 10 years

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impact

• These demographic factors drive more youth trends
  than anything else
• More reliance on self
• Friends are becoming family
• Enigmatic mix of more responsibility (taking care
  of home life etc.) and less responsibility
  (staying at home longer, less financial
  responsibility)
• Freedom has led to more emphasis on personal
  discovery
• keep this in mind as we move forward

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psychographics and values
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psychographics

• There is a prolonged pre-adult life stage
• This is the one thing you need to know

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psychographics

• Many youth values actually have their roots in
  demographics
• Fewer siblings at home reliance on friends
• Single parent households greater self-reliance
• Six-pocket syndrome more as-needed cash
• Immigration colour blindness and diversity

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psychographics

• Partially getting into adulthood earlier, but
  fully getting into adulthood later than ever
• Average age of 1st menstruation 12 (health
  canada) DOWN SINCE LAST GENERATION
• Average age of 1st cigarette 13 (health
  canada) STAYED THE SAME SINCE LAST GENERATION
• Average age of 1st intercourse 16 (gt) (health
  canada) DOWN SINCE LAST GENERATION
• Average age at graduation 26 (mean 23)
  (statscan) UP SINCE LAST GENERATION
• Average age of 1st marriage 29 (statscan) UP
  SINCE LAST GENERATION
• Average age of 1st childbirth 29 (statscan) UP
  SINCE LAST GENERATION

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psychographics

• Think about this how old is someone who is
  on-line all the time, likes movies, has a cell
  phone and texts with it, is in school but working
  part-time, sort of knows what they want to do
  with their life, is unmarried, childless, drinks
  beer, has sex, lives at home, and smokes a bit of
  dope on some weekends?
• Are they 15, or 25?

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impact

• Some responsibilities earlier, but full
  responsibilities later
• They have more money to spend on food, fashion
  and fun than any other generation before
• Save to Spend mentality
• Some saving, but short-term (so far)
• Urge to save increases as they become older teens
• Full adult purchases come later than ever

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life stage borrowing
13 years
29 years
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youth profile

• Psychographic trending with youth in Canada
  continues to show a group that puts high priority
  on
• Responsibility (to self and society)
• Balance
• Individuality
• Pragmatism

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youth profile
Simply rate each of the following concepts, ideas
or values in terms of their importance to YOUR
LIFE
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youth profile
Simply rate each of the following concepts, ideas
or values in terms of their importance to YOUR
LIFE
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How would you describe yourself as a consumer?
Let us know how much you agree or disagree with
each of the following statements.
youth profile
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youth profile - overview

• Always reassuring to see all this trending
• Considered by many to be a hope generation
• They want to change things
• Focus on individual expression and creativity
• Diversity of opinion and experience essential to
  this culture
• Adbusters movement
• A sense of being accountable
• The important why this brand? pragmatism

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youth profile - overview

• Intensely aware of the world but not overwhelmed
  by it
• The late 90s focus on everything fast,
  everything new is becoming progressively
  balanced by a meaningful sense of responsibility
  and pragmatism

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what they value

• Communication
• Relationships
• Information
• Diversity
• Empowerment
• And what sews it all togetherTechnology

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youth trends right now
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this is a high churn group

• Theyre moving! The only constant is change
• Rather than looking at fads, we try to look at
  trends
• The best way to connect isnt to segment them
  into tribes
• they borrow SO much from each other and are
  increasingly less defined by one peer group or
  culture
• Understand their values and trends on a macro
  level first

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youth trends right now

• Rehumanization
• The Big Trend
• Transition
• Seen obviously in the two most important youth
  industries technology and entertainment but
  also in terms of key values

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rehumanization

• What is it?
• A raw and visceral approach to life and culture
• What does it look like?
• Traditional touchstones being revitalized
• more flesh to metal
• Personal connection being added to regular
  rituals
• Where does it come from?
• Backlash against over-reliance on technology
• Sept 11, war, economic transition
• Time to get back in touch with ourselves and our
  culture

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rehumanization

• Examples
• Throwback fashions (from the 80s and even the
  50s)
• Rock and fcking roll
• Serif fonts, ink and more traditional media
• Retro team jerseys and pond hockey
• Filmed comics, massively popular old genres
• Natural food, comfort food, old-school drinks
• Knitting
• What is it not?
• A rejection of technology or modernity

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rehumanization themes

• Customization
• Look for a human sort of customization even
  personalization
• Viscerality
• Look for things that hit us in our gut instead of
  in our head
• Turn away from large corporate entities
• Look for preferences pointing to smaller, more
  independent-feeling companies

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transition

• What is it?
• A sense we are between developments or in the
  midst of developing
• Seen in entertainment and technology arenas, but
  also strongly in values matrix
• What does it look like?
• Experimentation a desire to wait for the right
  thing
• Where does it come from?
• A complete paradigm shift in the way culture and
  information is consumed (and a sense that it is
  still shifting)
• Formats and functionalities that havent been
  settled upon something new everyday
• Changing culture to suit their worldview

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transition
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media
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media in transition

• There has never been such a huge shift in media
  habits as over the past decade
• This is the one thing you need to know

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media in transition

• Media exposure in an average day for youth

movie theatres
bathroom stalls
internet
mall
bus stop
school
magazines
public transit
radio
newspaper
billboards
TV
wild postings
videogames
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media in transition

• Internet progression and adoption was incredibly
  fast compared to that of television
• 1994 Introduction of the Internet
• 1995 Internet starts becoming a necessary tool
  of business
• 1998 All high schools, colleges and universities
  use the Internet as part of curriculum
• 2001 Reaches mass consumption 9/10 of young
  people have regular Internet access
• 2003 54 of households have at least one member
  regularly using the Internet at home

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time spent

• How many hours per week would you say you
  typically spend

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impact

• On-line communication is necessary
• The Internet is still growing with this target,
  both in access (high-speed is growing and more
  people have access in multiple places making it
  more convenient)
• Connects with this market because it is always
  available and always meets their schedule
• You never have to explain anythingyou can just
  show it to someone
• Versatilecan be a discussion board, skimming
  content on a major web portal or creating your
  own blogone medium, multiple uses

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impact

• Traditional mass media is not dead
• However, youth are gaining access to TV via
  computers and are watching movies outside the
  theatre in the comfort of home
• Messages need a multiple streams TV ranks second
  (word of mouth, 1) as the source most likely to
  bring a young person to action through
  advertising
• TV advertising is essential for credibility and
  status, other mediums are essential for
  specifying target and turning messages into action

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impact

• Its all about the one-two punch
• ONE
• Mass media plays and presence
• Television predominantly
• Careful with radiodo it right
• Big magazines
• TWO
• Backed up by alternative media
• Below the line marketing
• Driving to the Internet
• Wild postings, urban weeklies etc.

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the key influencer
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the key influencer

• Being pop culturally aware is what it is all
  about for this group
• They need constantly updated information about it
• They create and define macro trends early on
• Set the trends and then move on when theyve gone
  mainstream
• Extremely involved in all manner of entertainment
  and pop culture
• In short this group is perhaps the most
  culturally knowledgeable element in our society
  and they know it

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the key influencer

• Why are they important?
• They can kick-start new brands
• They can energize established brands
• An exceedingly important focus for promotions and
  below the line marketing that speak to street
  level and not top down big brands
• Acceptance here can, and often does, transmit
  new, cool, street, individual, smart to
  mainstream culture

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the key influencer

• Every urban centre has a number of areas where
  key influencers congregate
• Independent music stores
• Independent video stores
• Vintage and indie fashion boutiques
• Smaller pubs, clubs and cafes
• Some live music venues
• This is where you want to play
• The hotelling effect absolutely applies
• Smaller towns have a lot of this culture in one
  locale (i.e. the combo of café, indie live and
  recorded music and import mag store)

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the key influencer

• Toronto
• Kensington, Queen St. West West, Little Italy,
  Chinatown, The Annex
• Montreal
• The Plateau, St. Denis, Mont Royal
• Vancouver
• Gastown, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano

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Trend Progression
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Trend Progression
trend progression
key influencers (approx 2)
near influencers (approx 8)
trend progression
trend progression
first adopters (approx 15)
mainstream (approx 75)
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the key influencer

• Direct circle of influence stands at around 25
  of young Canadian market but evolving impact of
  important, cultural changing trends is much
  greater.
• Key way to engage the key influencer (and their
  direct circle of influence) is by word of mouth
• Product seeding
• Enabling events /scenes where they are
• Getting them to directly get involved creatively
  with your brand (art for communications, involved
  in promotions etc.)
• Exclusive events
• Different, boundary-pushing communications in
  their media (niche magazines, special ads for
  their venues or locales only, niche websites)
  also help cement buzz

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Thanks!