mtv play - a special report

8/6/2019 MTV Play - a special report

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SPECIAL REPORT

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MARKETING TOTHE YOUTH

Brands and marketers are working towards offering theyouth the opportunity toshape their identities, shareexperiences and ways to get

involved.Engaging this market isimportant and requires gettingit right the first time. Ananalysis.

By Narayan Iyer

Focus on

TodayÊs youth find it easy to

establish their identityamid new worlds ofcommunication, friendship,play, and self-expression inthe digital media.

Plugged in, Always

I Love my Brand

THE CONNECT

CustomisedOutreach

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BRANDS

Mindspace War

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A F A Q S ! R E P O R T E R - N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0

INSIDE

For the youth, a brand saysa lot about who they areand where they standin life.

1 Today's youth are makingthe most of the digital

empowerment that allowsthem to multi-task withtheir gadgets, television andthe Net that keeps themalways connected.

Well-connected

TRENDS

Unravelling theTarget

04



D EEPIKA Gupta is a cute 19-year old whoexudes the confidence that only ateenager can. Aware, outgoing

intelligent and cool, she is the kind of girl whospends two hours a day at the local Cafe CoffeeDay outlet, not with her boyfriend, but in the

company of her mobile and laptop. The free wifat the coffee joint offers her the hep status that isso sought after for this generation. She spends anaverage of four hours a day engaging with thetools of her generation. Her mobile phonelaptop, television, her Nintendo game consoleand the occasional music that she listens to onher music system are never put off, even way pasmidnight when she dozes off more out of fatiguethan lack of company. The iPod is passé, she hasthe iPad which is full of application that sheassiduously downloads and marries into her lifeto make it that much more exciting.

Deepika is a typical example of today’s youth

Tech-savvy teenagers and youngsters who are thecurrent focus of marketers and research becauseof their adaptability to technology. This is thegeneration that seamlessly integrates technologyin their life that allows them to multitask forhours each day. If the generation gone by is wondering where this generation gets the timeand energy for academics and social life; theyamaze you with aplomb managing all of that andmore. “Today, the youth has the advantage oftechnology and available options to do muchmore than many cam imagine,” says AdityaSwamy, Channel head MTV India.

People a little older than Deepika have night

outs, lounge in pubs, tapping their feet to therocking music in discs, showing off the latestgizmos, branded clothes that are commonlifestyle of the urban youth today. They feel ithey do not have all these ‘cool stuff ’, then it wilaffect their image in the campus or theircommon hang-outs. This is the generation thatthrives on the gang culture with friends who livetogether and think together. “They are our targeand they make sure that we are in tune with their

Today's youth are making the most of the digital empowerment that allows them to multi-task with their gadgets, television and the Net that keeps them always connected

UNRAVELLING THE TARGET AUDIENCE


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MARKETING TO THE YOUTH

I m a g e s B a z a a r . c o m



aspirations as well as fantasy,” adds Swamy.

Finding their own groove Work hard, party harder is the mantra of the

youth. Bold, brash, self absorbed, tech-dependent is what they seem to be all about. Butscratch a little more and you would get to see thatthere is more to them than just the words ‘me,my, mine’. “The youth do not restrict theirfantasies and dream big,” says Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice President, Pepsi. They areself dependent and believe they can manage ontheir own. Yes, family dynamics are changing butthe generation gap that always seemed to be ahuge schism between parents and kids is slowly

disappearing.Parents today are more understanding, andthey want to give the best to their kids. And whileeveryone yearns for independence, the youthloves to be independently dependent. Likewise,

youngsters have greinfluencing powamongst themselv“They would rath work together party together,” sa Antti Chairman, BlMedia. His compais a pioneer communicating the mobile phonFor instance, they gtheir pocket monebut do not spend

it completely; many get into saving and investin

A lot hinges on trust for them. Any loss of truand they will be the most difficult target audiento crack for a marketer or brand.

Trend spottingThis target segment is well clued into t

latest happenings, be it in fashion, news or othforms of entertainment. “We make use volunteers from colleges who are part of tMTV iSpeak forum to tap into their peer groto get insights on what the youth desires,” saSwamy. Such intelligence helps MTV work on programmes as well as help schedule some of tshows. “They are also the first ones to tell

when a show is not as exciting as thaspirations,” adds Swamy.The youth wants to fly without ever looki

back at the ground. They want to achiediscontinuous dreams, many of them mater

Pocket money is not spentcompletely. Many put some in

savings and investments. A lothinges on trust for them. Anyloss of trust and they will be a

difficult audience to crack.

THINKING

WISELY


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WHERE THEIR MONEY GOES IN WITH THE TIMES

(The top five fashion trends adopted by the young today, in per cent)(The top five average spends on activities, in per cent)

ADITYA S WAMY

Channel head MTV India

“Young people are alwayslooking for fresh forms of entertainment. We are constantlyconnected with this target groupand get our daily insights on thelatest trends.”

All Data Source: Youth Research - MTV Insight Studio




like owning multiple apartments, becoming aCEO by the age of 32 and so on. Most of themhave entrepreneurial ambitions to startsomething of their own once they haveaccumulated just the right amount of experiencein a regular job or their family businesses. Thebiggest difference that this generation displays isan ability to experiment without a fear of theconsequences.

While tattoo and body piercingis the latest fad, time was whencolouring hair was the onlyrecourse for those who weregreying fast. The young generationcolours its hair blond and moreand does not have apprehension with the same. “The youth havthe quality to accept whatevercomes their way and acaccordingly,” adds Ohrling.

The trap with youth marketingis that we end up treating youth asa different animal. We imagine thiguy with tattoos all over his bodymultiple piercing and spiked hair Youth today, is more mature anable to take and live with decisiontaken that are making them more

and more independent.

Youth icons

In the choice of role models, youth are verydifferent. Their role models are achievers from various walks of life. They follow those whomthey can associate with. So, many often they lookup to sports and film personalities. “We have LarDutta as a youth icon of poise, success, fame and

glamour,” says Anup JainMarketing Director, Pizza HutSimilarly to maintain the youth

image, MTV initiates activitiearound itself and itsprogramming to bring in youthicons and be treated as the las word on music entertainment. The iconic stateis not restricted to brands, evenproduct categories, such asdigital camera, high-endtelevision and even clothes.

Encouragingly

The youth follow those whomthey can associate with. So,

many often they look up tosports and film personalities

EMERGING

YOUTH ICONS

FUN AND GAMES

(The top five entertainment options, in per cent)

ANTTI OHRLING

Chairman, Blyk Media

“Communication withthe youth is cemented ontrust. The way thisgeneration is connected,they influence each otherimmensely.”




marketers, young adults reveal an engaged and

interested attitude to brands. Marketers launchproducts in association with youth icons and thishas helped almost everyone who has taken theroute to find the spike in sale. So, when a Levi’suse Priyanka Chopra to push its denims, Pepsi,uses a bevy of Bollywood stars to endorse their

products. In acountry with amedian age of 24

years and about 200million people in theage band of 15 - 24 years, there are nomainstream youthbrands. This gap isbeing acknowledgedby media andp r o d u c tmanufacturers, whoare working out ontheir own way toreach out to the

youth.

The youth in today’s urban-centric India, areactually a ‘silver spoon’ generation. Not onlyhave they been born to a time that’s relativelymore affluent and buoyant, they are also makingthe maximum of what they have in careers or inrelationships. This generation has no baggage of

yesterday and has no gaping needgaps as of today. Such a state of itsconsumer is a nightmare forclassical marketing which isdesigned over the years to identifylarge need gaps in its consumersand find ways of fulfilling them.

Youth, as the popular belief

goes, is the most memorable,carefree and fun-loving years inone’s life. The youth is envied butit is also the most vulnerable andmisunderstood group. Brands andmarketers have to constantly beon their toes and work theirminds to understand this group. After all, this is one slice they would not want to let go - whatever be the cost.

Not only have they been bornto a time that’s relatively more

affluent and buoyant, they arealso making the maximum of what they have in careers or in

relationships.

SILVER-SPOON

GENERATION

BIG SCREEN OPTIONS

(Action films score over all the rest by a great margin. Figures in per cent)

S ANDEEP SINGH ARORA

Executive Vice President,

Pepsi (sourcing)

“The first thing that pops up with youthfulness is the can doattitude that this generation liveson. They live life their own wayand need to constantly feelempowered.”




T ELEVISION is popular, but it no longercommands higher attention than anyother form of media. While just as many

young consumers watch it, they watch for fewerhours each week and are just as happy to do otherthings while the TV set is on. Says Rathin Lahiri,Director, Online, Consumer and OnlineBusiness, Microsoft India; “Digital media hascreated scope for marketers to directly engage with the consumer and also get instant feedback wherever necessary.” Youth often watch TV or

video on other screens such as PC, mobile ohand-held gadgets that beam in televisionprogrammes.

One of the key buzzwords defining youth’smedia consumption is media multi-tasking. TV’sdecline as an untouchable medium is illustratedby the fact that only 1 in 3 young consumersactually gives TV their undivided attention - therest watch it while doing something else. For themost part, this ‘something else’ is using theInternet, but may also include reading books

Today’s youth find it easy to establish their identity amid new worlds of communication,friendship, play, and self-expression in the digital media

CUSTOMISED OUTREACH


0




newspapers or magazines, textingfriends on mobiles and so on. Theincreasing use of activities whensupposedly watching television isactually watching less television.

It, in turn, means that advertisingcan no longer guarantee reachingaudiences in its intended contextor time slot.

New media and medium

Social network sites, onlinegames, video-sharing sites, andgadgets such as iPads and mobilephones are now fixtures of youthculture. It is common to comeacross young consumers whohave their antennae up and arehungry for the hottest

information through any and allsources. The world is just too exciting, and thefree flow of information from the internet, radio,and even mobile phones is too irresistible toignore. All this makes it impossible for brandsand marketers to ignore the medium that is mostsuited to reach the target audience in the mosteffective way.

What exactly

constitutes social media varies by country, andthrough time, especially now that connectivityincreasingly involves mobile devices rather thandesktop and laptop computers. “Social mediablogs, micro-blogs, mobile applications are alpersonalised form of communication whichmakes digital media powerful and effective,” saysTushar Goculdas, Director Marketing and Sales

Adidas India. Wittechnology allowinga seamlessconnectivity acrossdevices, the youth

can be found alwaysplugged into someform of digitamedia. That they areable to continue withtheir usual task whileremaining connectedthrows challenges amarketers to get theirengagement

Though using the

R ATHIN L AHIRI

Director, Online, Consumer and

Business, Microsoft India Pvt. Ltd

“The online mediumreaches close to 40 millionconsumers, of which 50 per centare under 25. It is the mosteffective medium to reachout to the youth.”

MEN ARE FROM...

(Men chat more compared to women, who prefer mailing. Figures in per cent)

Social network sites, onlinegames, video-sharing sites, andgadgets such as iPads and

mobile phones are now fixturesof youth culture.

THE NET

GAINS




Internet is not an isolated activity for youngpeople, they also have the radio or TV on at the

same time. Even with these caveats there’s nodenying that the Internet is the key medium forthis audience, and the one they rely on the most. As we’re often told, this is the first generation togrow up with broadband Internet, and they’reused to turning to it for everything. “The youthmakes great use of staying connected on thephone from our experience. This will only leadto more engaging ways that needs to be exploredand tapped,” says Shalini Sethi, Head, CorporateCommunications, Aircel.

Non-intrusive

“The digital media space is cost effective and

the best way to reach your target audience. Wehave a fairly strong fan following on the web,”says K Ramakrishnan, President – Marketing,Café Coffee Day. In an era when every Indian hasaccess to at least one digital screen be it themobile or a computer, the medium’s non-intrusive platform is a boon for both customersand marketers. “With the digital media, especiallysocial networks, all one needs is to get started, therest will fall in place by itself,” addsRamakrishnan. Digital is the way forward and it’s

important for one tounderstand themedium and exploreit to the fullest.

The digitalmedium has all thenecessary ingredientsto emerge as apowerful globaldigital marketingsystem designed todeliver personalisedi n t e r a c t i v ecommercial messages wherever we are.“Advertisers and

marketers are collaborating to work towards amedia and marketing ecosystem, which will

harness the interactive capabilities of socialnetworks,” says Aditya Swamym channel head,MTV. This interactive model can be a greatsource for customer feedback and will go a long way in product development and serviceenhancement.

With new social platforms fast emerging,even the digital medium needs to catch up andcompete with others. The micro-bloggingplatform Twitter shot to prominence in late 2008,and by early 2010 it had more than 100 millionregistered users and was generating an average of 55 million tweets a day. What’s particularlysignificant about the Twitter statistics is that 37

percent of its users use their mobile phone totweet. According to digital marketing intelligencecompany comScore, social networking is by farthe fastest-growing mobile activity, with 20percent of mobile users now accessing socialnetworking sites via their phones.

Now Twitter, too, is being eclipsed in theheadlines. Newer social media services based ongeolocation allow users to register their physicallocation digitally, in cyberspace, and connect upphysically. The numbers of people using such

Significantly for Twitter, 37 per

cent of its users use theirmobile phones to tweet.

SHORT AND

SWEET

SHALINI SETHI

Head, Corporate Communications,

Aircel

“The youth is connected 360degree and it's integratedcommunication to them that

works best. But, mobile phone with applications is a powerfultouch point.”




services are stillrelatively small, butseveral fast-growingbusinesses are vyingfor the position of hottest geolocationservice. “The youthis always connectedeither throughmobile phones orbeing online or onsocial media. It iscrucial to haveregular updates onany media campaigntargeted at this set,”adds Lahiri.

The youth segment now-a-days is an on-demand market, with brands seeking their vividattention. They want to know what amanufacturer’s product has in the first few words, or you’ve lost their attention. The ficklenature of this segment although erratic, theirinclination defines heavy opportunity foradvertisers. Unlike generations of the past,today’s youth build relationships in communitiesthat transcend cultural, temporal andgeographical boundaries and membership inthese communities provides for a civicengagement that is more connected than ever.

As more young people simultaneously live

their lives in both cyberspace and the 'real' world,

marketers have responded. Several companiessuch as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, MTV, Kellogg'sand Pepsi, for example, have either created orpromoted products in a variety of virtual worldsIncreasingly, young people's profiles will bedeveloped by merging the data from their onlineand virtual viewing. The new technology that hasgiven birth to Facebook is a defining feature thais changing the way the youth votes. Through acombination of circumstance, timing andtemperament, this generation is constructing anew type of politics, one that is responsiveinclusive and dialogic.

Playing a role in this new political atmosphere

is Facebook, which serves as a digital reflection oreal-world social interactions. Ihas the potential to serve as aconduit through which a freeflow of messages andinformation from one person toanother is transforming theelectoral process for both the voters and the candidatFacebook has the power tomobilise, educate and reflect theinterests and excitement of itusers. Though it cannot beassumed that Facebook i

responsible for driving the youthto the polls, its ability to spreadmessages from person to personhas had an undeniable ability tospark an interest in politicsamong the previouslydisenfranchised. One cannoisolate yourself from the digitamedium, without that, surviva will be tough.


4

TUSHAR GOCULDAS

Director Marketing and Sales,

Adidas India

“The advent of social mediamakes the engagement with thetarget group intense and onecannot ignore its influence. Thefeedback on this medium helpsus improve on products as well.”

CONNECTED?

(While 56.3 per cent answered yes to the question: „have you accessed the net inthe past three months?‰, 36.1 per cent said „no‰) .

As more young people

simultaneously live their livesin both cyberspace and the

'real' world, marketers haveresponded well.

REAL VS

CYBERSPACE





6

Y OUTH love brands. Brands provide abadge of identity. Brands are enablers andare passports to global culture. Brands are

tickets to success and they embody all the good values that life has to offer: fun, attractiveness,

and opportunity for a better life. The younggeneration has been brought up to regard brandsas icons. Brand associations are so compellingthat every marketer worth his salt is looking atplaying on the brand attributes that will hold andengage the youth. As brands represent afortifying assurance of stability that is both solidand ongoing, the youth identify with the valuesand image of a brand.

Why are brand names so important to the youth? Because in an age of information overload,the youth want assurance that they are making theright judgments that will enhance their identity.

The road to building a brand which reallyconnects with the youth from the youth side up isthe way forward. Says K Ramakrishnan, President- Marketing, Café Coffee Day; “We have movedfrom our erstwhile square logo to one that is a‘dialogue box’ after taking into account the wayour customers perceive us.”

Brands have a high degree of association andinfluence amongst youth that needs to be wellunderstood by marketers and brand managers to

remain relevant to this target segment. Most brandmanagers look for need gaps and fit brands inthem. “The truth is that the youth in today’s Indiadon’t really have many big need gaps,” says Antt

Ohrling, Chairman, Blyk Media. However, the youth seek trust from brands that target them andimpact their lives.

Branding actionThe struggle of every brand is the urgent

need to connect with targeted customers. In anoisy and crowded marketplace with competingimages, promotions, and messages how do greatbrands break through and create powerfudifferentiation and real preference? Brands needto have a personality, character and positioning toespouse what it denotes. For this, brandattributes need to be youth-centric. Take for

instance the top 5 brands that are perceived bythe youth as entertainment - MTV, Nokia, AirtelZoom and Pepsi are all targeted at the youngSome of these are young brands that have been inexistence for just a few years. “The world oIndian youth has witnessed fundamental changesespecially compared to the previous generations What was sacrosanct till now has been madfluid,” feels Anup jain, Marketing Director, Pizza

Hut. The need is fora brand framework which is designed tolocate the brand intothe life of the youth

than plug into it fromoutside.

Take for instancePepsi. It has managedto evolve its pro-motion and brandingto suit each passinggeneration of youthTwo years ago iintroduced the

concept of Youngistaan. And over the past two years, Youngistaan has become a term thencapsulates today’s youth and is used all across toidentify them. “We work that extra mile to

maintain our youth brand attitude,” says SandeepSingh Arora, executive vice president, Pepsi. Themost recent Youngistaan campaign has been youth-centric all the way, with younger branambassadors. It also espouses celebrates the spiritof youth friendship and the way Youngistaanisstand up for their friends and bail out each otherthrough their smart and witty approach.

“Our brand offers athletes the best sportinggear, to protect them against injury and to

MINDSPACE WAR A brand says a lot about who they are and wherethey stand in life. And the youngsters believe in this wholeheartedly.

K R AMAKRISHNAN

President – Marketing,

Café Coffee Day

“As a brand we play a significantrole in the life of our consumers.Brand extensions in the form of our merchandise offerings havebeen welcomed.”

Brands have a high degree of

association and influenceamongst youth. That needs to

be understood well bymarketers.

ENGAGING THE

YOUTH




improve products for the best performance in the

sporting field,” says Tushar Goculdas, DirectorMarketing and Sales, Adidas India. For a strongbrand such as Adidas, it sets new trends in place.For instance, the fact that they have the lightest weighing shoes to play soccer makes severalconsumers attracted to this product for the valueit offers. Adidas has strong brand icons in SachinTendulkar and Virender Sehwag that helps themget the necessary brand strength. “We areassociated with several other sports such as tennisat the junior level, we support the players withequipment and sporting gear,” adds Goculdas.

This way the brand manages to occupy the

necessary space in the mind of the target group.In the same way Cafe Coffee Day touches

the lives of its young consumers by extending thebranding to merchandise that extends the brandproposition. “We sell merchandise from ouroutlets. We also customise dishes in some of ouroutlets,” adds Ramakrishnan. For instance CCDin Mumbai has an item in the menu called the‘Kothambari Vadi Calzone’ which is basically ainnovative version of Mumbai’s famous

kothambari vadi stuffed in bread with shredded salad, cheese angreen chutney. This is a suggestionthat CCD picked up from itscustomers, which is a favourite with many.

Focus on the attributeIn a world without boundaries

all kinds of distinctions areblurring. The personal is merging with the professional. Entertain-ment is merging with play andfamily with friends. Most impo-rtantly, there is need for strongbrands to catch the attention othe youth and maintain brand values that are related to th youth. “The need for looking a

youth marketing from a vantage point that’s diffe-

rent from the traditional or even western modelsof youth marketing is the key,” adds Goculdas. A young brand needs to be targeting the youtthrough both traditional and digital media.

Rising affluence and better opportunities havemade sure that the youth have the money, therelationships and the job options that the currensenior generation could only dream of. “The rolefor brands in the life of the youth is not to findunmet needs but to find a way to legitimizefulfilment,” says Ramakrishnan. Branding can beboth through offline and online activities that are

targeted and focused. That abrand needs as many points o

engagement with the targegroup is a foregoneconclusion. “Value andpricing are also keys for youthto stick with brands, especiallyat a time when brand loyalty istough to get,” says AmlanBhattacharya, CEOSkullcandy India.

Young consumers expec very high level of producsatisfaction from the brandthey use. Today, brands are

constantly tracking the popular trends among the

youth, in order to access what products may omay not work in the market.

Most brand frameworks look for need gapsand fit brands in them. The truth is that the youth in today’s India don’t really have many bigneed gaps, their love for brands over rideseverything else. Considering today's youth istrendy and brand conscious, its time brandowners spend time understanding the needs ofthe youth.

ON THEIR

TOES

Today, brands are constantlytracking the popular trends

among the youth, in order toaccess what products will work


8

ANUP JAINMarketing Director, Pizza Hut

“Our brandcommunication, productsand advertising aredesigned around the youthand their tastes, preferencesand attitude.”

E FIGHTING FOR ATTENTION

(Despite high television viewing, there is distraction from the net, mobile and otherhand-help devices. Figures in per cent)


mtv play - a special report

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