youthtopia chenling
TRANSCRIPT
Chenling Zhang
Senior Reseacher @ MTV Networks Belgium
Mission Statement:
“To stay in permanent touch with kids & youth in Belgium through all our entertainment brands”
A Beta Life://Youth
MTV Media Mixers
The Golden Age of Youth
The Nickelodeon International Family Study
A new way of measuring brand equity
Youthtopia is how young people envisage the world today and in their ideal future.
It encapsulates their core values and, for the first time, allows brand owners to see how they stack up against the factors
which are important to this audience.
Youthtopia opens up a whole new world of understanding:
Where does your brand fit into Youthtopia?
Is your brand in line with young people’s hopes and dreams?
If not, how do you get to where you want to be?
We realised that to truly understand what young people value today we couldn’t expect to find this out from a few focus groups.
Instead, for the qualitative phase of this project we recruited 102 young people across Europe (UK, Holland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Greece).
We spent over 800 hours with them, connecting via an online community. Over
a 3 month period they posted more than 2,500 blog entries and
uploaded in excess of 200 videos.
We recruited a diverse range of respondents from varying socio-economic backgrounds and with different interests
Creating Youthtopia
The qual phase gave us the blueprint for Youthtopia – the quant phase was the actual construction of it.
To do this we interviewed 7,000 young people aged 16-34 across Europe (UK, Holland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Greece, Sweden).
They told us what was important to them in key areas of their life - both now and in an ideal world.
They also answered on behalf of brands - some 180 brands in total.
The result is a vision of Youthtopia designed to young people’s specifications, and with brands rated on their terms.
Definitions
Definition
Value – “It is important to work hard and be successful”
Expectation = “This year I want to graduate, get a good job in a well known law firm and be earning £50k by the time I am 26”
Aspiration = “By the time I’m 35, I want to be the boss of my own multi-million dollar business”
Today: Aspirations = Expectations
The overwhelming majority of our respondents expect to achieve their aspirations
“I’m confident of achieving my dreams, It’s not down to fate, it is down to personal drive and want.” Male, 17, UK
“I see how other people life and basically i want to live like that too. I want a big gorgeous house and nice cars and nice holidays because I don't see any reason why i cant
have them if other people can.” - UK, 23 Female
“I often repeat the words of Winston Churchill: Never, never , never give up. I heard this quote by chance and it really got to my head. These few simple words mobilize me not to give up, to fight with my weaknesses and to fulfill my dreams, because life without
dreams is tasteless.” – M, Poland
“Everyone is responsible for his own life; you can get and become whatever you want to have or want to be... you just have to work hard and you have to believe. Don`t lose track
of your goals!!!!” F, 23, Germany
“My motto is...live life to the fullest...and never let people tell u u cant do things,anybody can do and be what they want if they just put their mind to it... u can reach ur goals and fulfil
ur dreams:)” F 21, UK
No difference?
One of the most striking takeouts was just how similar our respondents answers were
Their values are nearly identical
The people they admire are the same
Their model of Youthtopia looks nearly identical
But the variation we found did not seem to be determined by the traditional big differentiators, namely:
Nationality
Age
Gender
(Social class)
Why is this?
Our markets, in the big scheme of things, are all fairly similar with a shared Christian and European narrative.
Our age range is reasonably narrow – covers only the second age of youth
The Gender landscape is increasingly flat and we spotted surprisingly few differences even amongst traditionally polarising areas such as relationships and work
Class – Socioeconomic background does remains a key factor, but is still not the ultimately limiting factor it once was
However, we found three other factors to be key to the formation of aspirations
No difference?
There are three key factors that impact aspirations
Social capital
This is the resource which the individual has available to
themselves.
Recognition
Things which the individual is recognised for being good at.
This reward encourages further investment in the
pursuit
Significant moments that cause the individual to re-evaluate aspirations
Critical events
Sociocultural Context
Aspirations
Social Capital
The third key factor which determines young people’s aspirations and their ability to achieve them is ‘social capital’ - the ‘resources’ available to young people
Social Capital can be bonded or bridging:
Bonded = resources tend to be tied into closed social networks – e.g having a reputation as a good fighter, or being sexually promiscuous
Bridging = Resources which open new flexible opportunities – e.g. owning a car, having an education, experiencing travel, having access to media
Bonded Bridged
Social network 1 Social network 2Social network 2 Social network 1 Social network 3
Context: re-evaluating contemporary youth
Hopes and dreams
From exercises, questions and assignments given to our
community, 5 meta-values emerge…
~ Individuality~ Tradition~ Honesty~ Effort~ Positivity
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Have faith in yourselfTake responsibility for your own life
Young people consider themselves autonomous individuals rather than representatives of a group.
This is not to be confused with being a ‘loner’ – more about being fluid, part of many crowds, not one.
“I've never really fit one scene. emo – I’ve got my skinny jeans and Atticus jackets ready, indie – I’m on the street promotions team for about 4 bands, reggae - from mad professor and coco tea to bob
Marley, I jam to it all” - Male UK
Individuality1
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Respect your parents
Parents are the unlikely heroes of Gen Y. Their attitude, attributes and model of family life has become
aspirational.
Unlike previous generations, young people are actively choosing a traditional family model, rather than being
forced into it.
The major difference between Gen Y and their parents is that Gen Y aim for greatness – and expect to
achieve it.
“One of the defining features of this generation compared to others is that their own and their
parents’ values seem closer than ever” Prof. Ronald Inglehart
“Parents offer an oasis of obligation in a sea of choice” Prof. Janet Holland
Tradition2
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Keep your promises
In an individualistic culture it is essential to know what other individuals are thinking and be able to rely on
them.
In an individualistic culture friendships take on a heightened importance; there is less societal pressure
to keep you in line and honesty is highly valued.
“Isn’t it amazing that lying is not a deadly sin?” Male, UK
“… it takes time to make a new friend…he has to prove it to me that he deserves to be called a friend. Only honest people are trustworthy, and they would
for sure stand by you when difficulties occur” - Male, Greece
Honesty3
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Family & Friends first
Importantly our study suggests that this very process of individualisation has caused a far greater dependency on friends and family.
The absence of other support structures and places to belong these relationships have a greater impact than before, are taken more seriously and treated with greater respect.
“Parents offer an oasis of obligation in a sea of choice”
– Professor Janet Holland
“…a heightened investment in response to the uncertainties of individualisation”
– Beck and Beck-Gernsheim 1995
Work hard to succeed but not to the detriment of others
The majority have a strong work ethic and seem incredibly driven to achieve their imagined
future.
They hold great respect for those who work hard and overcome adversity – in fact, failure is
assumed to stem from laziness.
“The two people I admire in my personal life are easy: My dad and my stepdad. They both work really hard so they can live the way they wanna live. These men are hard working and
good men with a heart of gold.” - Male, Holland
Effort4
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Live life to the full, be passionate
Be happy & optimistic, even in adversity
It’s essential to be happy and positive in life. This generation are unimpressed by those
merely ‘going through the motions’.
However, classic hedonistic youth behaviour appears to be in decline: They adopt a conservative attitude to drugs and are
unwilling to ‘over commit’ to something that may damage future opportunities.
“Fun – that’s how you can describe my life. I can however always stop, if having
too much fun would stop me from achieving things” – Male, Poland
Positivity5
“I dream of discovering a cure of cancer - saving millions of people, taking over the world and make it become a better place! Resolve all the social issues on earth” -
Female, UK
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
The 10 Commandments of youth
Key commandments in all countries
Important in some countries but not all
Important in most countries
Have faith in yourself
Be honest
Take responsibility for your own life
Respect your parents
Keep your promises
Live life to the full, be passionate
Be happy & optimistic, even in adversity
Work hard to succeed, but not to the detriment of others
Be tolerant of others' differences
Create, don't destroy (don't destroy yourself, others, the earth, values)
Aim high, dream big
Be individual
Respect the environment
Try to make as many good friends as you can
Have fun, but not to the detriment of success
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Racism
DishonestyBullying
Greed
Adultery or cheating on your partner
Anger
Envy
And their Deadly Sins?
GreedSlothLust
WrathPrideEnvy
Gluttony
From this To this…
CONTEMPORARY YOUTH VALUES
Rethinking contemporary youth
Individualistic
Sexually promiscuous
Spoiled
Rebellious
Lazy
Hedonistic
Celebrity Obsessed
Badly behaved / Disrespectful / Rude / Aggressive / Violent
Moody / Sulking / Depressed
Family and friend focused
Looking for love
Spoiled…but grateful for it
Conformist
Industrious
Born to be mild
Achievement Obsessed
Polite / respect where respect is earned / well mannered and tough on crime
Optimistic
Bron: Het Laatste Nieuws
Hopes and dreams2. AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
Meta-values define young people as a generation, but what defines them as individuals are their ambitions.
Ambitions, or hopes and dreams, are a product of both meta values and external influences – the media, friends and family, critical events, experience etc.
Unlike meta values, ambitions can change frequently, which
makes them more useful for brands to understand and tap into as this ultimately drives youth attitudes and behaviour.
A Generation versus an Individual
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
Click here to listen to their ambitions
EthicsIdentity Society Home Education
WorkFamily Friends Travel Relationships
By speaking to our community of 102 young people over several months we
identified 10 key areas in life where they had ambitions – such as relationships, material goods, their career, home, society as whole, how they wanted to be seen by their peers etc.
These 10 key areas became the foundations of Youthtopia:
Understanding ambitions
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
Although only 5 meta-values define young people as a generation; as individuals, we identified 40 very different ambitions.
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
Collectivist
EthicsIdentity Society Home Education
WorkFamily Friends Travel Relationships
Aspirational Pragmatists Outsider
x
=40 different ambitions
“I want to get married, have kids and settle down in a nice home”“I want to be known and respected as being a good person who does the right thing”
“I want to live in a society where all people have the same opportunity and those who are less fortunate get help” “I’m not bothered where I live, I just want to be able to have the freedom to live where I like”
“I love to travel, I want to go to the most exotic places, taste the best food and experience the best hotels in the world”
“I don’t need many friends, I’m pretty self-sufficient”
CollectivistWanting to do good,
because that’s a good thing to do.
AspirationalWanting to do good,
because that would make me look good.
PragmatistWilling to accept good
enough.
OutsiderWould challenge the
question and ask what do you mean by good?
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
I want to find my soulmate who I can totally trust and be honest with
Pragmatist
Collectivist
Aspirational
Outsider
I want to find a passionate lover who I can have the most amazing & romantic relationship with
I’m not looking for commitment right now, I’m happy to just have a bit of fun
I want to get married, have kids and settle down in a nice home
Relationships
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
Here are the four dominant ambitions when it comes to relationships…
I want to learn as much as I can to expand my mind and broaden my horizons
Pragmatist
Collectivist
Aspirational
Outsider
A good education and good grades are important to ensure you have a good job and career
I don’t think a formal education is that important, life experience is more useful, especially if you have other skills
My parents would be disappointed if I didn’t try my best at school
Education
AMBITIONS & BEHAVIOUR
And for education….
Which ambition is dominant in each area?
This chart shows the different ambitions within each of the 10 areas. For ‘Family’, Pragmatic ambitions dominate; for Society there is no one main ambition…
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O
EthicsIdentity Society Home Education
WorkFamily Friends Travel Relationships
C= Collectivist A = Aspirational P = Pragmatic O = Outsider
YOUTHTOPIA
Lifestage has a big impact on where people live in Youthtopia
Living with your parentsMost outsider
Living with friends Most aspirational, collectivism
relatively low
Partner but not living together Collectivism is strongest
Living with partner Still a high degree of collectivism
but less aspirational
Family Least aspirational, less
collectivism
YOUTHTOPIA
Where do brands live in Youthtopia?
YOUTHTOPIA
Youth Aspirations - Material
This year:
• a recording studio• a 32" sony bravia flatscreen tv,• an xbox 360 (with games), • a motorbike, • a vw polo g40,• an aquarium, • lots of energy drink,• lifetime supply of monster,• a psp,• iphone, • mini ramp in my garden, • trip to japan, • winning lottery ticket,• flat in hertford, • new clothes, • lots of nike joggers, • nike sb tre zoom skate shoes,• nikon slr camera with fisheye lens,• driving lessons,• hoodys, • 14 hole cherry red doc martens, • fred perry polo shirts.. • cant think of anything else but theres
more--- a basketball hoop!
Aged 35:
•porche gt3•suzuki gsx-r750•bmw m5, nice house •do kids count as a material good?•swimming pool•basketball courts •recording studio•nice clothes•hair on my head•big tv cinema system•new games consoles•Aquarium•sit-on lawnmower•Tractor•speedboat •tattoo artist on site•monster energy fridge
M, 21, UK
“its funny you asked because I write this list all the time”
It’s essential for brands to know how they are perceived by young people and what is driving their perceptions.
This is where the Youthtopia model can help.
By asking young people to imagine a brand as a person and the sort of ambitions they would have in each of the 10 areas of life which are important to them, we can see where a brand would ‘live’ in Youthtopia.
We can also see what is driving these perceptions, enabling brands to see where they need to focus to ensure they have the right ‘address’ in Youthtopia in the future.
This is a completely new, but very powerful, way for brands to better understand their brand equity with young people. Moreover, the results provide an innovative blueprint for how a brand can ultimately change their address in Youthtopia and appeal more strongly to their target audience.
Knowing your address in Youthtopia
YOUTHTOPIA
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
So where do young people live in Youthtopia?
YOUTHTOPIA
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
As you move through life, you move through Youthtopia
Single live with
parents
Pre-family live with
partner
FamilySingle live with
friends/alone
Pre-family not live with
partner
YOUTHTOPIA
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
16-18 student
19+ student
Grad career
Non-grad not careerNon-grad career
Unemployed graduate
Grad not-career
Unemployed non-grad
And socio-economic status changes your outlook on life
Further education leads to more Collectivism
YOUTHTOPIA
So far, we’ve shown where young people live in Youthtopia, we also asked them to choose their ambitions in an ideal world, where there are no barriers in their way…
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O
EthicsIdentity Society Home Education
WorkFamily Friends Travel Relationships
= Here & now = In an ideal world C= Collectivist A = Aspirational P = Pragmatic O = Outsider
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O C A P O
Where would they like to live?
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
In an ideal world youth are more Aspirational and have more Collectivism
YOUTHTOPIA
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
Where should a brand live?
In all countries there is a positive correlation between Aspirational
ambtions and brand favourability – and a negative correlation between
Pragmatic ambitions and favourability
YOUTHTOPIA
ASPIRATIONAL
COLLECTIVISM
OUTSIDER
PRAGMATIC
Where do you want to be?
If you want to be loved by everyone then Collectivism can help: There is a
positive correlation between Collectivism ambitions and social
responsibility
However, ‘challenger’ brands may need a strong element of Outsider.
YOUTHTOPIA
Collectivism @ work:
Interest 63%
All future possibilities
still open 39%
Good carreer previsions (ambition)
38% Find a job easily 31% Best of all bad
choices 26%
Q: Indicate the 3 most important reasons for choosing a certain education.
Source: MTV Networks, Youth & Governmental Issues 2007
Collectivism @ work:
38%50%53%56%
58%60%62%64%
79%
83%Good work atmosphere
Interesting work to do
To be recognised for its job
Variation in work
Good conditions
Remunerations
Career possibilities
Open communication
Challenging work
Possibility to work in team
Q: How important are these criteria when looking for a job. – Top10 criteria ‘very to extremely important’
Source: MTV Networks, Youth & Governmental Issues 2007
Collectivism & Society • Speel in op hun gevoel voor collectivisme
cfr. MTV Staying Alive, Hope for Haïti & Sensoa Wereld Aids Dag.
Educational collectivism
• Mind & horizon expansion are most important when it comes to education cfr. KULeuven & Lessius
Broaden your horizon!
Don’t forget
• Heavy link between collectivism and society – education– Stress feeling of responsibility
• But don’t forget the Outsider element if you’re a Challenger (cfr. Pepsi vs Cola).
• Positive link between aspirational elements and brand favourability– Particularly when it comes to Leisure & Travel
