Six Seismic Shifts in Global Teen Culture
Certain experiences transform the outlook of an entire generation.
For todays 13- to 18-year-olds, the events of 9/11 had that
effect. Seemingly overnight the world changed from one filled with
the optimism and endless possibility of the Internet boom to a dark
and anxious place threatened by global war and international
terror. These dramatic changes could only logically result in
equally important shifts in global teen culture.
The GenWorld global teen study, conducted by my company,
Energy/BBDO, set out to explore the recent changes in global teen
attitudes, lifestyles, and values. Our key discovery: six seismic
shifts that we believe will be known as the hallmarks of a new
generation.
1) Being wired: from an elite to a mainstream phenomenon
While wired teens in the 1990s were found primarily in the most
developed countries, today they are a global mass market. On
average across 13 countries, 56% of teens qualify as
superconnectors, using at least two of five electronic devices or
services every single day.
This phenomenon has given rise to a widespread new form of peer
interaction, the social network. While family communications remain
primarily face to face, teens and their friends are more densely
networked to one another via IM, cell phone, text message, and
e-mail. The growth of these social networks means that there is an
entire world of communications going on that adults arent part
of and often dont even know about.
Implication: If your brand wants a relationship with this
generation, connect them to each other. For them, there are no new
media. Connecting virtually is how they live. The way marketers
connect with them may be as important as what they say.
2) Worldview: from optimism to a great uneasiness
Ubiquity of information access makes todays global teens painfully
aware of the turbulence occurring around them everyday. Just 14%
say, I think the world is becoming a better place, a far cry from
the teens of the 1990s, who saw tremendous possibilities for
themselves with the emergence of the new economy.
Personal safety worries top teens lists of concerns, notably
terrorism (62%) and war (62%).
They are a cautious group: Only 20% value adventure and risk as a
guiding principle in their lives, and just 28% say, I am usually
among the first to try something new.
Implication: They have enough to worry about. Rather than preying
on their fears, fuel optimism. New isnt automatically
better.
3) Success: from entitlement to self-activism
Despite their trepidations about the state of the world, todays
global teens have decided to remain and fight. In sharp contrast to
the whatever detachment and entitlement of the 1990s, this
generations primary attitude is I would fight for a cause I
believe in, agreed to by 6 in 10 globally.
The cause that interests them most: their hopes for their own
futures. They are a generation of self-activists prepared to
focus and work hard to get what they need to out of the
system.
Chief among their future concerns: money. Being financially secure,
being rich, or being better off than their parents financially were
the number-one expectations in eight out of 13 countries.
Protecting the family and having stable relationships were the
number-one and number-four global personal values.
Implication: They need courage. Empower them; be a solution; appeal
to their inner hero or superpower.
4) The new vanguard of cool: from USA teens to creatives
In the 1990s, USA teens represented the vanguard of global youth.
They were more wired, better informed, and more likely to shape the
direction of popular culture.
The cutting edge of cool today is defined more by values than
geography. Todays leading-edge teens are creatives, a group that
accounts for about 30% of teens worldwide. They are curious about
the world, altruistic, and highly open to new and innovative ideas,
and they enjoy expressing themselves through personal Web pages,
art, music, writing, and design.
They are most prevalent in Europe and, interestingly, are not the
predominant group in the United States, where conservative
traditional teens make up nearly half of the population.
Implication: To connect with leading-edge teens, appeal to their
desire to express themselves. When it comes to product design or
communication, let them make it their own.
5) Global brand leaders: from American brands to world brands
While America brands such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds retain the
highest awareness levels, they are no longer the best liked. That
honor goes to Sony (Japan), Nokia (Finland), and Adidas (Germany),
which are numbers one, two, and three in overall teen affinity.
McDonalds is number 32 and Coke number eight in overall liking. In
fact, American brands account for only half of the global top 10
teen brands.
Implication: Awareness doesnt equal affinity for todays global
teens. Plastering a brand logo everywhere isnt sufficient to make
a connection with them.
6) Brands: from brand status symbols to brand apathy
Marketers face big trouble: 62% of global teens are apathetic about
marketing and advertising.
What does this mean? Only 13% of these teens are interested in
wearing brand logos, more than half are skeptical about the
accuracy of the marketing and advertising they are exposed to, and
69% feel that there is too much marketing and advertising in the
world.
Implication: Give them something to care about: Have a cause, a
mission, a difference making purpose in the world. Hype causes
apathy, but meaning energizes.
Teens today may be fearful about the future, but there is still
much to be optimistic about. Ubiquity of information access may
lead to equality of opportunity. This generations passion and
determination may lead to more willingness to tackle difficult
societal problems. And the rise of social networks may lead to
increased interpersonal and global understanding.
Perhaps the most biting message this generation is sending is to
marketers, whose messages and approaches leave them indifferent.
American marketers in particular may need a wakeup call. Only by
offering global teens understanding and respect can companies
expect to leverage the full power of the newly emerging global teen
culture.
