With 70 per cent of Mongolia's 2.5 million citizens under the age
of 35, marketers have long understood the need to appeal to the
country's youth market.
And, even politicians have re-designed their campaigns to target young
voters.
Nobody understands this dynamic better than new Prime Minister Nambariin
Enkhbayar, the leader of the former communist Mongolian People's
Revolutionary Party, who enlisted the help of Lipstick - "the Spice
Girls of the Steppes" - to jazz up his image in the recent multi-party
election campaign.
Mongolia's only all girl pop group, Lipstick, signed an exclusive
contract to play at Party rallies with Enkhbayar, the self styled "Tony
Blair of the Steppes".
Indeed, his campaign (run by a foreign consultancy) borrowed wholesale
not only from politics, but also from the style of social democrats such
as Blair and Germany's Gerhard Schroeder.
The Lipstick girls are part of a young, very cosmopolitan generation
that has emerged in Mongolia since early 1990, when the country ended
decades of reliance on the former Soviet Union.
Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Mongolia has adopted a democratic
system and is embracing full market economy reforms, opening its doors
to the outside world.
In today's Ulan Bator, the typical cosmopolitan youth hangs out in
discos and frequents Internet cafes. "All my children want to do is
watch MTV from the Philippines ... even when the reception is really
bad," says Ms Suvdaa, mother of two teenagers.
As for Ms Suvdaa, who is an English teacher, other satellite channels
have more appeal for her. "I myself prefer Russian TV, while my husband
really likes National Geographic Channel."
But, although politicians and parents are now discovering what appeals
to young people, corporate and product brand managers are fuelling the
passions of Mongolia's youthful consumers.
Heineken, for example, has recently sponsored the latest video by
leading female pop star Sarantuya (Saraa), a project that fully tested
the beer's taste for supporting Mongolian creativity.
The video was shot following an eight-hour drive into the Gobi. With
props, including a horse and carriage, the production was transported to
the location in Russian vans with big Heineken logos on the side.
While it caused great excitement among the region's nomads, it also
revealed the true power of satellite communications.
Not only does everyone in Mongolia know Saraa, the Vanchigs, a desert
nomad family that appears in the video, have a portable satellite dish
standing next to their Ger (traditional Mongolian felt tent).
With a wind propeller generating electricity for the receiver and the TV
set inside, Mr Vanchig watches news from Ulan Bator and channels from
China, Hong Kong and Russia.
But as Saraa explains, music is the programming choice for the younger
people who make up the majority of viewers.
"Young people really like Western music and they can watch it all the
time on MTV," she says. "But," she points out, "if they can listen to
Mongolian music, then they prefer that."
Although well known, being a musician in Mongolia is not easy.
In addition to the limited size of the market, piracy from across the
border in China makes it hard for artists to survive on record sales
alone, resulting in many seeking sponsorship from political parties and
commercial enterprises.
"I don't like to sell myself to one company," says Saraa, "so I have
several companies sponsoring me. Heineken is now making a documentary
about my career. We will be sitting around the fire drinking Heineken
beer. But, I also have Korean Cass Beer sponsoring my new album".
Such deals could confuse naive consumers, but supporting political
parties is even harder and can result in public anger.
Despite its new found political voice, Mongolia's small and scattered
population makes for a limited consumer base to attract advertisers.
However, adspend is increasing and Mongolians are learning to appreciate
and criticise individual products and campaigns.
One thing is clear: Mongolia's young people are catching on quickly.
As Saraa, who has lived in Germany and Singapore, sums up, "we are a
country with a small population and a small consumer market, but
Mongolia is changing and I will stay here."
