FEATURE: Youth marketing in Mongolia

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