Little emperors not so little anymore

<p>Conjure up a "little emperor" and you'd be forgiven for imagining </p><p>an overweight, spoilt young boy with an extended family indulging his </p><p>every wish. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But at MEDIA's recent China Brand Seminar, McCann-Erickson Asia-Pacific </p><p>senior vice-president and director of consumer learning David McCaughan, </p><p>identified that within China's unfathomable markets, change is moving at </p><p>a pace where the given norms of one generation are being re-written by </p><p>its successors and predecessors alike. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And amid the stories of health experts in Beijing battling to motivate </p><p>overweight 10-year olds at summer camp, an older generation of little </p><p>emperors is also out there waiting to be catered to. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Identifying the "teens, the career builders, the family builders and the </p><p>new-life builders", Mr McCaughan highlighted MCCann's own Pulse survey </p><p>which had delved into these segments. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The (original) little emperors are part of the adult world now, their </p><p>parents are middle-aged and their grandparents are in their late 50s - </p><p>their grandparents are the new-life builders," Mr McCaughan said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And mistakenly, marketers and researchers had been touting the "little </p><p>emperor" tag as gospel for the past 10 years. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We need a reality check - we may have been in the habit of using this </p><p>tag since 1990, but when you look at it, the real little emperors are </p><p>from 20 years back when the one-child policy was introduced," he </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The "original" emperors are hanging-out, preparing for university and </p><p>getting ready to join the workforce. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"These career builders re under 25, in their first job, and unsure about </p><p>their future or earning money," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>and more contradictions abound - for though the fastest-growing </p><p>population segment in China may be the middle-aged, middle-class </p><p>consumer, the latest batch of little emperors has "grown up on GameBoy", </p><p>he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They think Pepsi is 'out', and they see themselves as representing the </p><p>worldly success of their family unit," said Mr McCaughan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Admitting that the roles of parents were also in a state of flux, the </p><p>"first generation" of emperors were influenced by young mothers, who </p><p>supported their husbands and had channelled their unheeded hopes into </p><p>their children. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Today's 29-year old, middle class mother, on the other hand, holds </p><p>motherhood high on a list of priorities, which include going to the gym </p><p>and maintaining a successful career after childbirth. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And for the youngsters themselves, "gadgets" allowing escapism, and the </p><p>Japanese comic-book phenomenon held universal appeal. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Gadgets like the Walkman and Tamagotchi give youngsters the freedom to </p><p>create their own world," Mr McCaughan said, adding that comic books were </p><p>still an untapped medium for marketers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Not surprisingly fast food giant McDonald's was also a core draw on </p><p>their wish-list - not for the cusine, but as a place to escape the </p><p>confines of the family unit, open up to your peers, and hang out. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"There's pressure on the little emperors being the worth by which their </p><p>familty is measured - they're seen as the bage of (family) success." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In addition, teens growing up on "hot media", namely the Internet, </p><p>patronised Internet parlours as an extension of the McDonald's </p><p>experience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>" They go to experience aspirational friendship, and virtual </p><p>communication via the keyboard means more, it means you're committed, </p><p>even if your 'virtual friend' is sitting right next to you." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to McCann Pulse results, youths in China also looked to the </p><p>media to weave a story. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>These ran the gamut from Sony PlayStation2 - recently launched in </p><p>Shanghai - to plot lines for TV commercials; teens had a tendency to </p><p>remember more if they featured a strong beginning, middle and end. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>