They are a key demographic for brands,but Asia’s young, urban trendsetters are an often hard to reach consumer group, with desiresn and tastes that differ greatly across the region.With this in mind, Media teamed up with Mindshare’s Scout Network — a research initiative that monitors urban youth trends — and spoke to five young people from around Asia. We asked them to take on the role of media planner, choosing the advertising platforms they would use to communicate with young people in their city. What emerged is a diverse look into young people’s attitudes to media, consumption and the overall effectiveness of brand messaging.
Lily Ruby (alias name), 32, works as a network coordinator in an academic organisation in Tokyo
Outdoor
Any outdoor media has to be visually unique, outstanding, and pique the curiosity in people to find out more about it. A renowned art director, Kashiwa Sato, offers a series of successful examples with creative ways that show advertising as a form of art that intersects with people’s everyday lives.My favourite is the whole chain of advertisements he did for the pop music group SMAP. He hijacked the streets of Tokyo by parking Mini Coopers with car covers bearing the mirror image of the SMAP logo.
Mobile
Young people want to put as many cool functions as possible into one portable gadget and rely on their mobiles for interaction and information. Also, they subconsciously consider the skill of actually being able to handle a mobile as a symbol of youth and
“coolness”.
Internet
The web in Japan can’t be separated from mobile. Mobile technology is so well developed here that users can visit regular
websites,watch movies and even TV programmes. Banner ads are dead, since nobody really pays attention or people don’t
really trust them. People, including myself, trust more in what is being introduced by favourite celebrities in their blogs, or by the information provided in established informative organisations.
Magazines
Japanese youth have not lost their affection for printed materials. Maybe it’s because there are a vast variety of them on niche subjects, and also free ones. Some effective advertisement seen in magazines comes in a form of witty columns. There are lots of cosmetic or hair care product companies doing it by providing useful info about beauty care. My favourite is Santory Yamazaki, a whisky brand.They had a writer create a series of short love stories inspired by the product.
Television
It is still a daily habit for most youth to turn on and watch TV.The recent successful commercials I saw here are ones for Vidal Sassoon and Pepsi Nex, mainly because they had the money to hire as many cutting edge celebrities as possible, so naturally
they stood out.
Sean Leow, 28, based in Shanghai, is the founder and CEO of Neocha.com and is a contributing editor for PSFK, an international trends and innovation agency
Internet
The internet is the consumption, creation and sharing platform of choice for youth in Shanghai. Inside universities, office buildings, homes, and web cafes throughout the city, Shanghai’s youth can be found managing their digital identity online. It is here that brands have a unique opportunity to engage this demographic if they understand how to deliver value into the user’s environment. Converse’s recent ‘Laces’ campaign is a great example of a brand allowing young Chinese creatives to produce
Converse-branded DIY advertisements.
Mobile
Any observer in Shanghai is bound to see the sight of urban youth with their heads down,interacting with their mobile phone. With the proliferation of smart phones and recent launch of 3G in China, mobile internet provides a huge opportunity for brands to engage consumers through campaigns that effectively integrate location-based services, photo submissions, gaming, and more.
Outdoor
For urban youth who typically travel by public transportation or taxi, large billboards are less effective, while eye-level and commute-focused outdoor advertising in subways,buses, taxis and elevators are the best choice for marketers.
Television
While state-run TV does not offer content desired by most youth, TV’s ubiquitous presence offers a mainstream channel the chance to reach a large population. Many youth in Shanghai choose to live with their parents after graduating college and
while the internet may be their first choice for content consumption, watching TV with their parents is a common family activity.Some signs of new and interesting programming for youth include Pepsi’s rock band competition on Zhejiang Satellite TV.
Magazines
Non-digital mediums such as magazines do not have significant reach or traction in Shanghai, but there are a few leading fashion magazines that allow fashion-specific brands to effectively reach a passionate audience.These include magazines
such as 1626, Urban,Yoho and The Bund.
Arjun S. Ravi, 25, is a music journalist from Mumbai. In 2008, he started Indiecision (www.indiecision.com), which today is India’s leading resource for independent music news and opinion
Television
Just in terms of sheer reach, TV is still my number one choice for reaching young people. Of course the media outlay would have to be spread over channels like MTV, Star World and VH1 and it would have to be supported by complementary touch points on other media platforms.TV also plays an important role, in my opinion, in communicating that the brand is credible.
Mobile
The campaign will also have to be promoted via mobile. This, however, does not mean via mobile internet; rather via simple text messaging.Mobile internet still hasn’t taken off in India, though text campaigns are everywhere.This also means that the text campaign has to be compelling enough, with a reasonable frequency, not to be considered as spam. Discount coupons and freebies work well via texts.
Outdoor
Billboards at locations like colleges, cinema halls and coffee shops should be utilised.Also, tie-ups with these establishments (coffee shops, shopping malls) would benefit the brand greatly not only in terms of visibility, but also in terms of communicating
an association that’s more than just a branding message.
Internet
Some youth brands, like the Indian fashion label Fastrack, have been able to effectively use networks like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter toncommunicate marketing messages that don’t come off as being too ‘corporate-y’ and formal. Blog associations with the top bloggers in the Indian blogosphere would also benefit. Newspapers In terms of print,Indian newspapers still score over niche publications just in terms of sheer reach. Times of India,DNA,HindustanTimes and Mid-Day would be preferred publications.
Dang Sering, 28, is a writer, graphic designer and artist residing in Manila. She is a partner and projects director at a communications and design social enterprise
Internet
Because of the tight weaving of social networking sites into the lives of 18 to 30 year olds living in Manila, the internet is the highest recommended media platform. We spend most of the day plugged to the net: surfing for websites and blogs, following
personalities on Twitter or Plurk, and updating friends on social networking sites. Websites and online platforms can easily be incorporated on Facebook,probably the busiest virtual public square.The best brands are those that create the most interesting
content that incite the audience to be part of its experience.
Outdoor
Although outdoor billboards along the roads of Manila may look like a distraction, they are also now considered as part of the urban landscape. Because of this,some people no longer see these advertisements as hard sell. They are now part of the
shared experience by thousands who commute daily to work via major thoroughfares in the city. Billboards in shopping malls, centres of social life in Manila, are also good places to get exposure.
Cinema
Going to the cinemas is one of the best ways to relax in hot and humid Manila. Because people go there to relax and enjoy, they are usually more open to the advertisements in between movie screenings. With huge screens in theatres, the visual and audio experience is more heightened. The slick commercials by Nokia mobile phones are the most memorable.
Magazines
Magazines are a good way to reach targeted audiences. Newly launched magazine titles in fashion,travel, lifestyle and art fill up store shelves. With the birth of new publications there are also tremendous pressures to create more meaningful content, even extending the magazines’ brand to their audience through advertisersponsored events and online presence.
Mobile
Untargeted messages through mobile phones are annoying and considered spam when they invade an extension of our
personal space. However, specific and targeted messages are rarely treated with the delete button, but most of them are subscriptions. There is a tremendous opportunity in advertising through mobile phones when just about everyone in Metro
Manila owns one.
Van Nguyen, 24, lives in Ho Chi Minh City and is a freelance writer with experience in TV programme production and digital marketing
TV
There are now entire TV channels targeting youth. Recently, TV channels just for teens and young adults have popped up,such as Yan TV (MTV Vietnam), Yeah1and VTV6. The mix of youth channels plus celebrities is a never-go-wrong combo. Internet
Television is still king, but internet is by far the fastest-growing medium. The hot favourites of the youth in web 2.0 are online games, Yahoo 360 Blog (Vietnam is a Yahoo country) and Facebook. All the websites are trying to sell banner space, but it doesn’t work. Dantri.com used to be my favourite online news, now it’s too annoying with banners everywhere. Local websites need serious professional consultation.
Cinema
Cinema is part of young people’s social pastime. Since the ads are obviously something that you can’t avoid watching, it works. Sunsilk seems to be quite effective as it is often advertised in the megastar chain of cinema theatres.
Mobile
Mobile advertising in Vietnam means sending spam messages. You can’t completely ignore it, but it’s a violation of privacy and therefore ineffective. I only welcome text message from where I sign up for SMS update subscriptions, such as for budget airline
Jetstar and Vinaphone (my mobile phone provider).
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines appear to be in a downward trend. They seem to attract middle-age housewives more than trendy 18 to 30 year olds.
All responses are the personal views of the scouts and do not represent the views of Mindshare as a company
Lily Ruby (alias name), 32, works as a network coordinator in an academic organisation in Tokyo
Outdoor
Any outdoor media has to be visually unique, outstanding, and pique the curiosity in people to find out more about it. A renowned art director, Kashiwa Sato, offers a series of successful examples with creative ways that show advertising as a form of art that intersects with people’s everyday lives.My favourite is the whole chain of advertisements he did for the pop music group SMAP. He hijacked the streets of Tokyo by parking Mini Coopers with car covers bearing the mirror image of the SMAP logo.
Mobile
Young people want to put as many cool functions as possible into one portable gadget and rely on their mobiles for interaction and information. Also, they subconsciously consider the skill of actually being able to handle a mobile as a symbol of youth and
“coolness”.
Internet
The web in Japan can’t be separated from mobile. Mobile technology is so well developed here that users can visit regular
websites,watch movies and even TV programmes. Banner ads are dead, since nobody really pays attention or people don’t
really trust them. People, including myself, trust more in what is being introduced by favourite celebrities in their blogs, or by the information provided in established informative organisations.
Magazines
Japanese youth have not lost their affection for printed materials. Maybe it’s because there are a vast variety of them on niche subjects, and also free ones. Some effective advertisement seen in magazines comes in a form of witty columns. There are lots of cosmetic or hair care product companies doing it by providing useful info about beauty care. My favourite is Santory Yamazaki, a whisky brand.They had a writer create a series of short love stories inspired by the product.
Television
It is still a daily habit for most youth to turn on and watch TV.The recent successful commercials I saw here are ones for Vidal Sassoon and Pepsi Nex, mainly because they had the money to hire as many cutting edge celebrities as possible, so naturally
they stood out.
Sean Leow, 28, based in Shanghai, is the founder and CEO of Neocha.com and is a contributing editor for PSFK, an international trends and innovation agency
Internet
The internet is the consumption, creation and sharing platform of choice for youth in Shanghai. Inside universities, office buildings, homes, and web cafes throughout the city, Shanghai’s youth can be found managing their digital identity online. It is here that brands have a unique opportunity to engage this demographic if they understand how to deliver value into the user’s environment. Converse’s recent ‘Laces’ campaign is a great example of a brand allowing young Chinese creatives to produce
Converse-branded DIY advertisements.
Mobile
Any observer in Shanghai is bound to see the sight of urban youth with their heads down,interacting with their mobile phone. With the proliferation of smart phones and recent launch of 3G in China, mobile internet provides a huge opportunity for brands to engage consumers through campaigns that effectively integrate location-based services, photo submissions, gaming, and more.
Outdoor
For urban youth who typically travel by public transportation or taxi, large billboards are less effective, while eye-level and commute-focused outdoor advertising in subways,buses, taxis and elevators are the best choice for marketers.
Television
While state-run TV does not offer content desired by most youth, TV’s ubiquitous presence offers a mainstream channel the chance to reach a large population. Many youth in Shanghai choose to live with their parents after graduating college and
while the internet may be their first choice for content consumption, watching TV with their parents is a common family activity.Some signs of new and interesting programming for youth include Pepsi’s rock band competition on Zhejiang Satellite TV.
Magazines
Non-digital mediums such as magazines do not have significant reach or traction in Shanghai, but there are a few leading fashion magazines that allow fashion-specific brands to effectively reach a passionate audience.These include magazines
such as 1626, Urban,Yoho and The Bund.
Arjun S. Ravi, 25, is a music journalist from Mumbai. In 2008, he started Indiecision (www.indiecision.com), which today is India’s leading resource for independent music news and opinion
Television
Just in terms of sheer reach, TV is still my number one choice for reaching young people. Of course the media outlay would have to be spread over channels like MTV, Star World and VH1 and it would have to be supported by complementary touch points on other media platforms.TV also plays an important role, in my opinion, in communicating that the brand is credible.
Mobile
The campaign will also have to be promoted via mobile. This, however, does not mean via mobile internet; rather via simple text messaging.Mobile internet still hasn’t taken off in India, though text campaigns are everywhere.This also means that the text campaign has to be compelling enough, with a reasonable frequency, not to be considered as spam. Discount coupons and freebies work well via texts.
Outdoor
Billboards at locations like colleges, cinema halls and coffee shops should be utilised.Also, tie-ups with these establishments (coffee shops, shopping malls) would benefit the brand greatly not only in terms of visibility, but also in terms of communicating
an association that’s more than just a branding message.
Internet
Some youth brands, like the Indian fashion label Fastrack, have been able to effectively use networks like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter toncommunicate marketing messages that don’t come off as being too ‘corporate-y’ and formal. Blog associations with the top bloggers in the Indian blogosphere would also benefit. Newspapers In terms of print,Indian newspapers still score over niche publications just in terms of sheer reach. Times of India,DNA,HindustanTimes and Mid-Day would be preferred publications.
Dang Sering, 28, is a writer, graphic designer and artist residing in Manila. She is a partner and projects director at a communications and design social enterprise
Internet
Because of the tight weaving of social networking sites into the lives of 18 to 30 year olds living in Manila, the internet is the highest recommended media platform. We spend most of the day plugged to the net: surfing for websites and blogs, following
personalities on Twitter or Plurk, and updating friends on social networking sites. Websites and online platforms can easily be incorporated on Facebook,probably the busiest virtual public square.The best brands are those that create the most interesting
content that incite the audience to be part of its experience.
Outdoor
Although outdoor billboards along the roads of Manila may look like a distraction, they are also now considered as part of the urban landscape. Because of this,some people no longer see these advertisements as hard sell. They are now part of the
shared experience by thousands who commute daily to work via major thoroughfares in the city. Billboards in shopping malls, centres of social life in Manila, are also good places to get exposure.
Cinema
Going to the cinemas is one of the best ways to relax in hot and humid Manila. Because people go there to relax and enjoy, they are usually more open to the advertisements in between movie screenings. With huge screens in theatres, the visual and audio experience is more heightened. The slick commercials by Nokia mobile phones are the most memorable.
Magazines
Magazines are a good way to reach targeted audiences. Newly launched magazine titles in fashion,travel, lifestyle and art fill up store shelves. With the birth of new publications there are also tremendous pressures to create more meaningful content, even extending the magazines’ brand to their audience through advertisersponsored events and online presence.
Mobile
Untargeted messages through mobile phones are annoying and considered spam when they invade an extension of our
personal space. However, specific and targeted messages are rarely treated with the delete button, but most of them are subscriptions. There is a tremendous opportunity in advertising through mobile phones when just about everyone in Metro
Manila owns one.
Van Nguyen, 24, lives in Ho Chi Minh City and is a freelance writer with experience in TV programme production and digital marketing
TV
There are now entire TV channels targeting youth. Recently, TV channels just for teens and young adults have popped up,such as Yan TV (MTV Vietnam), Yeah1and VTV6. The mix of youth channels plus celebrities is a never-go-wrong combo. Internet
Television is still king, but internet is by far the fastest-growing medium. The hot favourites of the youth in web 2.0 are online games, Yahoo 360 Blog (Vietnam is a Yahoo country) and Facebook. All the websites are trying to sell banner space, but it doesn’t work. Dantri.com used to be my favourite online news, now it’s too annoying with banners everywhere. Local websites need serious professional consultation.
Cinema
Cinema is part of young people’s social pastime. Since the ads are obviously something that you can’t avoid watching, it works. Sunsilk seems to be quite effective as it is often advertised in the megastar chain of cinema theatres.
Mobile
Mobile advertising in Vietnam means sending spam messages. You can’t completely ignore it, but it’s a violation of privacy and therefore ineffective. I only welcome text message from where I sign up for SMS update subscriptions, such as for budget airline
Jetstar and Vinaphone (my mobile phone provider).
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines appear to be in a downward trend. They seem to attract middle-age housewives more than trendy 18 to 30 year olds.
All responses are the personal views of the scouts and do not represent the views of Mindshare as a company
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