Posted in Brand Ambassador Programs, Spring Break Marketing, Youth Culture Research on December 19th, 2008
Filed Under: authentic brand interactions, college students, data, effective marketing, email marketing, Experiential Marketing, Facebook, Generation Y, MySpace, Social Networking, spring break, survery, Youth Marketing
First off, I would like to report on the very surreal nature of our work right now. Despite the thin (and supremely hazardous) layer of ice that has covered much of the East Coast this week, there’s only one thought on everyone’s mind: Spring Break. Each and every day, for the past month, we’ve been taking calls, scouting venues and inventing campaigns for this year’s Spring Break. Our collective heads are awash in sun, sand, and engaging brand experiences. We’re spending so much time talking about Spring Break in YMC’s offices, you practically need sunscreen. And then you walk outside for lunch and it’s 18 degrees…
In all seriousness, though, I think this is going to be an exceptional Spring Break season. We’re in midst of planning some genuinely innovative campaigns, and I can’t wait to see those visions realized. (With that said, there’s still plenty of time to roll out a top-flight campaign for Spring Break, so don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re a brand in need.)
In non-spring break news, I was just this morning reminded of the importance of using a peer-driven approach when marketing to this generation of students. A recent student survey conducted by eROI, contains a few insights worth sharing. First, as we’ve all heard many times over, the majority of students list “text messaging” as their preferred means of contact. Second, a whopping 83 percent of college students use Facebook habitually, with MySpace capturing 65 percent of the same pool of students. A majority of students also reported “rarely to never” reading marketing emails. At the same time, the report finds that a significant 60 percent of students “take action” on a marketing email when it pertains to an issue they’re genuinely interested in.
What do these seemingly contradictory findings tell us? To begin, digital campaigns that employ social networking systems have the potential to reach the vast majority of students. Second, email marketing remains a viable tool — but it requires a peer-driven approach to be most effective. When students receive emails from their peers — other students — the likelihood of conversion is increased exponentially. As we all have seen, time and time again, this generation responds to authentic interactions from their peers.
In my eyes, the data above underlines the importance of taking a holistic approach to youth marketing. Email pushes alone are not enough — all of the tools of youth marketing need to be employed in concert to really make an impact. Our campaigns include hands-on, real-world experiential marketing paired with email pushes and custom-built social networking applications, thereby ensuring that we’re reaching our target across multiple platforms. But no matter the number of “touches,” there’s one crucial ingredient that is an absolute must when marketing to today’s youth: peers. All of our marketing — whether its an on-campus experiential marketing campaign or an email push — centers on students talking to other students. This peer-to-peer marketing is the engine that drives our company. Because when you allow students an opportunity to talk to one another about a product or brand they believe in, it’s not marketing or sales, it’s an authentic brand connection with lasting impact.
Posted in Spring Break Marketing, Youth Culture Research on December 9th, 2008
Filed Under: Brand Experiences, Experiential Marketing, spring break, Spring Break demographics, Youth demographics, Youth Marketing, Youth Marketing Data
While it can be hard to conjure up images of sun-baked beaches and sky-blue waters when it’s a balmy 20 degrees in Boston, December is when the planning for Spring Break marketing campaigns really kicks into high gear. All this month, as we’ve been putting together campaigns and plotting this year’s Spring Break brand experiences, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about just what the average spring breaker looks like. Everyone seems to have a general picture of the prototypical Spring Break reveler — college-aged, sun-tanned, beach-bound — but through the years, we’ve collected a wealth of data that speaks to the real, live youth behind these generalities. Because we’re always interested in sharing, here’s a quick-and-dirty data-driven look at the youth that clog our nation’s beaches each year.
The first thing to remember is that there are a lot of them: approximately 40 percent of college students report traveling to a destination for spring break. In 2004, that meant that roughly 2.14 million students ventured out in search of fun and sun, according to Student Monitor, LLC. They’re also spending a lot of money while they’re there: the last survey conducted by MCC&TSI found that more than $1 billion was spent between Texas and Florida by Spring Break partyers during the celebration season.
While a growing percentage of spring breakers are heading to Mexico (approximately 17 percent), the majority are getting sun-burned in the good ol’ US of A. The top four destinations are all in-country hot-spots, and you’re like familiar with all of them: (1) Panama City Beach, Florida; (2) Daytona Beach, Florida; (3) South Padre Island, Texas (4) Lake Havasu, Arizona. While most may be partying in the States, it’s important to remember that this generation of spring breakers are a more world-wise, international group. Almost 50 percent report holding a passport, and nearly 30 percent have traveled outside the country in the last year. What is true of Generation Y in general is true of spring breakers: thanks to constant websurfing and early exposure to the wider world, today’s spring breakers are a sophisticated group that seeks equally sophisticated brand experiences. (Which is why Youth Marketing will be doing so much work in Cancun and Acapulco this season!)
Of course, the most important part of marketing to this generation — whether during Spring Break or otherwise — is authenticity and relevance. In a world inundated with marketing of all stripes, the messages that get through are those that allow students to connect with brands through genuine experiences. Campaigns that succeed are those that allow students to experience a brand, not those that shout selling points at them. It’s all of our good fortune that Spring Break happens to be one of the single best venues to create those very tangible, lasting experiences.
Posted in Youth Culture Research on December 2nd, 2008
Filed Under: Generation Y, meat space, online world, onlinification, real world, trends, trendspotting, Youth Marketing
First of all, let me begin by saying that I’ve been waiting for a chance to use the word “meatspace” for quite a while. Thank god for blogs.
The meatspace, as our savy readership may already know, refers to that ever dwindling piece of real estate known as “the real world.” You know, that place you exist in between Facebook posts and Twitter tweets? Well, some folks have begun to note that even the undeniably real, brick-and-mortar, oxygen-supported physical world is getting an online makeover. This “onlinification” of the real world is not another way of saying that many things previously done offline are now being handled online — that’s old news. That revolution is ten years old. Instead, these trendspotters have noticed that many things in the real world, from the look and feel of products, to the way consumers interact with merchandise is beginning to mirror the online world. According to them: OFF = ON these days.
If you’re like me — a full-grown adult who came of age when being “connected” meant employing a rotary phone — you might be dubious. After all, as ubiquitous as Google may be, it can be hard to imagine bits and bytes seeping into our everyday physical objects. But just check out this pretty remarkable collection of evidence put together by the wise folks at Trendwatching.com. For those of us in the experiential marketing world, this “trend” speaks to something we see everyday: more and more, today’s Gen Y-ers are demanding that their offline experiences live up to their online standards. That means they expect personalization, authenticity and deep relevance from their brands and entertainment. Which, in turn, means that merely inundating Gen Y-ers with marketing isn’t going to win you any followers. Reaching this generation requires building brand experiences that resonate to them as true and genuine.
So I say, bring on the online! If the “onlinifaction” of our world means better, smarter marketing, I’m all for it.
