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Network With Youth Brands at the 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup

The 2010 national Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup is where today's top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, educators and non-profit organizations gather to share best practices, research and latest strategies on marketing to youth with technology.

This is the event where you'll find out what leading-edge technologies youth are using today – and will be using tomorrow. You'll also get an insider's view into youth-focused tech and media startups and learn how to leverage social media, gaming, virtual worlds, mobile and more to authentically reach youth.

The Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup will be held on May 24-25 in San Francisco! You still have time to register, so come join us!

Event Program | 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup

Weekly Wrap: Gen Y & the 'Obama Effect', Social Web Strategy Matrix, NBC Olympic Strategy, Facebook Privacy for Teens, Rebranding Mickey Mouse, Gen Y Slang, Young Hollywood = $$$ & More!

Why Brands Are Becoming Media: One of the greatest challenges I encounter today is not the willingness of a brand to engage, but its ability to create.

When blueprinting a social media strategy, enthusiasm and support typically derails when examining the resources and commitment required to produce regular content.

Indeed, we are programing the social web around our brand hub, which requires a consistent flow of engaging and relevant social objects. [Mashable]

Web Strategy Matrix: There’s an incredible amount of media and blogger noise about social networks, yet most focus on “killer app” hype without an objective point of view. My career mission?  To cut out the hype and help companies make sense of what to do. For those fraught with information overload, this definitive matrix distills what matters. [Jeremiah Owyang]

Facebook Privacy Settings for Teens: I would love to have the network's response to these recommendations, so please chime in as an educator, researcher, counselor, doctor, parent...or friend. I am hoping we can get the best recommendation out there for our young teens...and their parents. [Architecture of Ideas]

Hollywood Still Doesn't Understand How to Market to Women: This past weekend, something momentous happened in Hollywood. “Dear John," a chick flick based on a schmaltzy Nicholas Sparks novel and starring two only moderately famous actors, unseated “Avatar,” the most successful movie of all time. Nobody saw it coming. Why not? One simple reason: Hollywood still doesn’t understand how to market to women. [The Wrap]

Probing the 'Obama Effect on Gen Y: According to a study to be released this month by Images USA, 81 percent of the so-called Generation Y feel the gravity of world events is causing them to get involved. But according to Ricki Fairley-Brown, CMO of Images, African-American and Hispanic Gen Yers are more motivated than Caucasians of the same age. [AdWeek] [BrandWeek]

Yet Again, NBC's Olympics Strategy is a Loser: If the reason you are not showing events live online is that you say no one is interested in watching them that way, why are you bothering to police the Web? Prove that no one cares about live events online. [C|NET]

Disney to Rebrand Mickey Mouse: Mickey's popularity in the United States has begun to wane. He's been crowded out of children's hearts by growing competition from Nickelodeon, Pixar and Dreamworks characters and personalities. Executives consider the rebrand of Mickey's personality necessary to remain relevant in the marketplace. [BrandWeek]

Gen Y Makes Vanity Fair's Top 40 Moneymakers List: Los Angeles is the home of American cinema and these days, Gen Y is making the big bucks in this town. Vanity Fair recently compiled a list of Hollywood’s top earners in 2009, including the likes of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Ron Howard. Fifteen percent of Vanity Fair’s list, though, belongs to Generation Y. [Examiner]

Shamelust? GTL? The latest slang from Gen Y: Here's a taste of some new Gen Y vocab that may have otherwise made you go "huh?" upon hearing it. [@ Trend Central]

More Content Shared on Facebook, but User Activity Falling: Facebook's continual system tweaks plus services such as Facebook Connect are really helping transform the company into a content-sharing network rather than a meeting place for college friends. [Fast Company]

Do You Need a Social Media Policy?: Even when a company has a clear social media policy in place that provides more specifications as to what employees aren't allowed to post, there is no guarantee that everyone will represent the company exactly as you want. [INC.]

The Revolution Will Be Mapped: GIS mapping technology is helping underprivileged communities get better services — from education and transportation to health care and law enforcement — by showing exactly what discrimination looks like. [Miller-McCune]

Kaiser Family Foundation: Daily Entertainment Media Use Among Teens Up Dramatically From 5 Years Ago

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds is the third in a series of large-scale, nationally representative surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) about young people's media use.

It includes data from all three waves of the study (1999, 2004, and 2009), and is among the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information about media use among American youth.

“The amount of time young people spend with media has grown to where it’s even more than a full-time work week,” said Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation. “When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad.”

The Kaiser Family Foundation found that with technology allowing nearly 24-hour media access as children and teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically, especially among minority youth.

Mobile media driving increased consumption.  

• The increase in media use is driven in large part by ready access to mobile devices like cell phones and iPods.

• Over the past five years, there has been a huge increase in ownership among 8- to 18-year-olds: from 39% to 66% for cell phones, and from 18% to 76% for iPods and other MP3 players.

• During this period, cell phones and iPods have become true multi-media devices: in fact, young people now spend more time listening to music, playing games, and watching TV on their cell phones (a total of :49 daily) than they spend talking on them (:33).

Parents and media rules.  

• Only about three in ten young people say they have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV (28%) or playing video games (30%), and 36% say the same about using the computer.

• But when parents do set limits, children spend less time with media: those with any media rules consume nearly 3 hours less media per day (2:52) than those with no rules.

Heavy media users report getting lower grades. 

• While the study cannot establish a cause and effect relationship between media use and grades, there are differences between heavy and light media users in this regard.

• About half (47%) of heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades (mostly Cs or lower), compared to about a quarter (23%) of light users.  These differences may or may not be influenced by their media use patterns.
  

• Heavy users are the 21% of young people who consume more than 16 hours of media a day, and light users are the 17% of young people who consume less than 3 hours of media a day.

Black and Hispanic children spend far more time with media than White children do.

• There are substantial differences in children’s media use between members of various ethnic and racial groups.  Black and Hispanic children consume nearly 4½ hours more media daily (13:00 of total media exposure for Hispanics, 12:59 for Blacks, and 8:36 for Whites). 
  

• Some of the largest differences are in TV viewing: Black children spend nearly 6 hours and Hispanics just under 5½ hours, compared to roughly 3½ hours a day for White youth.  The only medium where there is no significant difference between these three groups is print.
  

• Differences by race/ethnicity remain even after controlling for other factors such as age, parents’ education, and single vs. two-parent homes. 
  

• The racial disparity in media use has grown substantially over the past five years: for example, the gap between White and Black youth was just over two hours (2:12) in 2004, and has grown to more than four hours today (4:23).

Big changes in TV. 

• For the first time over the course of the study, the amount of time spent watching regularly-scheduled TV declined, by 25 minutes a day (from 2004 to 2009).
  

• The many new ways to watch TV–on the Internet, cell phones, and iPods–actually led to an increase in total TV consumption from 3:51 to 4:29 per day, including :24 of online viewing, :16 on iPods and other MP3 players, and :15 on cell phones.  
  

• All told, 59% (2:39) of young people’s TV-viewing consists of live TV on a TV set, and 41% (1:50) is time-shifted, DVDs, online, or mobile.

• TV remains the dominant type of media content consumed, at 4:29 a day, followed by music/audio at 2:31, computers at 1:29, video games at 1:13, print at :38, and movies at :25 a day.

• About two-thirds (64%) of young people say the TV is usually on during meals, and just under half (45%) say the TV is left on “most of the time” in their home, even if no one is watching. 

• Seven in ten (71%) have a TV in their bedroom, and half (50%) have a console video game player in their room.  Again, children in these TV-centric homes spend far more time watching: 1:30 more a day in homes where the TV is left on most of the time, and an hour more among those with a TV in their room.

Popular new activities like social networking also contribute to increased media use.  

• Top online activities include social networking (:22 a day), playing games (:17), and visiting video sites such as YouTube (:15).  

• Three-quarters (74%) of all 7^th-12^th graders say they have a profile on a social networking site.

High levels of media & multitasking.

• High levels of media multitasking also contribute to the large amount of media young people consume each day.  

• About 4 in 10 7^th-12^th graders say they use another medium “most” of the time they’re listening to music (43%), using a computer (40%), or watching TV (39%).

• Time spent with every medium other than movies and print increased over the past five years: :47 a day increase for music/audio, :38 for TV content, :27 for computers, and :24 for video games.

Related: Video > Teens Share How They Consume Entertainment Media

The Big Help: How Kids Can Help Haiti

via nick.com

For kids looking for ways to help in the ongoing Haiti earthquake relief efforts and express themselves about the disaster, Nickelodeon has launched a new website at www.nick.com/helphaiti/

The network also plans to air Public Service Announcements (PSA) on Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite encouraging viewers to get involved.

The website features message boards for kid discussions about the aftermath, as well as a list of organizations that kids can encourage their parents to investigate ways to help the people of Haiti.

Razorfish Digital Mom Report

A new report published by Razorfish & Cafe Mom finds that beyond email and search, digital moms are active users of social web technologies. More digital moms are interacting with social networks, text messaging, and instant messaging than with news sites, and just as many are gaming online or via a gaming console.

According to Razorfish, digital channel usage can be divided into three tiers:

• MAJORITY: channels used by more than 50% of digital moms include: social networks (65%), text messaging (56%), instant messaging (55%) and gaming (52%). These channels join email (94%), search engines (74%) and news sites (51%) as staples in the media diet of digital moms.

• MAINSTREAM: channels used by roughly one-third of digital moms include: online video (36%), online consumer reviews (33%), blogs (29%) and DVR/TiVo (29%).

• NICHE/DEVELOPING: channels used by less than 25% of digital moms include: RSS (21%), audio/video podcasting (10%) and mobile browsing (10%).

2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup Registration Now Open!

The registration is now officially open for the 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup in San Francisco!

The Ypulse Mashup is being held May 24-25 at the Hotel Nikko in SF where for the fourth year running it will bring together the top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, educators and non-profit organizations to share best practices, research and latest strategies on marketing to youth with technology.

For more information on the event as well as sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, go to the Mashup site.

Related: Ruminations on the 2009 Ypulse Mashup Boston

Media Usage & Consumer Spending: 2004 to 2012

Estimates for time spent were derived using rating data for television and cable television, survey research for radio, mobile, out-of-home media and yellow pages, and consumer purchase data (units, admissions, access) for books, home video, in-flight entertainment, Internet, newspapers, magazines, box office, recorded music, video games.

Adults 18 and older were the basis for estimates for newspapers, consumer books, consumer magazines, in-flight entertainment, out-of-home media, yellow pages and home video.

Persons 12 and older were the basis for the estimates for box office, broadcast TV, cable TV Internet, mobile, radio recorded, music and video games. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States/US Census Bureau

Related: 2008 Multimedia Audiences Summary

Nielsen Wire: A Kid’s Eye View on Television and Beyond

Meet the mini media moguls who are dictating electronic sales and media utilization patterns in American homes: kids. TV still engages children of all ages, but older children gravitate toward the Internet, while younger kids embrace DVDs, VCRs and DVRs.

More so than other age groups, almost 45% of children watched TV solely, without simultaneously accessing the Internet. Approximately 60% or more of teenagers and older adults were concurrent TV/Internet media users.

Live TV has dominated the share of video minutes for the last four quarters running for kids age 2–11, with online streaming increasing marginally for younger kids 2–5 and remaining flat for older youths 6–11. Accessible and adaptable, kids are quick on the uptake, willing to try new media and devices, but loyal to live TV.

Diverse media consumers, their appetite for programming grows unabated, as does total viewing time, affording more touch points and time slots for flexible marketers.

via blog.nielsen.com

Nickelodeon Research: Families Now Connected By Tech, Tastes and Entertainment

According to a new Nickelodeon Research study, The Family GPS, the gap between generations is closing and technology and cultural attitudes are at least some of the reasons.

The Family GPS study was conducted as part of an ongoing partnership with Harris Interactive that looks at the changing face and role of family life in America. 

Looking specifically at the findings related to technology and entertainment:

• 82% and 77% of families are watching TV or movies together at home respectively each week;

• 41% of parents and kids are listening to the same music, which really isn't all that surprising since rock n' roll and country music, have remained the dominate genres for the music industry for 40+ years now;

• 56% of sons 8-21 share the same taste in movies as their dads, and 48% enjoy listening to the same music. Meanwhile 64% of daughters 8-21 share similar tastes in movies as their moms, and 44% share the same sense of fashion and clothing as mom;

• The kid entertainment industry has been stressing cultural tolerance messaging for some time now (Thanks Sesame Street!), so it's encouraging to see that 88% of kids believe that it's important to learn about different cultures, and 95% of kids value the importance of respecting other cultures;

• Technology serves as a core family member, as parents and kids spend time together using various media. 82% and 77% of families are watching TV or movies together at home, respectively, each week; 42% are listening to music together; and 36% are playing games together.

Key cultural findings on the state of the American family:

• On the importance of being together as a family, 83% of parents said they spend at least some time each week just hanging out and talking with their kid(s); and 86% eat dinner together at least once a week;

• Additionally, 51% of parents say they worry a lot about spending enough time together as a family, equal to their concern about their own or their family's health (53%) and paying their bills (51%);

• Parents of boys 2-21 believe the most important value to instill in a son is to be respectful of women (70%), while for daughters the top values include self-sufficiency and independent thinking (66% each);

• Parents have equal educational expectations for sons and daughter, however, it is a bit more important to parents of girls than those of boys that their kid gets good grades (92% vs. 86%);

• 88% of kids and 82% of parents believe that inter-racial marriages are acceptable, while only 70% grandparents agree with it;

• 71% of 13-21 year-olds and parents believe it’s acceptable for couples to live together before marriage, compared to 62% of grandparents;

• 65% of 13-21 year-olds are unopposed to homosexual couples having kids, compared to 57% of parents and 52% of grandparents;

• 85% of kids 13-21 say they have been impacted by the economic crisis, and 15% of kids 13-21 have witnessed a parent lose his/her job.

“The Family GPS” study was fielded between July and August 2009 through online interviews (by Harris Interactive) with 1,010 U.S. grandparents, 1,880 U.S. parents with kids 2-21, and more than 2,100 U.S. 8-21 year-olds. 

2009 Game Based Learning: Kids, Gaming, Virtual Worlds, Social Networking & Learning

The Game Based Learning Conference, held March 19-20 in London, is one of the largest events in the world that delves into all aspects of utilizing video games as a learning tool.

The main theme of Game Based Learning '09, a conference primarily focused on game based learning research and development in the U.K. and Europe, was on the impact that video games, virtual worlds and social networking are having on learning and teaching practice both in and out of formal education environments.

The other thing worth noting about this conference is the remarkable degree of cross-discipline collaboration between members of the digital media, parents, education, consumer electronics, virtual worlds and video game communities.

Maja Pivec | Games in Schools | 2009 Game Based Learning Conference

At the conference, Dr. Maja Pivec, one of the co-founders of ENGAGE (European Network for Growing Activity in Game-based learning in Education), shared an in-depth look at the latest research and trends in Game-based learning. Dr. Pivec has put together a really good presentation and I encourage you to take a look at all the terrific research she shared at the conference.

Given that American companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Microsoft/Xbox are among the leading producers of kids gaming and virtual worlds, it seems only natural that there should be a similar US-based effort to connect the dots between games and learning.

So here's my question: why aren't we holding a similar conference where we can collaborate, share research and explore game based learning?

This is not to say that US-based companies involved in the kid new media space aren't doing research. In fact, Microsoft recently announced that they would invest $1.5 million dollars in educational video game research. The investment is part of a larger, NYU led initiative to "to find scientific evidence that supports the use of games as a learning tool."

All of this comes on the heels of a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project that found that, when it comes to video games, "playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day."

It's vital that all of us involved intersection of kids, new media and education work together to develop pedagocially sound opportunities to incorporate gaming, social networking, and virtual worlds--tools and spaces that students are already using--into their formal and informal learning practice.

Related Resources

• More on Maja Pivec
• Stewart Butterfield on Games & Learning
• NASA Developing Virtual World for Kids
  
• Amy James > Video Games, Learning & Critical Thinking

Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds Group Summer Internships 2009

I ran across this pretty cool internship with the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Virtual Worlds Group. Looks like it's a pretty exciting time to be at Nickelodeon.

This looks like a great opportunity for a college student interested in getting a foot in the door of social media, virtual worlds or youth media & marketing.

Here's the scoop:

Are you into gaming & surfing the web? Do you have an online avatar? Do you have a favorite MMORG? Even if you had to look up that last one, we might be looking for you!

Nickelodeon and MTVN are currently seeking motivated interns looking for hands-on experience in the entertainment and gaming industry!

Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Related Resources

• Dizzyworlds Quest for Change
• Nick.com
• Pew Internet Research on Video Games & Gen Y
• Virtual Worlds: Teaching Kids to be Web Wise

YPulse 2008 National Mashup Recap

Due to a family emergency, I wasn't able to attend the 2008 Ypulse National Mashup, but it sounds like it was another fantastic and interesting event. I've poked around the web and rounded up some of the best of the best blog posts, UStream and tweets from the event.

• Ypulse National Mashup 2008: Are girls the new geeks?
• For teens, the future is mobile
• Texting Is the New Rock and Roll
• YPulse Mashup 2008 Day One: A unique blend of culture, marketing and technology
• Teen Talk at Ypulse
• Twitter Search > YPulse
• The Age of TMI: I'm Guilty, Are You?

And if, like me, you weren't able to attend the San Francisco Mashup, be sure to stay tuned for the 2008 YPulse Youth Marketing Mashup which will be held November 6-7 on the campus of Boston University. This event will focus on youth aged 16-24 (high school juniors, seniors and college age students).

Congrats to Anastasia on another outstanding event.

Related Resources

• YPulse
• YPulse > Facebook
• YPulse National Mashup > Flickr
• YPulse Guest Post: Lessons from NECC 2008 for Marketers