Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Youth Vote 2008: How Obama Hooked Gen Y

Since the election, there has been lots of attention focused on how the Obama campaign was able to leverage many types of new and social media to engage Gen Y to get out and vote.

At the 2008 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East, held at Boston College just days after the election, several of the panelists talked about Obama's use of social media. Some of the most interesting and detailed election research at the conference was presented by Dan Coates, co-founder of SurveyU.

Dan's presentation, What Every Brand Could Learn from The Obama Campaign's Marketing to College Students, outlined some of the key demographic and media consumption trends among college students that the Obama campaign leveraged to get youth more involved in the political process. Dan also explained how marketers (or educators!) can use these same strategies to engage with this increasingly influential generation.

In this video, taken at a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics panel, YES We Can producer Wes Hill and The Nation's Ari Melber discuss Youth, Politics, and Civic Engagement in the 2008 election year.

Also worth noting, and somewhat lost in the post-election euphoria, is the election of Aaron Schock (R-Illinois) to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman-elect Schock is the first member of Congress born in the 1980s and he will be the first millennial to serve in Congress.

Related Resources

• A chat with the first Gen Y congressman (Thanks Anastasia!)
• Obama's Change.gov Adds OpenID
• The Obama Factor: The Net Generation
• Ruminations: 2008 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East
• Mind the Gap: American Teens Falling into the Digital Divide

Demographic Research on Texters: Young, Multicultural and Ready to Spend

A new report from Scarborough Research found that El Paso, Texas is the top texting city in America with 57% of adults reporting that they use the texting feature on their mobile phone. In comparison, the national average of adults who text is 48%.

Rounding out the top five texting cities are Salt Lake City (UT), Dallas (TX), Memphis (TN), and Cincinatti (OH).

What makes these cities so text-centric? The study found that among adults who use texting features on their mobile phone, 49% are more likely to be young (18-24), 14% more likely to be Hispanic and 24% more likely to be African-American.

According to Scarborough, the youthful, multicultural texting demographics are a likely reason why El Paso, Salt Lake City, Dallas and Memphis are the top text messaging markets. Moreover, Salt Lake and El Paso lead the nation in 18-24 year olds.

Other key findings of Texters:

• They use a wide variety of phone features - such as picture messaging, streaming video and email -at a rate higher than that of the average cell user;

• Best Buy is their preferred retailer for audio-video purchases: 39% of Texters live in a household that shopped at Best Buy during the past year vs. 27% of all consumers nationally. Target (20%) and Wal-Mart (35%) are other important stores for Texter tech purchases;

• One-fifth (20%) of Texters spend more than $1,000 online annually, vs, 17% of all cellular users;

• Web-based services are a core part of their daily lives, from household tasks (such as bill paying) to entertainment (such as downloading movies or TV programs) to interaction (such as blogging and downloading a wide variety of content);

• They are 46% more likely than all cellular subscribers to typically spend $150 or more on cellular service monthly and are 12% more likely to plan to switch services;

• On average, they spend $87 on their monthly cellular bill. In contrast, all cellular subscribers spend an average of $75 monthly. This demographic are the highest spenders on cellular services.

One common stereotype is that Gen Y are too wired to leave their computer screen or video games to participate in other activities. While they are wired and hyper-connected, due to the ubiquity of the mobile phone and the mobile web, they are able to remain on the go and wired.

Scarborough Research found that:

• Texters are active, on-the-go consumers. They are 37% more likely than all cellular subscribers to have played basketball (as a leisure activity) during the past year; 29% more likely to have gone jogging/running; 29% more likely to have played tennis, and 23% more likely to have practiced yoga;

• Texters are 12% more likely to have attended a professional sports event, and 57% more likely to have gone to an R&B, rap or hip-hop concert during the past year.

If you're interested in the mobile boom (and you should be!), be sure to check out Mobile Persuasion by my friend, Dr. BJ Fogg. This is a must read for anyone involved with digital media and education technology. BJ also is the founder of the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab.

You can see the Scarborough Research report, by clicking here (pdf).

Related Resources

• Mobile Persuasion 2009
• Research on Hispanic Teens & Mobile Phones
• Generation Text: Gen Y & Mobile Phones

Product RED, Dell & Seventeen Magazine

Dell has teamed up with Siobhan Gunning to create an exclusive (PRODUCT)^RED design for Dell's Studio 15 laptop line - only for Seventeen Magazine readers.

But here's the cool part. When you purchase a Dell Studio laptop with the (PRODUCT)RED artwork, Dell will contribute $20 to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Dell has a long history of supporting pro-social initiatives and been one of the leading and most actively engaged (PRODUCT)^RED  partners.

The Dell-Seventeen Magazine partnership is a great example of how to get those socially conscious Millennial's actively involved in your brand. Dell is one of many companies that have pro-social marketing programs geared towards Gen Y.

Last week at the YPulse Mashup East, Ron Faris, Virgin Mobile's Director of Brand Development and Partnerships talked about several of their own pro-social intiatives.

For example, at the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival, the Charity Dome featured a gallery of various artists’ visualizations of homeless youth. 20 charities were represented and over $180K was donated. Their latest pro-social program, Homeless Youth TV, is set to shine a light on the nearly 1 million homeless teens living on the streets across America.

Dell, Seventeen and Virgin Mobile are all proof that a company can do good and still do well.

Related Resources

• Ypulse Toolbox: 10 Youth Activism Sites To Know
• December 1st: AIDS, Africa & Children
• Virgin Mobile Festival & Other Pro-Social Initiatives
• AFT Resources on Teaching About Darfur

Et tu, Brute? Ancient Rome comes to Google Earth

Read Write Web has some exciting information about a new mashup between Google Earth and theUniversity of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH).

Google Earth will feature a new layer, 'Ancient Rome 3D,' which is based on the IATH's 'Rome Reborn' model and which displays a 3D model of the city as it existed in 320 AD.

Overall, the Rome Reborn project recreated detailed models of over 6,700 buildings and monuments in the city, including some, like the Coliseum, which also feature highly detailed interiors. The new layer also adds a lot of new placemarks with historical information geared towards students.

Google For Educators announced a curriculum competition in conjunction with the release of the new Ancient Rome layer. Educators who create the most interesting curricula based around the Ancient Rome 3D layer will receive new Mac laptops, classroom projectors, and a digital camera.

Related Resources

• Juicy Geography
• National Geographic Society > My Wonderful World
• Geography 2.0: Google Maps Mash Up Mania
• Yahoo! Map Mixer

Ruminations: 2008 YPulse Mashup Boston

I just spent a couple days at the YPulse Youth Marketing Mashup East which was held on the campus of Boston University. As usual, it was a fantastic event! Congrats to Anastasia and the Modern Media team for putting together a really informative, fun and relevant event.

I have a few longer posts about the event brewing in my noggin that I hope to push out here on Barking Robot sometime next week. But I had a couple quick thoughts  and highlights from the event that I'd like to share while it's still fresh in ye olde noggin.

On Boston: The more time I spend in this city, the deeper I fall in love with it. New England in the fall is something that everyone should experience. One morning I took a walk along the Charles River. The tree's were heavy with orange, yellow and red foliage, the ground was still wet from the overnight rain and rowers glided silently up and down the Charles. Stunning.

On Boston University: Graceful old buildings, a deep sense of history and lots of energy oozing from the student body. Just fantastic. One morning on my way to the YPulse event, I passed the campus chapel and a beautiful sculpture of doves flying up into the sky. At the base of the monument, students had placed bundles upon bundles of flowers. I was curious, but I was also running late, so I didn't have time to learn more.

The YPulse event was opened by Dean Kenneth Elmore, Dean of Students at Boston University. He started with a super energetic and warm welcome to Boston the city and Boston the University. Dean Elmore was full of passion, energy and enthusiasm. As part of his keynote, he spoke about President-Elect Obama, collaboration, community and how great things can be accomplished when we work together. It was very inspiring.

Dean Elmore also took a moment to explain more about the bundles of flowers being left at the base of the sculpture I had seen earlier in the day. The sculpture is a memorial to one of the greatest alumnus ever to study at Boston University--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The morning after Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America, students began to spontaneously leave flowers at the MLK monument to honor Dr. King and his contributions, sacrifice and role in making the Obama presidency a reality. It gave me chills.

We need more people like Dean Elmore in the world.

On Virgin Mobile: Ron Faris from Virgin Mobile USA gave a really fantastic presentation on the Virgin Mobile Festival and Pro-Social Initiatives. He started by having everyone text "karma" to 68405. He then told us that for every text, American Eagle would donate a hoodie to homeless teen. Way to go Virgin Mobile!

Ron's presentation was really, really interesting. Virgin Mobile, and the Virgin brand, have done some really innovative, creative and interesting work in the music, pro-social, marketing and branding space. He also talked about the mobile and texting habits of Gen Y and how Virgin is leveraging mobile to engage and market to youth. You can read more on the live blog transcript.

At the end of his presentation, he mentioned that Virgin Mobile next pro-social cause is to become an advocate on the issue of homeless teens. Virgin Mobile will be launching an awareness campaign in the next couple of weeks. Want to hear something shocking? According to research conducted by Virgin Mobile, there are approximately 1 million homeless teens in the United States of America.

Yes....1 million.

These teens are homeless for a variety of reasons ranging from being kicked out by their parents due to sexual orientation, abusive parents or being abandoned. This figure just floored me. I've spent a lot of time working with homeless adults and mothers with children, but I was woefully ignorant on the subject of homeless teens.

I spoke to the Virgin Mobile team about their homeless teen campaign and I will keep everyone here at Barking Robot updated on how you can help out. I feel very strongly that the education technology community should be actively and passionately involved in this issue. Homeless teens are an education issue.

On SurveyU & MTV: Dan Coates from SurveyU gave a really interesting and relevant presentation titled, What Every Brand Could Learn from the Obama Campaign's Marketing to College Students. He shared lots of really good information, far too much to share here, but you can read more over on the YPulse Live Blog. SurveyU also had a very, very interesting report titled, What Happens to Media as Millennial Take Control?, that I'll blog about in-depth next week.

Dan Hart, SVP MTV Digital, also gave a very insightful presentation, Engaging Viewers Through Multiple Screens, where he talked about MTV's strategy to meet the demands and viewing habits of their (mostly) Gen Y viewers.

One example of how MTV was meeting the always on media habits of Gen Y was Backchannel --a social and interactive platform that allows "fans gather to talk about The Hills as it happens! Type your thoughts and don't hold back! Other players award points with a click of their mouse on the best comments. When it's your turn to click, earn points by predicting the comments you think will be the most popular." Mr. Hart said that this multi-channel approach has been wildly successful and popular.

On YPulse: As usual, this was a fantastic event. The next YPulse Mashup will be held in San Francisco on June 1 & 2, 2009. If you work with youth in education, technology, social services or marketing, you should--no you need--to attend the 2009 YPulse Mashup.

And now, time for that nap...

Related Resources

• YPulse.com
• Day 1: YPulse Mashup East Transcript
• Day 2: Morning Sessions, YPulse Mashup East
• Day 2: Afternoon Sessions, Ypulse Mashup East
• Twitter: #ymme

Global Youth: Teens, Digital Music & Tube Converting

Interesting tidbit over on today's Ypulse Youth Advisory Board from Caroline Marques, a high school student in Geneva, Switzerland, about how many teens are finding a new way to download free music.

"Teens downloading music online is still alive and well thanks to this technique: tube converting. This time it’s not through Limewire, but through something closer to home: YouTube or any online video site.

Since YouTube is where most teens watch music videos, it makes sense. Sites like http://file2hd.com, www.vconversion.com and www.vixy.net are programs where you just type a URL and save the song. With a small chance of getting viruses, and the enormous choice of songs, many teens feel this method is easier and safer."

I wonder how Google/YouTube, the RIAA and the music industry will respond to this new trend? Lawsuits? Scare tactics? Some new fangled blocking software?

Related Resources

• YPulse: Youth Marketing to Teens, Tweens & Gen Y
• For Gen Y, Music is Oxygen
• David Leibowitz on Music, RIAA & Copyright
• Jaffray Study: More Teens Downloading Music Legally
• Bush Signs Anti-Piracy Law

No Brainer: Teens Want iPhone

Here's another tidbit from the 16th bi-annual Piper-Jaffray survey of teenage buying patterns and preferences. According to senior research analyst Gene Munster, who directed the study:

• 8% own iPhones, up from from 6% in Spring 2008.
• 22% of students surveyed expect to buy an iPhone in the next 6 months, up from 9% in Spring 2008.
• Of students expecting to buy a mobile phone, 33% specified an iPhone.
• iPod market share rose to 84% from 82% in Fall 2007.
• Of the 40% of students who legally purchase music online, 93% said they use iTunes (up from 79% in Fall 2007).

All of this is, of course, music to Steve Job's ears.

Related Resources

• Teen iPhone Share Seen As Doubling
• Hipster Teens Embrace Zune
• For Gen Y, Music is Oxygen

Teens & Zune: It's Hip to Be Square?

The Piper-Jaffray survey on teen buying habits has some interesting tidbit on Microsoft's Zune music player. According to the Piper-Jaffray survey, Apple's share of the mp3 market among high school students increased to 84%, up from 80% a year ago.

Here are some other findings:

• 79% of teens who said they planned to buy a music player in the next 12 months said they expected to buy an iPod, up from 78 percent a year ago;

• Zune's share of the teen market is up as well -- to 3 percent, from 2 percent a year ago;

• 15% of teens surveyed who said they planned on buying a music player over the next year said they expected to buy a Zune. This is a 13% increase over last year.

• 85% of teens report downloading music to a PMP (portable media player)

So does the boost in the Zune's popularity mean that Apple and the iPod should start worrying? Uh, not anytime soon. Piper-Jaffray also reported:

"Apple's share is holding strong around 80%. Apple's dominance in the (portable music player) market remains largely unchecked, and it is clear to us that Apple has captured the "cool factor" among high school students across America."

So what to make of a teen with a Zune? Perhaps it's an anti-sheep thing? Or maybe, just maybe the Zune teens are the early adopters and the rest of us will soon (to Microsoft's delight) be following suit too.

Naw. I didn't think so.

Related Resources

• Zune player forum makes teen a fortune
• iPod dying? It's already dead
• I can't wait for the iPod to die

Meet the Freshers: College, 21st Century Style

 

Meet the Freshers is a new video series on AOL's popular social networking site Bebo that explores what 21st Century "Freshers" (aka Freshman) are up to during their first semester at college.

The weekly series is hosted by teen publishing tycoon Tom Thurlo and is sponsored by The Student Room (TSR), an UK-based social network "where UK students share opinions and experiences."

So far, most of the students are focused on three things: sex, booze and, well more booze. Watching Meet the Freshers might provide most parents with more information than they really wanted to know or care to remember.

For these Freshers, college life probably isn't much different than it was for their parents. The key difference is that these young adults, unlike their parents, are lifecasting and documenting their adventures on social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and The Student Room.

Hopefully these Freshers are savvy enough to know that Bebo never forgets.

Related Resources

• Bebo > Meet the Freshers
• Stanford Study Looks at Psychology of Facebook
• Gen Y: Sharing Way Too Much
• Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online

Global Youth: Middle East

I recently read two interesting articles that delve into the complex and nuanced world of Middle Eastern youth culture. One of the key thoughts was that Western companies that want to move into this specialized niche need to ditch both their traditional marketing models and preconceived regional notions.

"Examination of the discourses surrounding video clips likewise demonstrates the importance of avoiding simplistic stereotypes when it comes to youth culture and consumption.

While many local observers condemn the clips as corrupting, and Western observers often view them as sticking it to the man (through depictions of liberated sexuality), Armbrust shows that the reality is much more complicated. 

The video flow includes not only the celebrated (and maligned) gyrations of sexpots Haifa Wehbe and Elissa, but also the “family values” clips of ‘Ali Gawhar and clips of the massively popular Sami Yusuf, which use “pop” conventions to articulate messages of Islamic piety and devotion [Middle East Report]."

Here's a snapshot of youth living in the Middle East:

• Figures from the World Bank cite that 30 % of the Middle East population are between the ages of 15 and 19;

• In Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, the under-30 figure is more than 50%;

• Record-high oil prices mean the region is flush with funds and teens, especially in affluent Gulf countries, are ready to participate in the consumer culture;

• A 2005 study found that in Iran, 25% of the population was between 14 & 25;

• Young people under 25 prefer brands that talk to them in a conversational or interactive way, rather than bombard them with messages;

• In Turkey, for instance, today’s youth are regarded as shallow, individualistic, driven by crass desires for consumption, apolitical and insufficiently nationalist;

• Like their U.S. peers, Middle Eastern youth are voracious consumers of online video;

• As the region becomes more affluent, Middle Eastern youth are in the process of moving (much like U.S. youth did during the post WWII era) from being perceived as "youth as trouble" to "youth as fun."

As the Middle East continues to experience prosperity, political stability and easier access with the "flat world", teens will be more and more compelled to both push the boundaries of tradition, explore new forms of creative expression and want to participate in consumer culture.

This trend will provide marketers with both great opportunities and potential pitfalls. Strategies that work for Western t/weens, won't necessarily resonate with t/weens in the Middle East. The key is to understand the underlying current and unique culture of any Gulf state where you wish to do business.

What works in Dubai, won't necessarily work in Lebanon.

Related Resources

• Middle East Report: Imagined Youths
• Middle Eastern Youth: Young Brand Savvy & Online
• Didactics World: Middle East Market Trends
• EDLinks: Education Support for Pakistan

mobileYouth: Research on Gen Y & Mobile Phones

mobileYouth has put together an excellent overview of the key fact and statistics of the youth and mobile market. Whether you're an educator or a marketer, this report provides some valuable insight into how and why Gen Y love their mobile devices.

Related Resources

• Gen Y: Mobile & Ready to Learn
• Mobile Phones & Teens
• Want to Reach Teens? Think Mobile
• Mobile Internet Generation

Generation Video: Teens Consume Online Video

New research from Nielsen Online finds that in April 2008 "kids consumed more streams than those over 18, and spent more time watching online video from home." The study cites that this generation of kids has grown up with the web and online content, so "their adoption of online video has been seamless."

Here's video consumption broken down by age group:

• Kids 2-11 viewed an average of 51 streams and 118 minutes of online video
• Teens 12-17 viewed an average of 74 streams and 132 minutes of online video.
• Those over 18 viewed an average of 44 streams and 99 minutes of online video.

Among the most popular t/ween video sites:

• Disney.com
• EverythingGirl.com
• MyePets.com
• Stickham.com
• BuzzNet.com

This is important data because it shows marketers where they need to be in order to tap into the lucrative teen market. For educators this research provides us with insight on how to leverage web-based technology to facilitate learning.

Imagine asking students to go home and watch a video online versus reading a chapter out of that big boring textbook. Odds are, especially in light of this research, that you would have very few students who failed to complete their "homework."

Moreover, we are on the cusp of the mobile video revolution which will allow us leverage and combine teens love of mobile phones and video to provide "on demand" learning (and marketing) opportunities.

Related Resources

• Online Teens: Virtual Goods, Real Money
• Want to Reach Teens? Think Mobile
• Teens Like Mobile Phones Practicality and Are Using Them More for Video

The Carrie Diaries: Life Before "Sex"

Harper Collins Publishing has announced that they have signed Candice Bushnell, the author behind the wildly popular Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle TV series, to pen two new books aimed at t/ween girls. The two book series, "The Carrie Diaries", will cover Carrie's high school years and is slated to hit shelves in fall 2010.

Undoubtedly, given the success of the Sex and the City series and the current flood of t/ween drama on tv (Gossip Girl, 90210, One Tree Hill, or the new BBC America series Skins) it's easy to imagine that a tv version of a teenage Carrie will be hitting the small screen as well. And then there's the product merchandising.

Yep. This is gunna be big.

Related Resources

• Watch Out America. Here Comes Skins
• Sex in the City Archive
• HBO > Sex and the City
• NYT > Tangle of Young Lips, a Sex Rebellion in Chile

Nastia Liukin Joins the Beacon Street Girls Family

One of the stars of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, gold medalist gymnast Nastia Liukin has joined the Beacon Street Girls community. Members of the BSG community can "friend" Nastia, leave comments on her whiteboard and keep up-to-date on her travels & competitions. You can view her profile by clicking here.

Fans also catch up with the gymnast in the Club BSG Gymnastics Team. There they will be able to read exclusive interviews with the champion and experienced for themselves the excitement, energy and suspense of Olympic competition. This public forum allows tween girls with the ability to connect with Liukin on a personal level, not just as an Olympian.

In a statement, Liukin said, “I appreciate all the encouragement and love reading the notes girls leave on my Club BSG whiteboard.  Plus, through the Gymnastics Team on the site, I have the ability to reach even more girls than ever before!  On the site, we will be talking about self-esteem and staying fit through positive life choices.”

At at time when the "bad girls" of Hollywood seem to be constantly in the spotlight, Nastia is a refreshing breath of fresh air, who provides both parents and tween girls with a positive role model and testament that with hard work, passion and determination---dreams do come true.

Related Resources

• Michael Phelps Has One Million Facebook Fans
• Beacon Street Girls: A Virtual World for Tweens
• Connect Safely

Watch Out Gossip Girl, Here Comes "Skins"

Geek. Jock. Popular. Outcast.

From the get-go, Hollywood has been fascinated by teen stories of angst, awkwardness, frustration and personal triumph that they experience in the moments lived between the labels. Ever since the early days of the medium, from Leave it to Beaver to My So-Called Life, television has explored what it means for each new generation of kids to be a "modern day" teen.

Beverly Hills 90210 provided American viewers with a slice of life for teens living in the shadows of the entertainment capital. DeGrassi shared the struggles of Canadian teens. And most recently Gossip Girl has given viewers a glimpse inside an exclusive Manhattan prep school.

Now BBC America brings the popular UK series Skins to this side of the pond. Like its predecessors in the genre, the series revolves around the lives of six teens living in Bristol, England.

While the show is a bit racy, especially for American tastes, the dialogue is smart, funny, and very well written. Think more along the lines of Brothers & Sisters, less 90210. But then, real life is messy. And, at times, a bit shocking.

Skins was created by Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain. Perhaps one reason the dialog rings so real is that the series is being written by a talented bunch of twenty somethings who aren't that far removed from the lives of the Bristol teens.

And while most 21st Century parents worry more about what their kids are doing online, perhaps Skins will remind them to also pay attention to what their kids are doing offline. There are still many "real life" pitfalls out there that teens have to learn how to navigate.

Shows like Skins can also serve as a catalyst for parents to discuss with their kids, albeit uncomfortable, some of the heavy issues they may be facing out there in the non-digital world.

BBC America has rolled out a brilliant campaign to spread the gospel of Skins. You can find Skins on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and iTunes. And they have a great site full of good stuff like play lists, glossary (for those of you not attuned to some more of the Brit-centric vocabulary), and character guide.

And oh yeah, remember that quirky kid (Marcus) who followed Hugh Grant all around London in the movie About A Boy? His real name is Nicholas Hoult, he's all grown up and taking on the role of Tony in the series.

Skins premiers August 17th on BBC America.

Related Resources

• BBC America > Skins
• The Secret Online Lives of Teens
• Debunking Online Sexual Predator Myths
• American Teen
• Totally Wired: What Teens & Tweens Are Really Doing Online