Who Are These Kids?
A definitive study of Generation Y kids says they’re different from GenX-ers, and hardly scary.
The shootings at Columbine High School, and the copycat incidents thatfollowed, effected a sustained pause among all adults who interact withchildren. Marketers rethought tie-ins with properties that even hinted atviolence. TV producers held back episodes of shows such as Buffy theVampire Slayer that depicted discord in school corridors. And parentslistened to the quiet kid playing video games in the room down the hall andwondered, “Could it happen?” All of a sudden, overnight, the children weshower with cartoon premiums and force to eat vegetables were beingapproached with kid gloves and yard-long cattle prods.
Who are these 70 million-plus kids called Generation Y? Are they the armedextensions of the notoriously apathetic Generation X, the jaded offspringof a society that’s too affluent and self-absorbed?
Not hardly, according to a wide-ranging youth study conducted by RoperStarch Worldwide for Primedia, which owns the Channel One Network andSeventeen magazine, as well as promo. The Primedia/Roper National YouthOpinion Survey polled 2,912 junior high and high school students last fall,asking them their opinions on school, social, and consumer issues. Resultspaint a picture of a generation that is self-reliant, ambitious,discriminating of the many messages with which they are bombarded, andresponsible.
“They strongly reject the ‘too cool to care’ credo of Generation X,”maintains Roper’s analysis. “They do care, they are optimistic, and theyembrace traditional values of home, family life, community, and education.”
Adults who pointed fingers at the media in the wake of Columbine will finda surprising number of these kids in agreement with them. Some 44 percentof those polled listed entertainment media as one of the groups mostresponsible for problems in society. More, however, cited selfish people(56%), people with no respect for authority (52%), and parents who don’tdiscipline (47%) as chief roots of evil.
Teens and tweens also exhibit strong faith in themselves and their peers.When asked which groups will cause the most changes for the better, theyfirst listed scientists and inventors (55%). But their next choice wasyoung people (55%). Of course, 61 percent tagged “students” as the peoplemost responsible for problems in school as well.
Girls, however, are clearly more concerned about social issues than boys.They are far more worried than their male classmates about child abuse (95%of girls vs. 79% of boys), teen suicide (84% vs. 58%), and homelessness(84% vs. 64%). And marketers may want to cross cause-marketing off theirtarget list for teenage boys. Three times as many boys (25%) said theywould not volunteer to help any issue-related causes as girls (8%).
GEN Y CONSUMERSYoung consumers are particularly open to suggestions on trying new productsor brands. Indeed, the majority of high school and junior high kids polledby Roper said they “look for something new” or “try something new from timeto time” in 10 of 12 product categories they were asked about. The twocategories in which they were not actively seeking alternatives were skewedby gender issues. Fifty-four percent of boys had no answer in the skincare/cosmetics category, and 42 percent of girls drew a similar blank incar/truck/other auto.
Kids are most vulnerable to brand-switching in clothing (non-jeans), shoes(non-athletic), and music – though nearly a third also said they stick to afavorite “brand” of tunes. Other highly brand-loyal categories among Gen Yare magazines, jeans, TV programs, and athletic shoes.
The Primedia/Roper study does seem to bear out, however, that brand loyaltybuilds with age. More than a third (36%) of 11th and 12th grade girls stickto a favorite skin- care brand, compared with 28 percent of 9th and 10thgrade and 25 percent of 7th and 8th grade girls.
Boys, however, appear to be more brand loyal than girls innon-gender-specific categories. Male teens and tweens as a whole are morelikely to favor specific brands of clothing (23% vs. 13%), jeans (31% vs.27%), and shoes (24% vs. 13%).
When shopping, kids feel they receive poor treatment in department stores,drug-most influence in teens’ and tweens’ choices of TV shows, magazines,and music.
Parents exert more influence on lifestyle choices over junior high kidsthan high schoolers. Twenty-one percent of the younger kids said theirparents affected their sense of style (vs. 14% of high school students), 51percent their sports participation (vs. 40%), and 23 percent the music theylisten to (vs. 13%).
A fertile mind is what Generation Y kids value most in their peers. Askedwhat attributes made fellow students stand out from others in a good way,the top response of the poll sample was “being imaginative” (49%). That wasfollowed by more traditionally revered qualities such as “being cool”(42%), “being popular” (40%), and “success in sports” (34%).
Imagination, too, was mentioned by most respondents (51%) when asked whatattributes made them feel good about themselves. But the question alsorevealed a more spiritual personal side to this group of kids. The secondmost desired personal quality among kids is “having a strong religiouscharacter,” finishing well ahead of “being popular” (24%).
Their hopes for the future also promise a generation that is pragmatic, butmorally stable. While objective No. 1 is to have a well-paying job (81%),that desire is followed at 77 percent by “having people’s respect” and”having a good relationship with parents.”
Maybe the future’s a little brighter than we thought.
Be honest: You’ve never fully trusted that co-worker with the box ofgranola-based health bars stored in her cube; she makes you feel guiltyevery time you return from the break room with a bag of Bugles and a 3Musketeers. But wait; maybe she’s not as lifestyle-snooty as you thought.In fact, you might even run into her at Taco Bell at lunch, according todata from MRI, Simmons, and ACNielsen compiled by Spectra Marketing,Chicago. And, she apparently doesn’t mind a good cookout on occasion either.
Here’s the overall profile of the heavy health bar eater.
Sex & age: Adults 18-34, without kids
Housing: Rent house/apartment
Occupation: Professional/managerial, tech/sales/clerical/support
Airline (Domestic Travel): American
Video Rental: Comedy, Action/adventure
Hotel/Motel: Westin/Hyatt
Credit Card: MasterCard
Radio Formats: Adult contemporary, Classic, Rock
Leisure Activities: Barbecuing, Raising pets, Going to the beach, Attendingmusic performances
Shopping-Grocery: Evening shoppers
Restaurants: Chili’s Grill and Bar
Fast Food: Taco Bell
Soft Drinks: Diet Coke
Magazines: Rolling Stone, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Newsweek
Theme Parks: Great America (California), Disneyland (California)
Sporting Events: Attended one or more basketball or baseball games in pastmonth
TV Programs: Seinfeld, Melrose Place, Fraiser, Wimbledon
Sources: SPECTRA MARKETING, ACNielsen, MRI, Simmons
Brand marketers and promotion agencies are fully prepared to take marketingmessages into schools, even though many of them are still grappling withthe ethical questions surrounding the controversial issue. Respondents to arecent PROMO Readers’ Poll all said they either planned to be marketing inschools within two years or were already doing so – even though two-thirdsof the brand marketers and agency execs surveyed expressed somereservations about the strategy.
The PROMO Readers’ Poll was conducted by Sprint FonPromotions, OverlandPark, KS, which will be surveying subscribers on various topics throughoutthe year. Results will be posted in the magazine alongside related articles.
P.S. The poll has promotional elements: Respondents rack up freelong-distance minutes on a custom PROMO VIP phonecard in return forresponding to the monthly questionnaires. They’re also entered into asweepstakes offering prizes from Sprint and PROMO’S own goody vault.
Here are the full results of the first survey:
1. TV shows such as Blue’s Clues and Teletubbies have opened up theunder-five set as a market segment. How receptive do you think thisdemographic will be to targeted promotions?
a Very 46.6%
b. Somewhat 46.6
c. Not at all 6.8
2. Do you or your company have any ethical objections to targeting kidsfive and under?
a. Yes 33.3%
b. No 41.7
c. Undecided 25.0
3. Schools are becoming an increasingly popular channel for promotions andadvertising. Which of the following statements best describes yourcompany’s involvement?
a. Have program in place 54.2%
b. Plan to have program in place within two years 45.8
c. Have no plans to pursue in-school marketing 0.0
4. Which school level do you think presents the greatest potential tomarketers?
a. High school 48.6%
b. Junior high school/middle school 38.6
c. Elementary school 12.8
Poll based on a survey of high-level brand marketers and agency executivesculled from promo’s subscriber base. Polls conducted by SprintFonPromotions, Overland Park, KS.
