Advocacy and social awareness: Younger consumers are vocal about social, environmental, and political issues. Aligning your brand with values such as sustainability, diversity, and inclusivity can encourage them to advocate for your brand.
Younger people tend to engage with brands across multiple channels, from social media to gaming and online communities. This multi-platform behavior provides opportunities for deeper engagement and storytelling.
” The first thing we have to do is to recognize the value that young people put on their own personal identity. “
10 key characteristics of youth marketing
Youth marketing aims to understand the behaviors and attitudes of young people, and then focus on what really matters to them. And this involves trying to understand what it is like to be young today. To do this, you need to analyze their point of view.
So, where to start?
- Recognize the value that young people put on their own personal identity.
- Appreciate that youth culture today is internet culture – each of them informs and influences the other.
- Know that understanding their wider outlooks and their behaviours (online and offline) is key to cultural relevance – and key to marketing to this generation.
This puts you in a position to ‘FEED THE FEED’. If you show up on their social media feeds, you’re one step closer to unlocking business opportunities.
One of the challenges of youth marketing is that it’s different being young today than it was even last week. It’s likely that the values and perspectives of young people today will be vastly different from the youth audiences of tomorrow!
This is why it is worth investing in qualitative and quantitative research to better understand the unique behaviors, attitudes, and life stages of young audiences.
Use behavioral data to define audience archetypes. You can then target based on interests and actions, rather than age alone. Then select the marketing channels and social media platforms that align with your audience’s preferences.
How can you tune in to the young people in your target audience? Here are our ten top characteristics of the youth point of view:
- Youth culture is the creator economy
- Young people expect speed, savviness, and smarts
- TikTok is the shopping channel
- Influencers act as digital filters
- The internet removes geographic boundaries
- Consider the lifestyle your brand wants to be associated with
- Replicable visual signatures are branding gold
- Experiences are rooted in sensorial marketing
- Bring your values to the fore to capture youth attention
- Communities built online are being celebrated offline
1. Youth culture is the creator economy
Young people see themselves as dataset online content creators and influencers, heavily shaped by their peers and family. They crave acceptance and validation, often earning social currency by being ‘in the know’ on all things trending.
Pop culture has evolved into a creator economy, with teens positioning themselves as trendsetters – sharing hidden gems, trying new things, and offering sharp commentary to influence others.
They love introducing friends to new experiences, making social content a key tool for connection. This can be a great opportunity for your brand to increase its reach through word of mouth.
Ask yourself: How can you play into young people’s desire to create and their desire to influence?
Examples:
- Trying new things
- Visiting new restaurants
- Sharing product empties
2. Young people expect speed, savviness, and smarts
As digital natives, young people value speed, savviness, and smarts in their online experiences.
Speed
They expect fast, hassle-free interactions with brands – whether it’s booking online, pre-ordering drinks, or quick product deliveries. in the US or Manna in Ireland reflects their growing demand for speed.
Savviness
Tech-savvy and organized, they use tools like Google Maps to save and share locations, or Instagram Folders to collaborate with friends on plans for dinners, holidays, or events. They know how to curate and share their digital wishlists seamlessly.
Smarts
Young people love tools that offer multiple benefits at once. Apps like Too Good To Go appeal to them by combining savvy deals with sustainability (reducing food waste). In today’s cost-of-living crisis, they’re also experts at finding the best deals, embracing ‘dupe culture’, and seeking affordable alternatives to premium brands.
To meet their expectations, brands must deliver seamless, efficient, and innovative digital experiences.
Examples
The Too Good to Go app alerts people google warns of inaccurate real-time data in universal analytics when there’s food for sale locally at a discount because it’s near its expiry date. This is very popular with the next generation and is a good example of how savvy they are. Not only are they saving money by using this tool, they’re also avoiding food waste!
Pandabuy is another example of savvy spending. Young people like to search online and find the best deals. This has led to the rise of ‘dupe’ shopping, where people buy cheap fake alternatives to expensive designer brands.
3. TikTok is the shopping channel
TikTok is a trend powerhouse, especially among cell phone number Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The “TikTok Made Me Buy It” trend displays products that users discovered and purchased because of the platform, often featuring viral reviews, unboxings, and demos. This trend drives massive sales for items like beauty products, gadgets, and home essentials.
What’s trending today might vanish by next week, so brands need to act fast to tap into these fleeting cultural moments. Success on TikTok requires agility and culturally aware marketing experts who know how to strike the right tone at the right time.
Example
BookTok is a very popular TikTok trend (also found on YouTube as BookTube). Creators who focus on reading books have had such an influence over people’s reading habits that the publishing industry has seen something of a disruption. This also reflects a shift away from screen time and a return to reading traditional books.