Today’s youth culture is undoubtedly the most tech-savvy generation in the world–the results of growing-up in a constantly connected world. They are also the demographic that’s pushing change in social network patterns such as branching off from Facebook, to presenting new ideas in cell phone feature preferences, new advertising challenges, and unique sponsorship opportunities.
Understanding such changes in the “digital lifestyle” patterns” is at the root of Label Networks’ annual Summer Youth Culture Study 2012—“The Digital Lifestyle.”
“With this Study we dive deep into many aspects of technology and how this new generation of 13-25-year-olds is reinventing communication platforms,” explains Tom Wallace, the President of Label Networks, a leading global youth culture intelligence and brand strategy company and producers of the Study. “What’s become clear however is that there’s now a “generation gap” of tech-savvy ingenuity within this generation itself. The ease of a 15-year-old with technology, computers, social media, smart phones and apps have made them inherent leaders when it comes to digital lifestyles and their usage patterns and preferences can be far different from a 21-year-old in this regard,” continues Wallace.
Overall, the results of the Study may inspire many brands to re-examine just how they plan to reach specific demographics. Based on their DIY sensibilities, often what may have been created for a specific purpose is modified and evolves into something completely different, once in the hands of a generation that’s mastered the art of living a digital lifestyle.
Label Networks’ Summer Youth Culture Study 2012—“The Digital Lifestyle” also delivers in-depth and colorful, actionable, data, charts, graphs, and analysis regarding changes in preferences of social networks and communication, the effects of using new media platforms for reaching specific demographics, an in-depth look at electronics and mobile phone culture. This leads to the effects of viral marketing and grassroots sponsorship, and changes in advertising preferences in terms of what works and what no longer grasps their attention.
A final section is devoted to entertainment patterns via technology and new media, including the latest trends in music—purchasing patterns, importance of band merch, music video watching patterns, concerts, tours, tickets, and the effects that music and musicians have on youth culture today. Changes in the business model of music provide insight in changes in consumer entertainment patterns with signs of where things are headed and why for many other industries such as movies, TV, and publishing. As more people have access to creative expression towards sharing their own self-made entertainment, i.e. blogs, profile pages, videos, this is also changing the paradigm of how the business of entertainment, advertising, and marketing has been done in the past.
“The end goal of the Study is to provide a tool for all levels of brands, from small to global, from local retailers to global chains, marketers, advertisers, and brand strategists across a variety of industries, that delivers new knowledge and understanding of the crossover effects of today’s youth marketplace,” says Wallace. “Hopefully this will inspire the most insightful business decisions in the future.”
Key Topics Include:
- Advertising Effectiveness and What Works Best within the Digital Age for a New Generation of Tech-Savvy Consumers
- Digital Lifestyle Information Including Online Retail, News Sources, Influences
- Communication Patterns and Grassroots Marketing, and New Media Effectiveness and What Works Now
- Key Apps, Cell Phone Features, Usage Patterns
- Electronics and Purchasing Patterns
- Internet Usage Patterns including Entertainment and TV
- Latest Trends in Video Gaming and Platforms
- Social Networks as Communication, New Preferred Social Networks and Shifts, Information Sources, plus Viral Effectiveness
- Music Patterns and Influences, Plus Opportunities via Sponsorship
- Effectiveness of Band Merch on Fashion and Spending within Youth Culture
- Robust Sections with Insightful Quotes from Respondents Tracing the Psychodemographics of Youth Culture and “Why” They Feel the Way They Do
For subscription information, contact Label Network at info@labelnetworks.com; (323) 630-4000.
