Label Networks%uFFFD Summer Youth Culture Study 2010–Back-to-School. Covering the Digital Lifestyle, Spending Patterns, Fashion Shopping Changes, Music Influences, Cell Phones, Social Networking, Effects of the Recession, and more.

Fresh research from Label Networks was released today, July 18, 2010, in the Summer Youth Culture Study -“Back-to-School” revealing key findings that indicate 13-30-year-olds have significantly changed their spending patterns and what they consider to be key influences based on the speed of technology, changes in the economy, and increased consumer control.

“This Study provides vital information about how this generation of youth culture has changed, especially in the last 6 months” explains Kathleen Gasperini, Senior Vice President and Editor of Label Networks. “Based on their digital, tech-savvy lifestyles, social networking patterns and communication, importance of mobile phone culture, and how this has effected preferences and shopping patterns, especially regarding retail, fashion, and music, the Summer Study for back-to-school enables brands the opportunity to see the greatest challenges ahead, but also where many new market opportunities are beginning to take hold.”

Label Networks’ Summer Youth Culture Study 2010 -“Back-to-School“ is a unique 230-page consumer insights report concentrating on the influences, preferences, and patterns of 13-30-year-olds across North America as they pertain to technology, new media, spending, electronics, communication, social networks, entertainment, cell phones, fashion, retail shopping patterns, and music influences and marketing effects through music. The results also clearly illustrate the “generation gap” of tech-savvy ingenuity within this generation itself. This may cause many brands to re-examine just how they plan to reach specific demographics, as young people continue to be the inherent trend leaders when it comes to new technology, social networks and new media, mobile phone culture, and other aspects of communication. 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.

This Study also delivers in-depth and colorful, actionable, data, charts, graphs, analysis, and forecast regarding changes in spending patterns and feelings about the economy and recession, particularly in the last 3 to 6 months. It also includes an entire series on where youth markets are cutting back the most and where they are spending the most and why, plus what would make it easier for them to buy the things that they like the most.

Going a step further in the social networks and communication sections, the Study delves into the effects of using new media platforms of reaching specific demographics -and not just through social networks -but an in-depth look at electronics and mobile phone culture. This leads to the effects of viral marketing, and the influences on shopping and spending patterns based on friends, family, celebrities, musicians, athletes, and more.

As with all of Label Networks’ Youth Culture Studies, it also includes fresh insight on fashion. Here, we concentrate on shopping patterns and preferences, what “types” of brands are they becoming most attracted to and why, and the changes in favorite types of stores, online buying patterns, and mobile buying patterns, among other unique traits coming from influences from places like Japan. Based on youth culture trends, there are also insights into shopping thrift or vintage, the effects of discounts, fast-fashion, and online retailing, and M-commerce.

The final section is devoted to entertainment patterns via technology and new media, including the latest trends in music -favorite sites, 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. This section is not specifically intended for people in the music industry, but for all youth market industries as it provides insight and ideas for marketing and advertising based on how the youth marketplace responds to various music-related, digital questions.

The Summer Youth Culture Study 2010 -“Back-to-School” also includes results to many open-ended questions with authentic quotes from respondents from the representative sample of 5,000, 13-30-year-olds. These quotes offer additional valuable insight about the psychodemographics of the youth culture landscape and answer “why” they feel the way that they do.

Overall, the Summer Youth Culture Study 2010 -“Back-to-School” provides the necessary quantitative and qualitative insight to see what’s going on and where things are headed next in youth culture digital lifestyles, making it a crucial tool for companies interested in making the most savvy, important business decisions in the future.

For subscription information, email info@labelnetworks.com; or call (323) 630-4000.

The margin of error for the data in the Summer Youth Culture Study 2010 -“Back-to-School” is less than 2.5% at a confidence level of 95%.