By Devangshu Dutta <\/b> (Column from The Economic Times – \n 31 October 2006)<\/i> <\/p>\n
Normal human tendency is to label what one doesn\u2019t understand. \n And so we call the younger members of society by various names \n \u2013 youth, teens etc. By putting them into categories of \n age, we claim complete understanding of what they are, what \n moves them, and what they want, in effect adopting convenient \n disguise for the fact that we actually don\u2019t have a clue. \n <\/p>\n
My personal favourite term is \u201ctweens\u201d. In my \n dictionary, tweens are that magical, difficult, weird age somewhere \n in the region of 10-16 years, give or take a couple of years, \n when one is not quite an adult to be allowed an opinion, and \n not quite young enough to be indulged one. I believe that is \n why rebellion is the hallmark of the tweens and the teens. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at the broad segment of the young (under \n 20) population \u2013 about 450 million individuals in India \n are estimated to be below 20 years of age. 105 million individuals \n are in the age group of 15-19 years, already in their early \n years of discretionary consumption. About 112 million individuals \n are in the 10-14 years segment \u2013 within 5 years many of \n these will be making career choices, and in another 5 years \n most would have already begun earning and spending. Imagine \n the power of the tweens and the teens. <\/p>\n
However, this is not one homogenous mass of youngsters who \n think in the same way. Some, of course, will be a typical marketer\u2019s \n delight \u2013 gulping heavily-advertised colas and wolfing \n down pizzas and burgers at a birthday party with their pals, \n while demolishing each other on the latest game console. Others \n may only be aspiring to acquiring a fraction of such a lifestyle \n in their later years. Many \u2013 too many \u2013 will not \n only not have these things, but may not even be able to dream \n of a lifestyle that looks much different from their parents. \n <\/p>\n
Some are motivated by firang<\/i> lifestyles, and may look \n at the earliest opportunity to apply for a student visa in the \n west. Others are surprisingly loyal to the idea of staying within \n the country, and actually contributing to progressing it. An \n increasing number find their \u201cIndian skin\u201d very \n comfortable to wear, even while moving in rhythm with a semi-westernized \n lifestyle. <\/p>\n
They\u2019ve got a whole bunch of different ideas about relationships. \n To many, career options are always wide open and whoever works \n for life in one job may have no other options. Yet, when it \n comes to personal friends, the buddies from pre-school may still \n be the ones they hang around with. <\/p>\n
Clearly age, then, is not the key differentiating or grouping \n factor. Neither, it would seem, is income or education. SEC \n segmentation more or less breaks down when dealing with the \n youth. There are many, possibly hundreds of segments for a marketer \n to deal with. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s hot\u201d may change every week \u2013 \n if it\u2019s really hot, it may stay around 3-4 months. RDB \n ( Rang De Basanti<\/i> ) was a protest against the society \n the young are inheriting, and its candle-light march was emulated \n for many a cause. But Munnabhai<\/i> is cool today, and Gandhigiri \n is now the road to follow. On the other hand \u2013 are these \n really two sides of the same coin? <\/p>\n
Some very global trends catch on very fast, while others are \n uniquely Indian. <\/p>\n
So how does one make sense of this kaleidoscope? How is a \n marketer to predict what will appeal to the most consumers? \n How can we lead the consumers into our store, to our brand counter, \n to the product that we want to promote? <\/p>\n
If I were to pick one learning for the youth market that made \n \u2013 and still makes \u2013 youth markers successful, it \n is the fact that they do not predict fashion and trend. They \n do not attempt to lead the consumer but follow diligently. They \n identify the opinion leaders, identify with them, and understand \n what\u2019s hot with them. Then they place their bets \u2013 \n a lot of them, well-spread out. Sure, not all of them are right, \n but it\u2019s a whole lot better than trying to predict fashion \n 8-12 months in advance. <\/p>\n
An equally critical step is to let go of the trend even as \n it is being picked up by others. After all, if you\u2019re \n really with it, by now you ought to have identified the next \n hot trend rather than flogging the same horse that everyone \n else is on. <\/p>\n
Here a newsflash, the youth are bright, for all the appearance \n of vacuity; extremely opinionated, despite the apparent boredom \n they display; fully-charged up with the current domestic social \n concerns and a clear view \u2013 well-informed or not \u2013 \n of what\u2019s happening around the world. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen some successes in the Indian market, with \n a few companies being at the forefront of trying to understand \n and cater to the youth with offerings that are innovative and \n promotions that talk to them in their language. And yet, most \n companies are still working at them in the same mould as they \n were a decade ago, while others are simply trying to transplant \n strategies that worked in another country. <\/p>\n
The largest market opportunity in decades is going a-begging. \n What\u2019s going to be your platform to make the connection? \n What\u2019s the relevance of your message? Unless you\u2019re \n listening to the youth, they\u2019re unlikely to be listening \n to you. <\/p>\n