by Graham Brown

Part of the feature series: The 7 Laws of Youth Marketing by Graham Brown

<Back to Law # 1 Empower both employees and customers to own the brand

2) Take your insights from the street not the lab.

Consumer insights commissioning meaningless focus group primary research that confirms what they already know, e.g. “Would you pay £5 a month to download these ringtones?” Like Nike, Red Bull, Jones Soda and the rest - get out on the street and start talking to your customers.

Youth not only provide honest feedback into the ideas that are worth spreading they are downright innovative and perhaps your best shot at product development (here’s just one recent example). Rather than survey people about worthless numbers, ask youth about their values - they are far more likely to connect with your brand if you identify a synergy of values. Consider for example the importance of green values, social participation (Orange RockCorps) and truth (Dove) in youth marketing and how much time brands spend communicating anything but these.

Next> Law #3) Build a dialogue using the right channels