mobileYouth®

The above slide is a quote from Peter Van Stolk on the Big Soda marketing model built on Pipelines rather than Platforms for engaging youth.

The rules say that creating a great brand for youth is about creating the big idea – the drumming monkey, the gopher or the flashmob. That’s the unquestionable rule. Big idea, big ad spend, big media budget, big body count and commissions for the agency.

Tearing up the script means breaking a few eggshells.

For example, we talk the talk on “one-to-one” advertising but when we talk to youth using the personalized channels of mobile or social media we still employ the industrial era marketing strategies based on pipelines. It’s all about lists, awareness, campaigns and “cost-per”.

That’s why if your service is irrelevant, youth won’t take it – even if it’s FREE. (Ask Blyk). Blyk’s failure proves that targeting youth isn’t simply about making it mobile and making it free – that’s simply meatball sundae stuff … new media but business as usual. And it’s not just the small guys – the big guys are the worst culprits.

Trailblazing youth brands ignore common sense.

Common sense says use modern media to target the unsold. Brands that tear up the script say, use all media to target the sold. Forget about the unsold – let the sold do the selling.

Target the Passionistas. Invest in definition rather than execution. Find that niche your values resonate with.Whether you’re in the business of smoothies, quarter pounders, cosmetics or sneakers, it’s all about context over content.

Nike has found theirs here (awesome) and here – and no it’s not in finding people who are passionate about sports shoes – that’s merely the product. Nike wins attention through creating that platform.

The cost of buying the attention of the unsold youth these days is simply too high. Screens are everywhere. The accessibility provided by technology drive youth to turn your channel off. You are part of the noise. Your advertising is reaching but it’s not relevant – their attention is either elsewhere or not going to give you the benefit of the doubt.Youth are highly proficient at gating out marketing messages that have no prior dialogue.

Common sense says use modern media to create the brand story. Trailblazers know the narrative needs to be about the customer and not the brand. The Pepsi Generation no longer applies.

Common sense says more power to the marketing department. Brand innovators know that marketing isn’t a department. This is the next 10 years of marketing. You can’t have a CMO. A chief of Advertising maybe. But not a chief of marketing. Marketing is a mindset.

Marketing used to support the organization. Now we live in an era where the organization supports the marketing.

That’s why the vast majority of youth brands won’t be able to adapt, because both the organization is driven by feared based decision trees and a view of marketing more familiar with the industrial as opposed to the post-digital era.

Marketing is everything we do. Time to rewrite the rules… Everyone’s a marketer.

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