Grown Up Thinking

A study just released today by Viacom Brand Solutions International reinforced what we at Mr. Youth have been saying for years, that:

“youth” is no longer applicable in today’s society, and marketers should target consumers based upon their engagement and participation in youth culture rather than by chronological age’

As we have been immersed in youth culture over the past 6 years, we have seen this new digitally enabled consumer graduate college and move into the workforce, yet their behavior and interests remains largely the same. As Viacom puts it:

“Even in these financially challenging times, people are trying to stay younger for longer,” said Kevin Razvi, EVP and managing director of VBSI. “ 25-to-34 year-olds are continuing to consume music, gaming and the internet and are enjoying the pursuits of their younger years while benefiting from a greater level of personal and financial freedom. We therefore need to rethink what ’youth’ actually means and how we and our partners can approach this constantly evolving group of people.”

Likewise, we have seen our experience gain increasingly more relevance as marketers struggle to reconnect with their consumers, a consumer many no longer fully grasp due to the rapid changes that have occurred over this time. If you need a quick cheat sheet to this new consumer, check out our white paper Consumer 2.0.