As usual, the elusive youth demo is on the move. But now they’re taking portable media – in the form of cellphones, iPods, PSPs and the like – with them. And they want to be engaged. As Nathan Rosenberg, main marketing man of Virgin Mobile Canada and keynote speaker of strategy’s Understanding Youth conference points out, when kids in Canada have a spare moment, they look to fill it, typically with something fun. Which means there are plenty of opportunities to speak to them.

The question is, what’s going to do it for them? Strategy searched far and wide to find the latest trends and most promising prospects for Canadian brands in podvertising, mobile and online marketing.

What did we learn? Most importantly, you need to get there now. Because when it comes to youth, it’s better to be a leader than a follower. Just ask the eight marketers who have reaped the benefits of this philosophy. Their case studies, also on the following pages, tell all.