Note to brand: b urself
The best way to find out what young people like is to ask them. Strategy teamed up with Toronto-based Youthography for a chat about advertising with some of the members of their national network. We learned what it takes for a brand to win over the kids these days
CHAT PANEL
Feroz Q, 17, Mississauga, ON
Feroz is a member and leader of many clubs at his high school. He also attends seminars to further his education.
Niki B, 16, Dartmouth, NS
Niki likes to keep our planet green through various organizations. She loves to shop and compose music.
Mohammed H, 15, Toronto, ON
Mohammed is captain of four sports teams and coaches two others. He is also into fashion.
Jordan H, 12, Sherwood Park, AB
Jordan loves to play soccer, hang out with friends and play Xbox.
THE CHAT
Admin: Hi there and welcome to the strategy online chat…My name is Jacquelyn and I work for Youthography. let’s start with brands…when I say ‘brand’ what words first come to mind?
MohammedH: clothing
JordanH: shoes
FerozQ: new…..brand new
NikiB: materialism
Admin: what makes a brand kick ass for you?
MohammedH: the style
JordanH: ya the style
FerozQ: what my friends think about it. sad to admit but true
JordanH: quality
NikiB: the ethics
FerozQ: their ‘rep’ has to be cool too
NikiB: im not relly interested in what my friends think about my clothing
Admin: what brands are biggest for you right now?
MohammedH: converse for shoes, theres also nike and adidas, and for clothing theres h&m, urban behaviour, urban planet, bluenotes etc
FerozQ: adidas am eagle hollister
JordanH: circa. at stores i always see that brand stick out or west 49
NikiB: Sabian, Pre-loved, uhmm
Toronto-based Preloved, a clothing label that makes new fashion out of recycled vintage textiles to the delight of eco-conscious starlets everywhere, recently appeared on Project Runway Canada.
Admin: everyone…do you use brands to express yourself? if so, how?
MohammedH: yeah i do, but also how i dress up to express myself
FerozQ: well, clothes say a lot about u so yeah
JordanH: same here
FerozQ: it’s a form of how i feel that day as well. i started wearing a kuffiyah as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians
Admin: ok…what about what the company stands for? does that matter?
NikiB: YES it totally matters
FerozQ: yes
JordanH: me too
Admin: ok…what matters? tell me what makes you choose a brand over another?
NikiB: if a company tests anything on animals, i will NOT use it
FerozQ: if they have good consumer practices. recycling, worker rights
NikiB: and some brands have a high respect for the environment, which i respect a lot.
FerozQ: no sweatshops
JordanH: it looks good
FerozQ: +1 to nikki’s comment
NikiB: thanks : ]
Admin: how about where a brand advertises? does that influence if you like a brand or not?
FerozQ: not as much
NikiB: not really. i guess if someone was like, advertising sex toys in a school zone it wouldn’t be cool.
JordanH: if it is everywhere it’s not the best, especially if it is a bad store
MohammedH: i like seeing advertisements at displays of stores. it catches my eye, like on manikins, i can see how it would look
FerozQ: well, if i see their ads a lot, that means they have taken the time to advertise to me. i feel wanted so i guess i respect that
Admin: when you guys are watching TV …do you pay attention to ads? which ones stand out for you?
MohammedH: yes i do
FerozQ: witty ones
MohammedH: sometimes for food, new clothing, never any of those infomercials though
JordanH: no i mute the tv or walk out of the room so i dont spend my money on dumb things
FerozQ: like the competing beer ones are hilarious bud vs coors etc. not that i drink, but i just find em entertaining
Admin: What about commercials? have you ever watched an ad on youtube?
MohammedH: not really
NikiB: Oh i did! we were told to in english10. some beer commercial about how many ways you can say dude.
Admin: hey do you guys talk to your friends about ads?
Niki: no. lol
MohammedH: sometimes! when it’s special
FerozQ: yeah, like real artists like how they got slash’s figure to be in guitar hero 3. that’s like ad heaven
NikiB: i hate when celebrities are in ads. they’re role models, and sometimes things just aren’t appropriate. like that ad for some video game, and mr.t is in it
Mr. T pities the fool that didn’t see his 2007 ad for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, which had nearly 2.2 million hits on YouTube at press time.
MohammedH: i like it when celebrities are in ads, but they act like themselves, not made into an actor that they’re told to be
FerozQ: i actually like when celebs are in ads. they just have to be well utilized. u guys remember that kevin federline ad? some insurance company? ‘life comes at u fast’ he’s in a fast food restaurant working
MohammedH: i like the one with p diddy in that burger king commercial
Diddy (or Sean Combs) is CEO of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and a successful marketer in his own right, with a record label, two clothing lines, a film production company and two restaurants, not to mention his agency, Blue Flame Marketing.
Admin: Do you watch shows on the web (streaming or downloading shows)?
FerozQ: Not really, havent tried it yet
NikiB: not at all.
JordanH: only from itunes. happy tree friends and step brothers
Launched in 2000, Happy Tree Friends is a web-based Flash cartoon with a cult following in which cute characters commit violent acts à la Simpsons ‘toon-in-‘toon Itchy and Scratchy.
MohammedH: oh i never really get the time to anymore, when im on the computer i just talk to friends on msn or facebook for example, if i watch shows i just decide to watch them on tv
Admin: are you streaming stuff from youtube?
MohammedH: yeaahh. usually for me, music videos
NikiB: nothing usually. i mostly search music on youtube.
FerozQ: music videos, funny videos, etc. i also watch a webseries from these college students its like a show on youtube
We’re guessing it’s Jake and Amir, a no-frills comedy series starring Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld that gets funnier the less sense it makes. Check it out at Jakeandamir.com or Collegehumor.com.
JordanH: funny cartoons or people doing dumb things
Admin: has an ad ever changed your mind about a brand?
FerozQ: i see thru those ads where they say that they are all environmentally friendly and all that jazz so not really. i stick to my preconceived notions about brands
NikiB: oui
Admin: what preconceived notions…where do they come from?
FerozQ: uh from parents, friends
MohammedH: as much as they try to make people think theyre doing good, the people who know about companies know that every company, no matter who, just sell their stuff for the money
Admin: How can you tell if a brand is living up to its promise to be ‘green’?
NikiB: they usually give info on it in the ad
MohammedH: they usually have supporters from those green organizations in the ads
FerozQ: third party certification
JordanH: if ur friend buys it watch him do stuff with it and if it breaks then don’t buy it
NikiB: the status isn’t that important, it’s what they do
Admin: think about a celeb, band, etc. you love and respect… if they were in an ad for a brand that you didn’t really like…would that change your mind about the brand?
FerozQ: yea I think so. i love russell peters and he can sell anything to me… haha just kidding but almost anything
At press time it wasn’t known if Canadian comedian Russell Peters sold the youth demo on the Juno Awards telecast on March 29, which he hosted this year for the second time (he won a Gemini for his turn as host last time around).
NikiB: no, i would think about the person depending on what they’re selling
MohammedH: noo, i wouldnt wanna be like them, i just respect them for who they are. sure jimmy page is an amazing guitarist and i wanna be as good as him at that, but who is he is only him
JordanH: no cause its the same brand and it is not going to make a change when there is a different person
Admin: If a brand was trying to advertise to someone like you, what advice would you give them?
FerozQ: dont try too hard, just be urself. Seriously dont change ur brand just because u wanna sell to me. Stay true to what u are. if u change for me, its kinda desperate
JordanH: ya
NikiB: don’t try and sell something that is too violent, or abuses animals, or hurts the environment.
MohammedH: i would give them advice to just be themselves, cuz if they act totally different, it’ll change my perspective of them when i get what theyre advertising, which can lose trust
JordanH: make it more environmentally friendly
Admin: Any last words….?
NikiB: stay green <3
MohammedH: this was cool
JordanH: cya ttyl
FerozQ: peace
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