UK TV Company looking for Family

STILL HAVING THE SAME ARGUMENTS?

PARENTS – ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO GET THROUGH TO YOUR TEENAGERS?

TEENS – DO YOUR PARENTS DRIVE YOU NUTS?

Does your home life sometimes feel like a soap opera?! We are looking for families with teenagers to take part in an exciting new series for Channel 4.  Using the innovative technique of drama therapy, we can help you get a new perspective on your family issues.  This will be a fun but effective way see what’s really going on, and put it right.

If you are interested please get in touch!

Call Laura on 020 7691 5613

Or email: actingup@talkbackthames.tv

The school building programme

As the new government scrap the school building scheme, will it really affect our young people?

Now I have to say I am in two minds on this one. On one hand my husband, who works in the construction industry, tells me so much money is wasted on new schools and on the other, I know how important environment is and the impact it has on our young people.

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell talks a lot about what is called “Broken Window Syndrome” and how you can use this to turn communities around from high crime to low crime areas. Broken window syndrome basically works on the premise that youth who commit crime and get into trouble are highly susceptible to their environments and when small things are fixed straight away in a high crime area (such as windows) and the area is clean and looked after, this in turn affects those at risk of offending and the estates turn around. The objective of the Broken Window project was to have no broken windows, litters, graffiti, etc. on these estates and it worked a treat, bringing crime in these areas down.

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Generation Z Predictions

I have written a lot about GEN Z, so it is great to see that is going mainstream. I found this post on Media Post, so I thought I would give my thoughts here.

Three Predictions About Generation Z -Frank O’Brien

1. Sorry Kindle, Gen Zs are iPad enthusiasts.

The iPad has been the breakthrough device of the year. One could argue that the iPhone 4 or other mobile technologies should take that crown. But the iPad has created an entirely different way of receiving and absorbing information in 2010. Has anyone seen that cool new Popular Mechanics application?
Increasingly, parents are turning to bite-sized devices to entertain and educate their children. The iPad will outpace the iPhone for the chosen “keep the kids entertained device” for Gen Z parents as there is more room for security, limited need for a data plan, and the device will allow parents to hold onto their cell phones versus giving them to the kids to stay occupied. Not to mention the price point of an iPad makes it the perfect, dare I say, in-between device that’s not quite a computer.

I have to agree, Gen Z love the iPad, and while I don’t think it will take over the Kindle (they were never big in the UK) I think it could take over the need for a mobile. Gen Z love the intuitivity of the iPad and for them they just think that the iPad gets them. So I would say move over mobile, the iPad has it!

2. They won’t take criticism well. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Generation Y, it’s that they’re not to be messed with. One slip of the tongue with a teenager and they’re likely to stomp on your foot, leave the room, and start an empire quicker than you can say Facebook. The generation of entitlement is only going to continue to grow, so be prepared to speak to your youngsters the right way.
Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Don’t ignore it because, from a marketing perspective, it’s very important. A group of Gen Zs will be able to sabotage a brand, kill a campaign, and destroy the bottom line of a company with just a few keystrokes on a status update or Twitter. Qualified responses don’t matter, perception is reality, and this group is going to have a big opportunity to shift brand perception in an unprecedented way.

I would like to rephrase this one and say that Gen Z will demand authenticity and won’t be afraid to speak out. Yes, they are likely to be something like Gen Y, but in a different way, while Gen Y can be quite fickle and their campaigns pretty shallow (sometimes) Gen Z will be much more organised and strategic. They are less about shouting and more about bang. What I mean is, they will speak out with less noise and more action. So yes, they may be young, but treat them with respect because they have a voice and they are not scared to use it. Above all they have the staying power that perhaps Gen Y didn’t have.

3. They will continue to find loopholes. 

this is probably the most important prediction as it will affect everything in a marketer’s toolbox – creative, media and loyalty programs included. As information continues to be more accessible and advertisers look to find a way to reinvent media spaces, such as the 30 second spots, banner placements, etc., Generation Z will continue to find ways to access their information more quickly.
Loyalty programs will become “what have you done for me lately” programs, as the marketplace becomes more competitive, social and referral based. The days of using one brand of toothpaste for years is nearing its end! Creative will need to be more compelling to not just cut through the clutter but to engage this audience in something interactive. Overall, a very interesting game of cat and mouse is about to ensue, and marketers will need to be even more on their toes in choosing the right strategy, creative, and media to engage this audience.
The moral of the story? Engage teens, but prepare for the “über teen.” Generation Z is on the rise, and it may just be the most agile, fickle and trickiest to engage generation yet!

Most of what I see shows that this generation coming up will be less fickle and the decisions they make are more likely to be based on conversations they have with their families. They are much more likely to be traditionalist in their outlook and may be the most loyal generation we have seen since the 70’s. Early indications are that they are very brand loyal and much more likely to choose based on feeling rather than price. They want the brand to make them feel social. One thing I will say though is that this generation cannot and will not be marketed to. They want to go beyond engagement, they want conversations and they will expect more from their brands then ever before.

Government on a “lets fix the parents” gig again

MP thinks parenting GCSE could tackle ‘toe rag parents’

Apparently the answer to all our problems now lies in a GCSE in parenting !

Frank Field (the government poverty tsar) believes Parenting skills should be taught in schools to address a “vicious downward spiral” of broken families in the UK.

The Labour MP for Birkenhead, fears many children are being dragged down by what he calls “toe rag parents”. His solution, outlined in his first report to the Prime Minister, is to place parenting at the heart of the national school curriculum.

Writing in the Daily Mail on Tuesday, the MP said Britain was facing a social crisis because of the huge number of families who “live in a state of permanent squalor, chaos and hostility”.

Read more MP thinks parenting GCSE could tackle ‘toe rag parents’

Do you care about young people?

If so can you please vote for my manifesto.

What youth think

Youth in the uk. -what do they think.

What are youth thoughts on different subjects?

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