Ruder Finn Intent Index and Youth

Youth and the Internet

When Maria(@websuccessdiva)  showed me the Ruder Finn Intent Index I was very excited. I love it when stats show me what I already know. While it is great to know what people are doing on-line, it is important we take this one step further, particularly when it comes to the youth stats. And not only just for people who market to youth; where youth lead, the rest will follow. What is going on with youth on-line paves the way for what us oldies will soon be doing on-line too. When it comes to the on-line world, the only things to really watch (in my mind) are the youth stats as they show us the way forward.

So what do they say about youth?

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Insights from youth for marketers

Insights from youth

Julia Shalet recently conducted a teen advisory panel for some new product designs (a bit like Dragon’s Den, but turned on its head) . I love the insights from this panel and have put them below for you with my two pennies worth.

Marketers to youth, sit up and take notice!

Julia Shalet helps businesses in the youth sector to build their offering, as well as working with schools to develop compelling learning experiences, grounded in real businesses. Over fifteen years in the industry, she has worked with clients including T-Mobile, Weeworld.com, Hertfordshire Careers Services, many internet & mobile startups and schools across London & Herts.

Youth Insights

1. Useful won over Entertaining
Whenever I review digital products I advise that the offering should be highly useful, highly entertaining, or preferably both – a useful product must still offer an entertaining user interface. The highest ranked products in this session were the Next Buses / Traveline service and Wikitude.
- Sophie thought that everyone she knew would use the Wikitude service as it was so useful
- Nick said the Next Buses service was “a good idea and practical”

Millennials want your product to be relevant for purpose; they are not easily fooled. So yes, entertaining them is great but really they want to know how they can use it. Is it practical and relevant for them?

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“Get off that computer and do something!”

Sick of your child sitting in front of the computer all day?

Let’s face it, there is always plenty to do during the summer holidays. That isn’t the challenge. It is finding something our kids, especially teens, would rather do than sitting in front of the computer. When every suggestion is met with, “Boring!” what can a parent do? With two teens and a nine year old at home I know exactly where you are coming from and how difficult this can be. Is there a solution? Definitely!

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Education News weekly wrap up

Some very interesting stuff coming out in the news this week.

Schools should teach Twitter

Schools need to wake up to social networking

still not sure schools need to embrace social networking?

Report: kids’ use of tech growing exponentially

And just because they have to have a say

Tories propose school test reform

Why don’t you get social media

Do you understand social media?

People often ask me why I am such a tech geek and the answer is simple. To understand this generation you need to understand the technology it is such a big part of their lives without understanding it well really you are  missing the point in my mind.

And if you think it is going away think again……

Report: kids’ use of tech growing exponentially

Watch this video from Andrew Davis an amazing person I have just found…very funny too.

So what do you need to do to understand this generation more?

Youth ask for TV to be more social and networks respond

TV and Social rooms

Youth asked for TV to be more social and it looks like the wave is coming. As we know, the figures are outstanding and more and more teens are watching TV on line.

With CBS launching social rooms for their programmes, I think we are seeing TV 2.0 begin to take off.

Now due to the fact that I am in the UK, I cannot see the actual programme in the room, but I can get the jist.

Each programme has a mini-site with a forum, a fan base, a place to vote and watch and a place to meet the cats etc. I think this shows us how different Gen-Y are; not only do they want to watch TV, they want to be involved, they want to have a say and more importantly, they believe they can, by their involvement, have an impact. If these stations are savvy enough they will monitor the board and usage of these rooms and use the information they find to help them shape the future of particular shows.

Well done for the innovation CBS, we love it!

And with Yahoo launching connected TV, it looks like we will also be able to turn our TVs into computers very easily, staying up to date of all we need to while watching our favourite shows.