What are young Malaysians into these days? Is it Music? Sports? Bands? Prizes? Fashion? Dance parties? Facebook? YouTube? Mawi? Siti? Rain? I’m talking about Malaysian youths aged 15 to 35.
What are they into?
Based on the 200+ youth research projects we’ve done with these young Malaysians, it is obvious that they’re into one thing above all, and that is their friends. Friends matter to them a lot more than YouTube or Mawi. Friends are the reason behind Facebook and dance parties. And youths are willing to sacrifice a lot of time, energy, and resources to find and preserve real friendship. Friends mean the world to youths. And in this article I will show you this also means the world to your marketing success.
Excuse me, are you like, in my space?
Meet Rina. She is a 22 year old Malaysian girl. She’s got different circles of friends. Her high school friends, colleagues, rock climbing buddies, Law course mates, childhood friends, party acquaintances…
Instead of hours of TV every day, she spends her time connecting with her different circles of friends. To do this, she uses various tools, like Yahoo IM, MSN, mobile phone, Facebook, Twitter, reading blogs, and meeting up. This so called “media” she consumes via the internet is created by her social circle. Not by advertisers, or big name producers. She communicates back to her social circle via the same “media” too.
Most of you know this as Social Media.
Knowing that youths connect with their friends in a social media environment, brands try to find ways to get into their social media space,uninvited. They locate where they are,target them, hang out in their chats expand in their Facebook, shock them with “site takeovers”, eyeblast them etc just to get their attention.
Sorry brand, but you’re not their friend.
Besides, even if you were, friends don’t do that kind of stuff. Stalkers do. Youths know who their real friends are. And their friend’s opinions influence them. A lot.
A study by Forrester Research and Intelliseek in 2006 revealed that recommendations from consumers produces the highest degree of trust. Online banner ads are right at the bottom with annoying text ads on mobile phones! A similar research done by the Nielsen Company reinforces this. “Recommendations from people known” and “Consumer Opinions posted online” top the charts in consumer trust. Online video and banner ads are way at the bottom with annoying SMS text ads. This explains why banner ads are not as effective with youths. They are online to hang out with their friends. And friends influence them the most. Does this mean brands will never be able to be a friend? The answer to this boils down to 3 simple rules every young person knows by heart:
Back to school: How to be a true friend
The next 3 rules you learnt the hard way in the school yard, which you may have to re-learn again if you want to make friends (and keep friends) with the youth market. It boils down to understanding what it means to be a friend, and staying true to it.
1. Friends understand you
Real friends “get” you. Some even know you better than you know yourself! Do your consumers describe you like that?
All iconic rock bands and pop stars know this. They understand how you feel. Your innermost desires. They sing what you really want to say. And in return in return, they capture not just friends, but FANS.
This is also true for great brands. Here are some universally true examples: Have you ever bought a product and thought to yourself: “Finally, whoever designed this understands exactly what I want”. That’s how Apple fans feel about their purchases. Or maybe you’ve seen marketing messages which seem to leap out of your own head “Just do it”. A lot of this is based on priceless consumer insight guarded closely not to get lost in translation.
Take a look around you. Do campaigns involve too many marketers, and not enough consumers? Marketers checking with colleagues instead of checking with consumers? A room full of older people hoping to come up with something younger? I don’t mean to be harsh, but ask any young person and they’ll be quick to point out endless examples of campaigns which make them puke. “They don’t get it”, they say.
The more you pump out marketing messages which don’t connect, the more your consumer will say “this brand doesn’t understand me”. And just like that, you’re off the friend’s list. From then on, the rest of your marketing dollars will only serve to reinforce how much of a stranger you are to them, when you really should be showing them you’re a friend who understands them.
2. Friends never let you down
This one is simple. Does your product live up to your marketing? Are you keeping your brand promise? I hope so, because you don’t want to let down your friends. In some cases “Friends never let you down” is an understatement. Think: Friends never stab you from behind? Brands who get it the worse are the ones with constant service failure. It makes it so much harder to make friends when you become the enemy!
But get this one right, and your reputation will be reliability. This means serious consumer confidence. They’ll say “You can count on her, she will never let you down.”
3. Friends help you along the way
I have a youth research analyst. He’s 23 years old, and he recently learnt how to swim. How? An old friend took him swimming every weekend for 7 weeks to teach him! This is just one example of how friends help you along the way in your life, especially when you need them the most.
On one level: What help does the individuals in the youth market need right now in their lives? Help with dating? Studies? Stress? Purpose? New activities? Money? This can be used as a base to give them benefits which are (finally) relevant to them. It’s the perfect launchpad to a long lasting relationship, differentiating you from your competitors.
On another level: It could even be your key success factor. Just like when my analyst wanted to learn to swim, his friend helped him, when a web designer wants to be a better web designer, they buy a Mac. When a footballer wants to feel like a better footballer he gets himself a brand of boots he idolizes. Brands who make loads of friends and fans with the youth truly help them along their way.
4. “Friends Forever” Starts Today
At the recent CommunicAsia event held at Singapore Expo, Michel Maeso, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Funambol, and Cato Gullichsen, CEO of the Singapore-based InCent told marketers:
“The thing is with Friendster and MySpace and Facebook is – you’re in my space. I choose to add you as my friend, so your company is my friend. Friends need to start acting like your friend when you’re in social media. That means that your friends know what you’re interested in. They don’t spam everybody the same message saying ‘buy my product because everybody has it – get it now’.
“That kind of message just doesn’t work and it’s part of the mismatch going on right now. We’re transporting the mass marketing into a social space and people are saying ‘why are you telling me this? How’s this relevant? Get lost.’
If you’re a friend, you have a chance in the age of social media. If you’re not, you’d better start re-connecting with them at a friend level. Besides, making friends with the youth market isn’t that difficult. Youths like trying new things and they will give you a chance if you try a fresh approach.
To end on a lighter note, I’ll leave you with some 90’s pop marketing philosophy:
“If you want my future forget my past, If you wanna get with me better make it fast, Now don’t go wasting my precious time, Get your act together we could be just fine. If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever friendship never ends,
What do you think about that now you know how I feel, Say you can handle my love are you for real, I won’t be hasty, I’ll give you a try If you really bug me then I’ll say goodbye. Spice Girls ~ Wannabe.