Madhukar Sabnavis: Youth versus universality

It's a challenge to be a true youth brand today

Daniel Miller, a professor at University College London, published academic research recently that said young people were turning away in droves from Facebook. Teenagers now prefer to hang out on new photo-sharing and messaging services like Snapchat, WhatsApp and Instagram - networks where mums and dads don't lurk. Another study indicates that teenagers today post less intimate stuff on Facebook and more risque materials on networks that have not been gatecrashed by their parents. This article is not about whether Facebook is losing its sheen or if its strategy of broadening appeal is right or wrong. These two pieces of research say something about teenagers and their reaction to the "universal" world.

"Youth" is a much-abused word in the world of marketing and advertising. Take, for instance, India, where a large proportion of the population is under 35. Therefore, the 15-35 age bracket seems an exciting segment to target. When Pepsi did its iconic "Taste of the young generation" campaign in the late 1970s and early 1980s and tied up with music and sports stars, the company had in mind 13- to 19-year-olds and college-goers. It is at this age that a person is subsumed by music and sports. The brand's irreverence made it a strong counterpoint to the "universal happiness" brand of Coca-Cola and sharply differentiated it from the market leader. It must have, at that time, polarised the world. The older group might have asked, "What's happening?" And the teenager would have said, "Hey, it's my brand." When Diesel says "Be stupid", it polarises - but also manages greater identification with the younger segment.

The teenage years constitute the most polarised stage in an individual's life. It is also the most interesting phase physiologically and psychologically. It is the stage of freedom - of breaking from the conformity of parental control. Yet one is not fettered by the responsibilities of life, those that set in as one gets into the working world after 20 in a return to conformity. It is also the most formative period for psychological development. That is why juvenile laws in most countries recognise that while the individual has developed many adult physical characteristics, the person is still not mentally formed.

It is the stage when a person is searching for his identity and self in the real world. Andre Agassi - a teenage sensation - once said, quite insightfully, that while people thought he transformed with age, it was more that he formed - discovered himself and hence began to behave less brashly. The confusion of a teenager gives way to clarity of an adult! Logan Smith, in Afterthoughts, puts it sympathetically, yet succinctly, when he says, "Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own."

Teenagers are a pretty rich audience to target since they have sharp characteristics. In the pursuit to find an identity and space, they are most likely to question norms and are sharply different from the rest - in terms of attitude, behaviour and interests. They are also the most homogeneous group. Interestingly, in repeated studies over the last decade in India, this segment is similar across town classes and in socio-economic classification. Infuse the brand with "attitude" and that will make it a polar opposite of the universal brand that often aims at eight to 80 and is built on basic human values. Pepsi's irreverence is distinct from Coke's optimism and happiness; Virgin Atlantic's brazenness is a strong counterpoint to British Airways' feeling of warmth and togetherness.

If questioning is core to the youth's exploration of identity, the establishment is the prime enemy in this quest. However, an interesting counter-force is currently operating in Indian society. Generational relationships are getting friendly and the older generation is getting more accepting of new norms and new ways of doing this. In fact, the technology revolution has subliminally made "accepting the new" a way of life. This makes it tougher to create a distinctly younger brand. The outlaw has to try being ever more brazen, bold and even distasteful to actually polarise and create a deeper connection with the youth. Brands have to explore edgier and more provocative subjects to divide and excite.

This is where three Indian brands seem instructive. MTV Roadies - and its brazen ugliness (at least for an older-generation observer) - seems a truly edgy example. Fastrack's continuous attempt to touch on subjects that are taboo to the larger society helps give the brand an attitude that could be resonating with the youth and yet raise older people's eyebrows. Five Star - without actually being provocative in its messaging - polarises with its dope-faced characters of Ramesh and Suresh. Its madness places it in a world of absurdities that make traditionalists see it as farcical but provide younger viewers with a sense of randomness that they feel fits their life.

In a young country like India, every brand wants to be young or youthful. This naturally means distinction is tough. Yet if Facebook is losing some traction - whether in terms of users or usage - it is because the social networking service is beginning to get universal; the truth is that the youth have an exclusive world of their own that they don't want adults to enter. This provides fertile ground for brands to polarise in order to connect. The challenge is to become bolder, more daring and perhaps even darker by going deeper into teenage lives. A new formula needs to be found to create "true" youth brands.

There is something about the adolescent period in a person's life that is exciting and different from what he or she is over the rest of his or her life. Brands seem to be missing a trick in not leveraging it and creating distinct identities for themselves. It could be the lure of having a larger catchment of consumers to aim for - and so moving from youth to youthful. However, if we believe the youthful spirit is living longer, catching something more insightful in the teens may be worth exploring. Something worth thinking about.

The writer is vice chairman, Ogilvy & Mather, India.
Views expressed are personal. madhukar.sabnavis@ogilvy.com