Schoolies and connecting via social media

Schoolies week, the rite of passage among the majority of Australian year 12 students. 

Over the years schoolies has remained unchanged in part as well as having evolved. The Gold Coast is still as popular a destination as ever with large dedicated beach parties and other ’quieter’ locations such as Byron Bay are becoming increasingly popular.  

So what does schoolies offer? What is its appeal? A chance to express one’s self, meeting new people, hanging out with friends, dancing the nights away, chillaxing by the pool or beach, drinking alcohol or possibly even experimenting with drugs? 

Adding to the experience of schoolies are social media pages. Facebook has a number of dedicated pages and groups.

One page is by schoolies.com with over 5 000 fans. Not only are students sharing their excitement for their impending break, but they are already organising events among other students who will be going to the same destination by creating groups – which means it is likely they will have already made friends with likeminded people before they arrive.

 

Another schoolies page, with fewer fans, is by the official National Schoolies Week website. This page has in excess of 1 300 fans and is aimed at keeping its followers up to date by providing them with links to the official website and the national forum. It also keeps its followers abreast of news and current affairs surrounding schoolies, such as articles by news.com.au: ‘A fake ID racket run by teenagers has been busted’.

 

Facebook has been much more successful than Twitter in creating an online community for schoolies. There are six dedicated schoolies pages on Twitter with the largest follower base for one only being 200 – further reinforcing the fact that Twitter is not being heavily utilised by this demographic.

 

 

Planning for the future is important – there are pages and groups on Facebook leading up to schoolies 2014 (for kids who only started school in 2002, which means they are currently in year 7 (12 or 13 year olds). Although the group is labelled to be ‘just for fun’ it does make you wonder, what kind of event will schoolies be by 2014? They have 5 whole years to plan!

For many year 12 students, schoolies gives them the chance to be an individual, and for some, to express themselves without the presence of parents for the first time. There are no more rules, no deadlines with school assignments, no set times that you have to be at school, there are no more high school exams.  For some it is the chance to distinguish oneself even further by cutting or dying hair, getting a piecing or even a tattoo.

 

What this all means is that students are seeking freedom and escapism. For some, while at school, they believe schoolies is the only way this can be achieved. It is something they strive for and dream about.

Connecting with the youth of today through somatic identities, by tapping into what they are feeling and their belief system will enable your brand, website, packaging or even advertising  to connect with youth on an emotional level – which can only lead to positive associations and growth.  

On the schoolies.com Facebook fan page, a casting agent is searching for 18 year olds to film a reality show on the Gold Coast during schoolies week 2009. Those interested may be described as a ‘Rolling Wave’ (somatic identities described at www.marketingsomatics.com).

Somatic identities are highly relevant to all aspects of design – websites, pack, point of sale, creative advertising as well as brand identity. Furthermore, it has potential relevance in direct selling on and off line.

Social media fan pages latest avenue for brands

Social media is now a key driver of event participation. This year, Big Day Out is utilising social media sites even more with dedicated MySpace, Facebook and Twitter pages. For summer 2010 there will be seven Big Day Out (BDO) festivals across Australia and New Zealand – two of which will be held in Sydney - this is only the second time in its 18 year history a second show has been staged in any city.

Using social media, people can see what groups and pages their friends are supporting and this is the new ‘word of mouth’. By having a constant presence and reminder of a product, in this case, the BDO festival, it ensures messages are portrayed and are cutting through effectively.

The challenge is to embed your brand and message in a way that seems natural rather than manipulative. Fan pages on Facebook and Twitter represent an interesting approach. We’ve noticed a couple of interesting examples.

Cadbury is utilising both Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook there are two Cadbury pages– Cadbury (with over 272,000 fans) and Cadbury Wispa (over 801,000 fans). Of particular interest is the Cadbury Wispa page – brought back in 2009 for a limited time (particularly in the UK), Cadbury Wispa has been using its Facebook page to raise awareness of the product and to offer fans Cadbury Wispa’s advertising space – billboards all over the UK and Ireland. Fans were invited to submit thankyou messages to friends, loved ones or anyone worthy of a special thank you, which enables fans to pass on messages of gratitude while sharing their story en masse. 

 

While not specifically targeting Youth, another good example of the use of storytelling is Jack Daniel’s.  Jack Daniel’s is possibly one of the world’s greatest story tellers (INSIDE STORY has recently written about JD as a story teller on our Inside Brand Reputation blog). Jack shares his story online using mediums such as Facebook fan pages and now has over 354,000 fans. Fans are encouraged to learn more about Jack’s story on Facebook:

“While “labeling” people is never a good thing, “labeling” a bottle is a great idea! And when it comes to Jack Daniel’s, there are a lot of stories to go with that label. For a guided “tour” of our famous label just visit this link!”

 

They are also able to share experiences and viewpoints with like-minded fans by being able to connect over activities such as the recent 21st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

Twitter and Facebook are growing every day - figures from Hitwise tell us Facebook's Australian market share has climbed 101% since October last year and Twitter grew 1516%, further fuelled by bands such as Powderfinger who performed guerrilla gigs across Australia - only notifying their Twitter followers of the event. Hours spent on social media sites are also on the rise – according to Nielsen figures at June 2009, Australians spent 1.6 million hours on social media sites, up from 800,000 hours a year earlier. If the growth in social media continues, we can only expect to see more innovative and exciting examples in the months to come.

Adventure and Experience - Take a Gap Year

Travelling and exploring is essential to adventurous, global Gen Y’s – and the best way to make the most of life and accumulate stories to retell. Taking working holidays, volunteering and living overseas are all part of the fun!

Very few Gen Y friends of mine have held back from taking a gap year once the idea and excitement sets in. The voice inside shouts: “Financial difficulties are never insurmountable! I’ll figure it out along the way. Career is something that can be paused and returned to! LET’S GO!”

This trend is not surprising considering Gen Y widely reported common traits: experience seekers, experimental, don’t plan for the long term and are desperate for things to happen immediately. Taking a gap year has become a major stage in life for youth who spend and live for today!

Many career websites as well as the Australian Government are recognising the appeal to youth of travelling, earning money, gaining skills and life experiences. The gap year is an opportunity to build career credentials, demonstrate personal strengths (eg initiative and determination), and a time to experiment with working in different industries and to get a feel of what the real working world is like. Career path is something that can be paused. However despite the career building rationale, the groundswell appeal of the gap year is fuelled mostly by the thrill of living a life of adventure!

Taking a gap year is becoming a norm, a natural and unquestionable part of life. Traditionally the ‘gap year’ is considered the first year after leaving high school, however this has evolved to encompass more broadly any time after leaving school, during tertiary studies and training, and through to the early stages of their career. A study by STA Travel found that “over 25% have taken a gap year between university and work and over 40% hope to take a gap year during their career.”

Youth engage with slapstick humour

Bristol UK hosts Comedy Festival ( 17th-20th January 2008) which is a festival of silent films that champion the slapstick tradition. This festival was be attended widely and mostly attended by 18 to 24s who are ‘rediscovering’ this old silent footage including Charlie Chaplin’s GOLD RUSH, Laurel and Hardy classic LEAVE EM LAUGHING and Buster Keaton’s comedy shorts.

“I want to see him get hurt but I don’t..” says a university male 23 in a depth interview conducted by INSIDE STORY talking about the attraction of Jackass. Jackass has defined what many males under 23 continue to like in entertainment. On its website it warns: MTV's hit show Jackass features silly pranks, absurd antics and idiotic stunts performed by total jackasses. Leading the sick and twisted pack of sadomasochists was Johnny Knoxville.

Silent film slackstick has similar if more ‘gentle’ appeal and is emerging as something for

Generation Y to make their own.

Slapstick is defined (wikipedia) as a comedy that involves exaggerated physical violence. The slapstick tradition can be identified in Ren and Stimpy and may be considered to be part of the appeal of the SIMPSONs (in a toned down way). Silent film hasn’t had a significant profile for adult Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.

Three Stooger Mo’s ear pulling and eye poking behavior towards Curlie and other silent film pranks may seem inappropriate in today’s climate where stamping out school and workplaces bullies is a priority – yet bullies seem likely to continue to thrive today as ever.

At the Bristol festival T Shirts (see earlier T-shirt blog) are for sale and make a perfect way to continue to share in the fun – a fun that is more like being ‘naughty’ than really mean or ‘bad’.

T shirts have always had their own power - enabling its wearer to express themselves in a particular way.

Over recent years, t shirts have allowed people to portray their thoughts and beliefs (or lack of) without use of verbal communication. Allowing for some, an automatic connection with others - purely based on whether or not they like your t shirt.

A true icon of the eighties was the Frankie say relax t shirt and another t shirt which has stood the test of time is the Che Guevara t shirt – which is often seen at music festivals, your local shopping centre, or out in the newest bars and trendiest clubs in town.

Recently, the impact of t shirts with youth today has grown even more powerful.
Today, youths can quite easily create their own t shirts (professional looking or not) plus have access to a wider variety through the internet.


T shirts are either created by hand – literally by writing the desired slogan on the t shirt with paint or by popping down to your local Supre or Dotti – where you can always pick up a shirt with the latest slogan printed on it - such as free hugs (the result of a you tube video)

There are also designated websites on the internet such as www.luckythreadz.com and www.threadless.com.



Threadless enables their users to create their own design, get their t shirts printed and then made available to all those accessing the site – essentially making users clothes designers.

On Lucky Threadz, users can pick up t shirts which carry clever phrases or their favourite lines from movies – one which is currently available is Mandy Patinkin’s infamous line from the Princess Bride –

“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die”.

Now some may consider this movie and line a classic – and the people who choose to wear this t shirt will automatically have an “in” joke and share the same appreciation with other lovers of the movie.

So whether the t shirt you wear says I’m a princess or More cowbell –

it says something about you.

MySpace - what it offers

“MySpace is like a tree –

you branch out and look at other spaces.
You don’t know how you got there… you just do.”

MySpace the latest trend in pop culture – a way to stay in the know and keep in touch with all things social. It is an evolution from the telephone, email as well as MSN. It is also considered by a few to be the Google of blog sites.

“EVERYONE” uses MySpace

but predominantly, it is younger people as well as musicians and their promoters.

By young people, it refers to teenagers, school students and university students. Although MySpace does have minimum age requirement of 14, some tweens do fudge the system and lie about their age to set up their own space.

For some, they believe the people who do use MySpace, have only done so to conform to the latest fad –

“like mobile phones, all kids have them.”

Musicians and promoters using the site do so to promote bands and recording artists. By doing this, musicians can try and make a name for themselves. It allows unknowns to have their music readily accessible – their music can be heard on a mass level. They can target their audience without the support of a record company.

On the other hand, established bands and artists can keep close relationships with their fans by keeping them up to date through their own space

The majority feel MySpace is all about TALKING TO PEOPLE – communication through the use of the comment feature.

Users are able to:

• Make new friends and keep in contact with old friends
  
• Inform people about important events such as parties, holidays and festivals. “It’s just convenient to write something about yourself and all your friends are updated.”


• Reach anyone in the world
  
• See what others are up to


• Cement friendships – by taking it to another level. Through MySpace users can show and see different sides of personalities




• Approach friendships in an easier manner – a pre bonding session which makes meeting each other the next time round that little bit easier
  
• Organise outings or events

A slight entertainment element too is involved:

• Keeping up to date with new music and gigs
  


• Looking at other people’s spaces and seeing what they are up to. Public spaces are very open, allowing anyone to have a look

“the fact that they don’t know I’m looking at their site makes it even better!”

Though it is overkill for some? Yes it is a site that enables users to express themselves, but how they do it can be an issue for some.

For those, MySpace is:

“used by young, egotistical, narcissistic, self indulgent people who have way too much time on their hands and an inflated level of self importance.”

Perhaps it is because “you can choose the best photos, what you write, who you write to – and then you can select the people you want to see it by making it private.”

A lot feel that MySpace is about the user making themselves a star. “Users can become celebrities in their own minds…they are part of something much bigger than themselves. Anyone, anywhere in the world can discover what Joe Bloggs had for lunch last Tuesday…if it’s in his blog…”

It is also perceived by a few that for some, MySpace is a medium to make users feel popular – by having a large number of friends (contacts) on their space

MySpace is considered by a few to have taken off quite quickly – resulting in a pop activity. Some lead adopters have now moved on to other blog sites – which aren’t so “teeny” yet still enables the networking aspect, such as Facebook. The teeny aspect for some means MySpace is becoming a bit lame.

MySpace is the latest fad – so “if you want to be socially accepted, you get a MySpace.”

Kylie somatics

Kylie is back and in November prior to her concert to our Australia’s competitive magazine culture featured the pop princess. Both Marie Claire and Vogue featured Kylie front page but there were two Kylies.

For the keen observer many things show our pop princess has undergone a change and this is reflected in the different faces of Kylie in both Vogue and Marie Claire covers. Marie Claire shows the Bubbling Brook© Kylie using INSIDE STORY’s Marketing Somatic Identity framework (Water People©). As a Bubbling Brook© she is bright, literally sparkling on the cover and shining in pink.

Kylie looks decidedly out of sorts on the cover of Vogue in her black lace dress and her black eye makeup – looking quite out of sorts and much more like a Still Waters© goth than a princess. For those who have experienced deep feelings of loss, near loss or grief it is hard to resist the dark side.

Her latest album Body Language video also reflects a shift. This time a more towards the Flowing Stream© identity is emerging. The colour and glamour is still there but no dancing queen now. She lies on the towel languidly, seductively going through the moves fluidly to the music among a mass of bodies and no longer up there as the single bright star.

We all wish you the best Kylie as you work through your inner transformations.

Rebellion not happening

Youth used to be rebellious - now rebellion is a minor facet of Youth in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the UK. One of the major trends in Youth over the last 15 or so years is the decline in the desire to rebel..serious rebel.

In our recent research at INSIDE STORY with youth the desire to rebel just isn't there.

There is a more confident and comfortable feel to Youth than there used to be.

In China there are however, signs of real rebellion with post punk and post grunge bands delivering exciting sounds. In Japan too there is a different sort of desire for change that creates an exciting vibrant Youth sub-culture.

Our work with somatic metaphors and somatic identity shows that there is a segment of the Youth market - the Still Waters who do have the some potential for this true rebellious spirit. This would appear to be a cross cultural phenomenon. Once activated, Still Waters can be the agents of change and the trend makers.

The sharmans and the great artistics of society emerge from the Still Waters type. These are the people that have the potential to drive society forward if they can trigger out of the down cycles they are locked into and commence their journey upwards. See more about somatic metaphors and somatic identity at www.somaticmetaphors.blogspot.com.

They have the necessary inner pain (aggression and anger) to produce the excitement and passion necessary for much artistic expression.

Cool to be Emo

In Sydney and Singapore it’s becoming more cool to be depressed.

Depression is sweeping teens and now is aspirational – for some at least. Middle class well off kids find imperfections in their lives and make a melodrama out of each episode of rejection. All this is played out to Emo music too.

Male and females are derided by many but still persist in their misery. Recognise them by their dark clothes, right sweat shirts, scarfs in summer.

Not just sensitive new age guys but a subculture that thrive on the mantra

‘no one understands’.

Emos fit perfectly into INSIDE STORY’s ‘Still Waters’ segment a segment not as much targeted by marketers but showing increasing interest more recently. We are now seeing a lot of fashion spreads in magazines like Frankie and Russh..see the May Russh fashion spread – ‘back in the USSR…go underground this summer’. Rip Curl experimented with the depressed and even played very subtly with the death wish for a while in their shop window in Sydney - though this seems to have disappeared.

The dark mood is reflected in a lot of the top designer ads for Prada and others who use the greyed out tones for their fashion shoots only highlighting the product in colour. Seemingly a smart way to maximise product impact but also a subtext which is a bulls eye to the emerging emo target. Poses are almost always reclining – metaphorically symbolic of DOWN, PASSIVE, BACK. Many of the top designers featured reclining models in their depressed states in windows in Orchard Road in April.

Youth - Day in the life

Marketers already know about the importance of online for Youth but please also take note of lifestyle focus around cinema going and coffee shops – getting your product and ‘postcards’and collateral into places like The Coffee Bean in Singapore or in any Mamak Restaurant in Malaysia is a sure shot way of reaching this audience.

In Australia individually owned coffee places are also meeting places for Youth especially females where it's a great place to spend hours together though perhaps not as big as in Asia.

It’s surprising how 20 to 24s are so similar in Singapore, Malaysia and in Australia in all sorts of ways. Here are the sorts of things we are finding about what Singaporean 20 – 24s females and males do from day to day:

 Typical to be online every night – at least one hour
 MSN Messenger chats with friends
 Also cooperate on work and research projects with others
 Minority of females play games on-line, some interest in role play games – online games very strong with males (Warcraft, DOTA)
 TV still playing a role – soaps/dramas, Singapore idol
 Action movies, Sci Fi, Scary movies, Fantasy (eg Lord of Rings)
 Still lots of single sex activity - meet girlfriends at The Coffee Bean for hours chatting/gossiping
 Niche segments into Anime – not that well liked. Stronger among males. Manga not really on radar
 Likely to still be students, lots of study – love sleep, more sleep
 Outdoors life key to Singaporean lifestyle – active: swimming, gym, wakeboarding
 Beach and sun tanning popular
 Not generally yet too concerned about weight
 Shopping for most females - on line too, now starting to buy and sell
 Mango highest profile, Zara – (younger age groups – surf brands)
 Clubbing though not for everyone
 Liquor and increasingly wine, champagne still special
 Smoking common
 Want to enjoy life and have fun while they can - before life's responsibilities kick in
 Mostly widely acceptable music - - R&B
 Music downloads huge
 Magazines –Cleo mainly, My World, Hello, Star
 Typically wear very casual clothes during day – don’t want to be overdressed.. T shirt + jeans – thongs
 T shirt with messages (slightly provocative) cool
 Graphic Tees still happening

As far as fads go....

 Vintage/retro is huge - Haji Lane in Singapore is full of retro shops - little owner operated places that have imported retro gear and that now sell to the public. Previously importing just for self and friends - these are now viable businesses at least for a while. Youth is moving away from designer labels though not abandoning them - they will where D&G bag, a LV belt and mix up with other retro stuff to create a different more individual look
 Highlights in the hair in Malaysia - probably a trend from Japan
 Gym and exercise
 Pink T-Shirts for males
 Wine consumption increasing
 Travel overseas increasing
 Blogs happening but still at fringes – like the sensational/infamous blog of Xia Xue and the anti Xia Xue blogs, podcasting and podcaste listening not really happening yet
 Body piercing (still strong), tattoos

Fads are quickly adopted ‘must have’ experiences or goods that have currency for those who adopt them. Usually has a limited lifespan a part of the appeal is its currency.

Some can be revived.

A trend is a long term change in sentiment or behaviour that has enduring impact over over several generations.

And now to leave you with a few words from Eminem.....

I'm a trend, I set one every time I'm in/ I go out and just come back full circle again/
You a fad that means you something that we already had/
But once you're gone you don't come back/
Too bad, you're off the map now radar can't even find you.

Eminem

Asian cool outcools

Sitting in coffee shop the other day –a fellow cool watcher/leading media strategist and I decided it: London and Sydney just weren’t that cool anymore – that is, when compared to Asian cool. Everything I have seen since has convinced me the really cool people on the streets and in the clubs are Asian. Watch and see what you think too.


And according to Singaporeans 20 to 24 from the research we have conducted - the most cool Asians (ie Cool with real attitude and impact) are in Japan, Taiwan and Korea. “You just wouldn’t dare wear those clothes in Singapore.” Some put it down to the weather where the layered clothes offer so many more options to costume play. Clearly it’s more than that. Overdressing is a big turn off in Singapore – the look is casual all the way – relaxed. Sydney is like that too with grunge lingering well past its use by date.

Votes are going to Asia for Cool – though there is some dispute about whether black Americans still win out on the cool front. The vote is open, of course unless we can settle this with some sort of poll.

Youth and gaming

An observation is that the computer is becoming an extension of the brain. The internet is blurring the boundaries between the real world and the web and it is becoming harder to discern the difference. This is particularly so for gamers where the game is reality for a time at least.

The research we are doing in Asia and in Australia on Youth identities is revealing a distinct persona that makes them suitable for the emerging gaming environment in Singapore and Australia and, the much more advanced markets of Korea and Malaysia.

There are a number of trends that are driving interest in multiplayer games and affinity communities. Gaming can fill a desire to escape his/her own shaky and unappealing identity into another identity – be it to feel part of “my sports team” or “my band”. Gaming too potentially becomes another means of slothing off the identity imposed by their day to day lives or jobs.

Providing the opportunity to experience different identities in different gaming communities in one single night, meeting people from all over the world online and even adopting a different number of roles using MMORPS has potential appeal to their escapist tendencies.

Gaming offers a safe way of meeting people and interacting – from your own bedroom – enabling them to try out different personas and feel better about themselves. If played out in more aggressive ways, it also potentially provides a degree backlash against societies that stereotype you because you don’t have the best career prospects, best designer clothes and the widest circle of friends.



The female market is the key market for role play games - MMORPGS. Fantasy is clearly better than reality for many – with make-believe now more possible, there is little doubt that this trend will continue to emerge.

For girls in particular, there is also a tendency to sentimentality. The past provides a more comfortable stage of being where there wasn’t the same pressure to be popular and cool – attractive to boys.


Also see my blog on metaphors - www.insidemetaphor.blogspot.com

Youth - Decoding the Psyche

The past two months have been very busy spending time escalating our learning about how Youth’s sense of self or identity relates to their choices of packaging, certain ad appeals and some brands. This has involved many hours interviewing Young people 16 to 24 years.

On May 30th and 31st I am conducting an IQPC course in Singapore to the Asian marketing community where I will be also presenting our latest research on Asian Youth. (You can find this course on IQPC course website www.iqpc.com.sg/AS-3317/2020.)

This is a unique research study as it goes deeper into the hidden aspects of how Youth are biologically pre-programmed to respond in different ways to certain packs, ads and some brands – and what makes them tick.

This research covers:

How to connect with 16 – 24s at a deep level by identifying your target as one of a number of somatically defined identities.

How you will know them when you see them – from their different looks, body languages and key words.

How they will know you as one of them when they see and experience your ads, packs and other marketing activities.

This is totally unique research in that is goes into the arena of body language very deeply and how these insights relate to marketing implementation and positioning.

It will help marketers in your choice of talent for ads plus assist in the selection of the shapes, colours, sounds and kinetics of your packaging. Helping to better target your activities and better activate choice through packaging, the brand and product experience.

This study is based on innovative qualitative research techniques eliciting somatic metaphors.

Latest discoveries in neuroscience are showing that our identities (or senses of self) originate in the body and are somatically defined (see Damasio – Somatic Marker Hypothesis). In other words, much of what we experience as humans goes back to the bodily experience – and this can be applied to our experience with packs, products, ads and brands

Our somatic or bodily experiences are not only the building blocks of our senses of self/identity but also of our emotions – and finally our dispositions and choices. All of which are of key relevance to marketers.

In my blog on metaphor (
www.insidemetaphor.blogspot.com ), I discuss more about metaphors and in particular somatic metaphors and their potential relevance to marketing.

Youth and art trend

I believe art has always fascinated Youth from early but for this generation of Youth art is something more to them. This because there is more access to means of artistic expression than ever before and greater possibilities for reach. There is also some new possibilities to innovate and for Youth today to express their own unique identity.

Why is visual art so important to Youth? I believe it is about identity formation, expression and experimentation. Last night for the first time I saw a graffiti artist in action in a nearby park – first time for me as I’ve only ever seen their prolific output in Australian streets. And yes perhaps not surprisingly they were around 17 male - not a grandpa, grandma, baby boomer or Gen X’er.

I am not the first one to say…Youth for the first time has the time and tools to be an artist. Everyone can be a film maker, designer, publisher whereas only a small elite population could be artists in any previous times sponsored by a patron or living in poverty. Then there is the ‘must have’ Carl Zeiss lense Nokia phone that can make everyone a film director.

Our ongoing research project on Youth in Asia and Australia is about Youth identities and one of the identities is a performer at heart – this is all about being able to experiment with and play different characters..

This type of Youth persona can be recognised by the colours they choose to express themselves with, the packaging shapes and styles they likely to choose to identify themselves with.

The colours to watch are Red, Fuscia, Sky Blue, Brown/grey.

The desire to express yourself over objects, take ownership by writing your name or overlaying your designs is a strong one when identity is forming. I recall when I was 14 or so I came to school one day to find all my heavily doodle’d class books and possessions (previously labeled with my name) suddenly with someone else’s name on them. It caused anuproar at the school with the teachers, an unfamiliar pain for me and the identity thief was whisked away from the school for a while.

There are now more and more brands tapping into the major appeal of art for Youth - recognizing how Youth is embracing art. Perhaps more from the point of view that art is cool than from the point of view that art is identity formation though.

In Shanghai Coke has a whole shop that I visited which is dedicated to the ‘Coke is Art, Coke is Innovation’. Here you can see you favourite iconic Coke bottle shape with a myriad of visual designs by young artists.

Nokia has united 10 of the world’s artists to invest in their Connect to Art Project – inviting downloads new technology for free in the exhibition.

Yen magazine is featuring Connies ‘out of respect to the special shoe in your life...teaming up with artists including The People’s Republic of Animation presenting your favourite Connies with their own unique artistic treatments and positioning them as…’Connies have always been more like a best friend than a regular pair of shoes that protect your feet from gritty streets’. (Doesn’t say it’s an advertorial just something nice from Yen magazine to Converse. Wonder who paid for this? Great for both Yen and Converse.)

Giving the power for the consumer to be the artist is the hard one for brands marketers - and making it work.