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(TrendHunter.com) The Rocker Hair trend has invaded the Middle East, where it is being met with much less enthusiasm than here in the States.
Rebellious rocker teens in Iran are sporting faux hawks, spikes and pompadours,…
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By: Lisa Li, Candy Yang
(New Weekly)
‘New weekly’ (a Chinese magazine with thoughtful insights) had a good report on Chinese ‘working poor’. The magazine talked about the social causes of the working poor (as the booming economy, the fierce competition, the lack of up laddering opportunities in the career system, etc.) and reported stories of the working poor in different ages and cities.
‘Exactly! I’m one of the working poor!’ Quite of a few of my young friends so claimed. However, I didn’t see the match of their situation with the New Weekly (and wikipedia) definition of working poor:
‘Working poor is a term used to describe individuals and families who maintain regular employment but remain in relative poverty due to low levels of pay and dependent expenses.’ (wikipedia)
The representation of ‘working poor’ in the minds of Chinese urban youth
Qiong Mang Zu (the Chinese translation of working poor) literally can mean ‘busy and poor people’, ‘extraordinarily busy people’, or ‘people who are very busy without knowing exactly what they are busy for’.
‘Poor’ not necessarily means low income
In fact, the younger generation (25 – 35yrs old) in China tend to earn more than their parents.
Some self-claimed ‘working poor’ in big cities are not poor at all. July, a journalist in Shenzhen, earns about RMB 7,000 per month (while the top 50% household income in Tier 1 cities in China is around RMB 4,000). But she is always short of money. Using credit card to buy on loan is hard to avoid. ‘It seems I always spend more than I can earn. I rent a big apartment. I need to buy new clothes. And the skincare and make-up products are pretty expensive today. I sometimes struggle a lot with my desire of buying. But owning the things do make me feel good.’
And their pay does not reach their expectation. ‘Yeah, I got paid well in some way. But considering how long hours I work, I’m definitely under-paid.’ said Joan, an assistant in a PR company in Guangzhou who need to work overtime in the weekdays and sometime even weekends
The pains brought by ‘busyness’ (mostly caused by long working hours)
Stephen, a website editor in Beijing, spends more than ten hours on work every day, 6-7 days a week. ‘I am too busy to go out to have lunch. I just finish my lunch quickly in my seat, and then start working again.’
‘I sometimes doubt if that’s my life – I don’t have time that is owned by myself.’
‘I feel I’m sold to my job. Job is always the top priority. But how about myself? My interests? My friends?’
Disoriented about meaning of life
‘Slow life’ used to be a hot topic in youth magazines and websites last year. The ultimate value of ‘slow life’ is probably the ‘luxury’ to reflect on the meaning of life instead of just living without a goal or pursuit.
‘I’m busy and tired. But I don’t know what I’m busy for…’ ‘I really hope I can stop it (busy work) for a while, travel to a beautiful place and think about my life.’
‘I don’t know why I am so busy.” or “I don’t know what I am busy for.’ Many youth express the similar struggle.
How do the young ‘working poor’ consume?
o Save time from the ‘tedious’ part of life (transportation, fast-food, laundry service, etc.)
‘I prefer to spend more money, like taking subway or taxi instead of bus for saving time. And I never cook at home. Eat quick meal outside everyday.’ Said Stephen. And he sees it common among his peers. ‘Some even bring their clothes outside to wash.’
o Indulge in stress-relieving experience (traveling, SPA, fine dinner, café, movie, shopping… you name it)
o Seek fun (gaming, fun content on the Internet, Comic movies, and finding and putting on fun stuff on my t-shirts, bags, stationeries, etc)
When we ask them what they would do if they have a day of free time: ‘I just spent the whole day on gaming.’ ‘I just want to watch the movie that can make me laugh.’ ‘Go to karaoke with a bunch of friends. Sing till tired.’
o Invest in hobbies
‘The poor’ don’t hesitate to invest like hell in their hobbies… cameras, music instruments, tickets for live concerts…
o Life on the go (PSP, mobile phones, digital gadgets)
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Fashion, culture and trends
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When your kid has a shopping addiction.
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In the 90s we all got a bit carried away with the Internet. Marketers wondered when Internet marketing expenditure would exceed traditional forms of communication. One bestselling article in the Harvard Business Review concluded that the Internet would render brands obsolete.
Well beyond a decade later and some marketers have relatively mundane expectations of the Internet. Perhaps because everyone has created a high-information, brand-centric website and many companies now sell their products online. But there is a growing role for the Internet that has far more serious implications for brands. Implications that cannot be ignored even by the most web-phobic of marketers. Consider two highly successful, but hugely divergent, brands.
Moben Kitchens is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers and fitters of kitchens.
It has an impressive website which showcases some of the company’s attractive kitchen designs and lists more than 200 of its outlets.
Skinny Cow is a low-fat ice-cream bar. Originally launched in the US, the brand was introduced to the UK in January of 2004 by Richmond Foods. Skinny Cow’s website,(UK version) shows off its three flavours and makes much of the fact that at less than 2% fat and 90 calories a bar, it is a genuine treat for those trying to lose weight.
Frankly, neither website is stunning. But what is interesting is what happens when you leave the controlled environment of the intended brand page and run a Google search on the two brands.
Skinny Cow’s search reveals a plethora of gushing, thankful comments
from consumers. Ruth rates the bars as ‘better than sex’ and has been
recommending Skinny Cow to all her fellow Weightwatchers. Claire
describes the snack as ‘heaven on a stick (and not on my thighs)’.
Terrie provides Skinny Cow lovers with a tip on how to create Skinny
Cow desserts. Carole has written a poem to thank the Skinny Cow.
Geraldine admits it is the first time she has ever written to a
manufacturer to thank it for its product. Angela has read all the
comments, but until she tried Skinny Cow, did not believe that a
low-fat food could taste so good.Moben is a very different story. It would be hard to find another
brand that is so bound up with despair. Mrs Wright was left with two
small children and no kitchen for eight weeks. Mrs Fewings offers a
single piece of advice: ‘Do not touch Moben’. Neil has spent the past
two weeks picketing his local Moben store in protest at the quality of
his kitchen and Moben’s inability to reply to his complaints. Mrs Grant
is now into her sixth month waiting for her kitchen to be completed.
Charles from Leicester, meanwhile, has reached ‘breaking point’ because
of Moben.Marketers have always been keen to focus on the inputs to consumer
decision-making they can control. All other influences are confined to
that most derisory of black boxes - word of mouth.In truth, customer-to-customer communications outweigh anything an agency can come up with.
A customer, just like you, speaking in a voice, like yours, for no
other reason than to help another is a supremely affective and
effective form of communication.The Internet does not create this voice, but it does amplify it. With the introduction and rise of social media its impact grows daily. For
up-and-coming brands such as Skinny Cow with genuine differentiation,
the medium offers an enormous opportunity to build a brand without the
big budgets of the indolent marketer. For under-performing brands such
as Moben, it spells eventual disaster. The Internet does not make brands obsolete, just the bad ones.30 SECONDS ON … BRANDS’ USE OF THE INTERNET
- The Q4 2007 Bellwether Report,the quarterly survey of marketing spend,
revealed that traditional media budgets were revised down for the first time in a year. In contrast Internet spending increased.- The same report indicated that companies now allocate 9% of their marketing spend to the web.
- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
announced in June that Internet advertising revenues reached .8 billion for
the first quarter of 2008. The 2008 first quarter revenues are an 18.2
percent increase over the same period in 2007, and represent the second
highest quarter ever recorded, after Q4 2007’s .9 billion.- Search is one of the main drivers of brands’ use of new media channels. The IAB reported that Search marketing continues to dominate the online advertising space with a sustained growth of about 40% yearly since 2004.
Sponsored By: Brand Aid
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From Day One, Barack Obama’s brand management has exhibited an inherent understanding of what appeals to voters under 30, sometimes known as Millennials. In an article by Peter Field in a recent issue of Advertising Age, Fleishman-Hillard’s youth and mobile marketing specialist Allison Mooney weighs in on the matter and explains why this desirable demographic is looking for a presidential candidate “with a slight edge.”
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Over the past couple years, Chinese indie designers and DIY brands have become increasingly popular among the nations’ youth, exemplifying the growing creative consciousness of China’s new generation of both producers and consumers.
Youthology, a new blog focused on tracking Chinese youth culture trends and insights, recently reported on Beijing’s indie designer exhibitions and creative bazaars, including “Copy Me” and “iMart.” The post highlights the gaining popularity of indie designers and the types of designs they are incorporating that are making the new youth ‘tick.’
A sampling of some of the trends and pictures taken up by Youthology team:
Designs infused with classical Chinese elements
Environmental protection themes
Experiential and playful exhibition/shopping
Participation of audience/shoppers
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Future of Web Apps Expo is back in London, bringing you our fresh blend of amazing speakers, great advice and tons of networking potential.
What's on the Agenda?* How to grow and nurture your community
* Work/life balance or Blood, sweat and tears: Which is the startup way?
* Colliding Worlds: Using Jabber to make awesome web sites
* Startups live - An interview with three new European startups
* How to survive outside of Silicon Valley
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Howdy! If you're excited about the mobile industry, then you're going to love The Future of Mobile. You'll be challenged with new ideas and insights for the future. There is also one day of workshops after the conference, if you're interested. Here are a couple key points you'll take away from the day …
* How will the threats and opportunities of increased openness affect you?
* What is the future of mobile operating systems?
* How to gain adoption of your apps in emerging markets
* How you'll be affected by Google's latest moves in mobile
* Expert analysis of new mobile services worldwide
* Ideas and tactics for breaking down the barriers inhibiting mobile start-ups
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Miriam Rayman’s second presentation here - this time an overview of the cultural and fashion trends of 18-35 year olds in London. Some great analysis of the fashion scene with an interesting set of categorizations worth checking out for inspiration in your next presentation.
Check out slide 6 on youth mashups
Click to download free mobile youth data from the mobileYouth report
