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Media Marketing SuppleMent

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Media Marketing SuppleMent

April 16-30, 2011 Focus on

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The Age of Vices

The Indian young make for a complex target group for marketers. They are addicted to brands. They love them and live them. They are fickle minded yet aware. Have the contours of marketing to the youth changed? An analysis.

the young conSuMer

They are as transient as the era they live in. Exploring the next big idea of marketing to the young and unveiling the present trends, insights and facts that might help in engaging the young and the restless. An analysis. By ANKIT BHATNAGAR

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Tagging the Digital Socialites

The youth today is hooked on to the digital media. Is it the thrill of being connected 24x7 or the respite from the prying eyes of the society. Is the world wide web the favourite hangout?

Tracking the Transience

Aditya Swamy of MTV India gets chatty and reveals the trade secrets of marketing to the young.

14 16

Keeping the Young Hooked

How are TV content producers across the world fighting to keep young viewers interest intact. Virginia Mouseler of The Wit writes.

Studying the Tribe

What is the young consumer looking for the Next Big Thing or brands and products that are more authentic, humane and more mature? Reinier Evers of trendwatching.com helps find the truth.

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The Real Conundrum

Do the young still lap up reality TV in India or is it another trend in the passing. Whats the reality of the reality TV. A closer look at the quagmire. By Ankit Bhatnagar

a f a q s ! r e p o r t e r i april 2011

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opening remarks

The Age of Vices

the indian young make for a complex target group. they are addicted to brands. they love them and live them. they are fickle minded yet aware. How are the contours of marketing to the youth changing, an analysis. By ankit Bhatnagar

the youth Might be the SaMe acroSS the country with the SaMe thirSt for good thingS in life, but the MarketerS are finding it increaSingly tough to reach out.

ndia offers multitude of experiences and challenges. What is true of multiplicity of this country is also true for the world of its youth, a fascinating section of the customer base that is existentially located across different regions, social groups, economic segments, educational levels and even sartorial choices. The world of youth is ever changing and highly dynamic therefore challenging to map and analyse. Today, the rate of change in a 15-year-olds life is far more than that in a 35-year-old. While an adult will experience change once in four years, a

15-year-old will experience that in just four days, says Aditya Swamy, Channel Head, MTV India. India is thriving and so are the aspirations of its young. Lust and greed are two pillars that drive the behaviour, thinking and the mindset of the young and the restless in India. Some say the need to flaunt greed is only one side of the smalltown growth story. Those who are yet to join the gravy train are working hard at it. Author, columnist and former CEO of Procter & Gamble, Gurcharan Das in his book India Unbound narrates a story

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that illustrates the small town Indias social fibre. I did a Bharat Darshan while working on India Unbound. In a village, I met a 14-year-old named Raju, who served tea and coffee at a wayside dhaba. In the evenings, he was learning computers. He confidently told me that he had found the secret of success - learn Windows and 400 words of English. Raju reflects the spirit of small-town India: hunger, ambition, a willingness to work hard. Fulfilling that ambition now appears easier. The media expansion, including the growth of the DTH industry, has democratised experiences and aspirations. When asked how has the dose, frequency, form and medium of entertainment requirements changed over time? Anuradha Sengupta, Features Editor, CNBC TV18 says, I think the 70 million or so people who are said to use the internet regularly are consuming entertainment very differently today. I know I am. A lot of news is consumed online with twitter links to news sites; songs and promos on Youtube and Torrents downloads of shows. According to Swamy, while meeting contestants for MTV Roadies he found that the youth from Tier II towns, were not quite different from those in the metros. They dress the same way, use the same gadgets, consume the same net content. There is a homogenisation of young people. Only the small town guys have a hunger to prove themselves more, he says. The youth might be the same across
In The Power of Cult Branding, Matthew Ragas and Bolivar Bueno listed the golden rules of cult branding as: Consumers want to be part of a group thats different Cult brands show daring and determination Cult brands sell lifestyles Cult brands always create customer communities Cult brands are inclusive Cult brands promote personal freedom

the country with the same thirst for the good things in life, but marketers are still finding it tough to reach out to them. Says Cristian Jofre, ex-Senior Vice President Marketing and Creative Director, MTV Networks International, Youth is a dynamic group, akin to technology it is fast moving. Keeping in mind the pace with which the group is moving to ever new passions, brands shouldnt grow old and stay young and refreshing. As one of the most widely followed youth brand in India, MTV took it upon itself to understand the DNA of the youth and come out with a well-researched marketing study. Across the world more than 135 million individuals tune in to MTV annually, MTV has the largest following on the Facebook in India (19,67,086 at the last count) and a commendable one on Twitter. According to Jofre, brands that have done it right are: Adidas The way it has moved from a sports brand to a fashion brand is commendable. Adidas sells celebrities in a different way. Xbox from Microsoft The brand adopted a very good way of changing something technological to something emotional. Nike The masters of customisation online and in-stores. Intelligent marketing today calls for touching customers at a deeper emotional level, Jofre says. When you are talking to passive viewers a 30 second TV commercial isnt enough to turn them into active users. You have to touch youth at an interactive level. There is no one law or rule to reach out to the youth. A brand needs to harness a lot more touch points. To enter their video games, youve got to have 10-20 second commercials. Companies are now investing in Community managers. One needs to be outgoing when marketing. You need to b able to get in touch with people online and off line. Jofre adds

aDiTYa SWaMY

aNUraDHa SENGUpTa

CriSTiN JOFr

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From the desk oF mtV insight studio

TAggiNg The DigiTAL sociALiTes

the youth of today is addicted to the digital media. is it the thrill of being connected 24x7 or the respite from the prying eyes of the society. Why is the world wide web the favourite hangout? read on.
favourite across all age groups. 26-29 year olds are high on emailing with 92% per cent saying they send emails throughout the day while only 42 per cent of 15-24 year olds email on a daily basis. Multimedia usage and downloads loses its appeal for the older audience. Whats the brouhaha with social media? Why is the Youth addicted? Its simple. Social media allows them respite from the prying eyes of the society and their parents. They can say what they feel without any inhibitions, share their ideas and opinions and even stalk others without getting caught. The www universe allows anonymity, opportunity and hangout. The social media not only provides fun, it also allows them to explore new relationships, know more about the world and lends them a voice to speak out with no parental control. It is a dream world for the young people who crave for freedom of expression and exploration. So, what do they do on social media? Its the easiest way to keep in touch with their friends, they say. They share everything from the most insignificant to the most intimate detail of their life there. They

awareneSS iS a key by-product of hanging out at the digital Media.

he youth today is a social animal in both the real and virtual worlds. Tweet, poke, hashtag, sexting, torrent, tag, BBM - these common words in their vocabulary today didnt exist five years ago. 85 per cent of the youth connect to social media more than once a day. More than 75 per cent of the youth get on the internet to email, use multimedia and surf for personal interest at least once every day. No surprises why MTV calls this generation - Digital Socialites. MTV and TNS recently conducted a study to understand the lives of this generation that compulsively lives on the internet. Social media, we found, is a

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YOUTH CONNECTiNG MOrE THaN ONCE iN a DaY

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
92 89 85

pErCENTaGE OF YOUTH ENGaGiNG iN THE aCTiviTY aT lEaST ONCE iN a DaY

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
cia ln o etw

95

88 77 74 65 64

80

77

59

53

42

46

39

52

48

28

26 5 5

Social networking 15-20 yrs

e-mailing

Multimedia 21-25 yrs

personal interest 26-29 yrs

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t rts nd ng ng ncl ou po er eti mi g i ng ea n ab es s, S eath ledg catio e ga se rchas l tick pin cketi o w w Sh e ti ne d w now edu nlin bro pu trave o k an ovi M

also live vicariously through their friends updates. The most important thing is to keep in touch with friends and get updates from them. Social media is an easy way out; Secondly, social media drives awareness by letting them stay on top of whats happening in the world around them; Video sharing is still not as big as sharing pictures; Making new friends is not the primary driver of social media they would rather connect to existing friends than make new friends here; Also, theres a very clear divide between professional and personal lives. Awareness is a key by-product of hanging out at the digital media. 87 per cent of people read or surf for news online at least once a week. News search may pertain to movies, sports or politics. With knowledge at the fingertips, thanks to Google and the lot, cool quotient is being redefined as the one with maximum exposure and experience. It could be gadgets, music, sports or anything else that might hold their fancy. The advent of technology has changed the basic definition of being cool. Digging deeper into the debate of Traditional versus New media, it is evident that the convincing power of the digital

CONviNCiNG pOWEr OF MEDia FOr NEWS

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
newspapers television Social Media Magazines word-ofMouth blogs radio

90

87

86

83

81 73 65 51

Viral Videos

aGrEE THaT SOCial MEDia CaN GO WrONG

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
total Male female Metros non-Metros 15-20 yrs 21-25 yrs 26-29 yrs

94

95

90

94

92

93

94

92

The social media not only provides fun, it also allows youth to explore new relationships, know more about the world and lends them a voice to speak out with no parental control.
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From the desk oF mtV insight studio

media has the substance, the new media dons character and has more room for interactivity Newspaper is still the most trustworthy vehicle for news However, even in digital space, they trust select brands, portal and blogs and not mere search results However, they consume news from both these sources with equal fervor. Boys are more social than girls on digital media. While 63 per cent of the men say that theyre on social media because they can meet new people and make new friends. A whopping 67 per cent of the women disagree with them and are not happy about random friend requests. Yes, social media does pose a vital question of loss of privacy. Do they care? 94 per cent of this practical generation agrees that personal information put out on social media can go wrong if not handled correctly. However, while 90 per cent of the 26-29 year olds share information on social media after much deliberation, only 75 per cent of 15-24 years do so. But, does that stop them from sharing personal stuff? Not really, the digital world is too addictive to let go! Well, finally, its all about entertainment that Digital Socialites care about. They hit social networking sites when they want to catch up with friends . Commenting on pictures, getting connected to old friends,

irreSpectiVe of whether one iS Selling a cola or a condoM, youth reMain the MoSt reSearched entity.

media is catching up with the stalwarts in traditional media. 93 per cent of them believe social media makes them more aware of current trends across the world 89 per cent turn to social media for news and trends for their dose of updates They feel that while the traditional

media marketing supplement

browsing through random profiles, keeping abreast with the gossip in their friends lives is the new entertainment. Its cheap, its cheerful, its voyeuristic fun and its all that they need to keep occupied. 93 per cent of the youth say they re-visit a site only if they find it entertaining. Irrespective of whether one is selling a cola or a condom, youth remain the most researched entity in the corporate world. Why? Simple, this entity changes every 2-3 years. Technology has accelerated the change and has transferred the power over to youth to make them the most assertive, expressive, practical and promiscuous generation ever. The drive to share, express and connect has been multiplied exponentially across the 20 somethings. The digital media has broken the curfew hour posed by the parents. Social media unfriend your brand in a click!

W
W

hether its in admission lines or in the college corridors or behind the condom vending machines, or in the clubs and hangouts, MTV Insights Studio brings

About MTV insight studio

the internet putS the brand at par with the youth, allowing dialogueS between equalS.

THE NEW TriBE

Boys are more social than girls on digital media. While 63 per cent men prefer meeting new people and making friends, 67 per cent women disagree with them.
has allowed a two-way communication with the youth and their icons. 89 per cent of youth love to research about their purchases online before loosening their purse strings. The internet puts the brand at par with the youth, allowing dialogues between equals. It transforms the one way advertising into two way communication. While traditional advertising merely relays the communication message, the digital presence gives the brand a character. But, it also empowers the youth to broadcast their feedback on the brand. One wrong post can get the Digital Socialite fans to

elcome to the big board room debate are new-age youth values different? MTV dissects the Youth Values into three distinct clusters. Calibrate your (brands) values to click with the Youth of Today . Dominant values: Driven by a stubborn confidence of breaking into the big league, these Young people are ready to slog it out to make it big. The super ambitious youth thinks with an open mind, experiments and takes risks to defend own beliefs. Whats interesting is that immediate Family continues to be important for the Indian Youth. And, body worship is definitely a virtue! Experiential living rules the roost as every sensation is heightened and enjoyed to get the maximum impact out of life. Peripheral values: Neither are these values are supremely important, nor are they discarded as redundant. Honesty, welfare of others and true-friendship lie somewhere on the fringe and are no longer the driver values. Leisurely and chill-out way of life is out-dated; the young folks love to work hard to earn their independence and self respect. Subdued values: These values are fast fading and lets not get judgmental and sentimental about them. Loyalty, self restraint, obedience and inner harmony are not the hot favorites amongst the Young Turks. The approval from society is not something that spur them on. And, they are extremely short term focused and do not strive for a lasting contribution at in future.

you the latest from the life of the youth. This unique understanding comes from being a part of their lives every day and not from watching them from the outside. We do this through continuous studies and researches on whats trending with the youth. In addition, MTV iSpeak which is a network of youth in age of 18-24 years from colleges across 10 cities is a continuous connect to the youth life. Digital Socialities is a study commissioned jointly by MTV and TNS in 2011 to study the internet habits of the digitally savvy. The respondents aged 15-29 years have at least two of the following accountsFacebook, Orkut, Twitter or Linkedin. The 450 respondents included in the study were spread across 20 cities in India. Youth research conducted across 3300 youth in age of 15-24 years across 16 cities in 2010.

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interView

aditya SwaMy i channel head i MtV india

TrAckiNg The TrANsieNT yuppies

the youth marketing expert talks about the tricks of the trade.
Does the young generation in india thrive as a gang (live together, think together) or do youngsters here have a strong individuality? how do brands harness that? Interestingly, Youth think collectively and act individually. Consider the two most happening social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is a groupthink platform where the youth hangs out as a gang sharing, commenting, poking each other. Twitter is a classic case where less than 20 per cent of the users actively tweet, while the rest are onlookers and followers. The young get twitchy if their gang dont ping them on their handsets. They are connected 24X7 to the wider cosmos of friends. Even while in the same room, you will catch them sending chat messages to each other. While

The essence of youth lies in their transience, they change as quick as time. The need to track them daily is of prime importance for all the brands.

family and siblings are always there for support, friends are the partners in crime and they belong there. However, they do have an extremely strong sense of individuality. The trend now is not about fitting in the gang, but standing out and making your own mark. At MTV, we have seen this across all reality formats like Roadies, Splitsvilla,

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Stuntsmania. They need to be jack of all trades, but master of one. In daily life, the youth show their individuality through their customized status updates, manicured pics on profile, hair styling, mix and matched fashion sense. While they take ample inspirations from moviestars, they adapt the fashion and never adopt it literally. is the difference between urban youth and their contemporaries in countryside stark? Are brands reaching out to only selected few? Why? In fact the gap between urban and rural is rapidly reducing. Young people in smaller towns are far more ambitious and impatient, their hunger to get ahead of the metro kids is infectious. The sheer time spent online is much higher in smaller towns and hence they are connected to what is happening not just in the metros but across the world. Their behaviour might be a little more conservative but their thinking and aspirations are definitely not. Successful brands have realized this and this can be seen from the kind of products/services and communication that one sees on the national media. how has the older generation taken to the changing youth trends? is there a conflict or a secret pact? Generation gaps are breaking down rapidly. Parents are friends and that is because todays parents have grown up as children of liberalization. Fighting the youth will only take you further away from them. Align with them and you will go a long way. So I dont see conflict, I see life management, both from the side of parents and the younger generations. Moms with daughters at reality show auditions, dads giving their sons their first sip of beer, parents prefering the daugther to be at home with the boyfriend, sex education classes at home and school are all examples of this becoming of happy modern family. india is home to the largest population of youngsters, is it an opportunity? how big? how are social dynamics expected to change in coming years? The current generation is born with two dysfunctional genes: multi-tasking and attention deficit. The youth love continuous change and radical innovations. Yes, radical draws attention and the era of subtlety is pass. Marketers need to wake up to this truth. An IPL for example needs to be bigger and better every season. Another very vital shift has been that

the trend today iS not about fitting in the gang, but Standing out and Making your own Mark.

brands and users are being treated more as an equal. We are living in an era where you can tweet to your favourite icon and get a retweet from him/her. Brands are bending backwards driving interactivity. how has the entertainment (dose, frequency, form and medium) requirements changed over time? is internet and ipod taking the sheen off the idiot box? In this era of multi screen engagement, the
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while faMily and SiblingS are alwayS there for Support, friendS are the partnerS in criMe and the young belong there.

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guest Column

keepiNg The youNg hookeD

How are tV content producers across the world fighting to keep their audiences interest intact. analysing the business of tV broadcast for the young.

Virginia mouseler
CEO The Wit

V is obsessed with youth, hence the invention of reality TV and the current development of Social TV. I founded The Wit 15 years ago and since then Ive watched all the new TV and web TV shows launched worldwide. Maybe even more so than any other industry, TV is obsessed with novelty, launching new products. Every month in our online database we enter approximately 600 new shows. Our subscribers, from broadcasters to producers and to advertisers, originating from dozens of countries, ask us every day: Which show is the new hit, which one is likely to be the next one? TV is obsessed with novelty and youth. TV is innovating and progressing thanks to and for young viewers. TV broadcasters worldwide seem to be stimulated by young viewers behaviours, also prompted by a major fear of young viewers lose interest in TV, watch it less and no longer watch it when they become adults. In the US over the past 30 years, the networks have gradually lost a lot of their viewers to cable

TV because young Americans grew up watching Nickelodeon, then MTV and when they became adults they had a hard time finding network television on their remote controls. With the phenomenon spreading to the rest of the world, broadcasters decided in the 1990s to stop teenagers and young adults from watching new channels or the developing internet. MTV invented reality TV with The Real World, other channels across the world invented Big Brother and reality TV started spreading all over the world. In order to give young viewers what they seemed to be searching for and could no longer find on the small screen - the possibility to interact on TV, to identify themselves with people on TV, to feel like anything could happen. But

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right when young viewers seemed glued to their TV sets because of reality TV, new screens appeared to distract them from their TV sets. Via computers, smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, young people worldwide want more than before to interact, control, give new directions, and comment on whats on TV, everywhere and constantly. Consequently, TV is now seeking to invent the TV of the social networking era, the social TV, or connected TV that would adjust to the new simultaneous consumer modes of TV and the Internet. In Europe in 2011, Endemol imagined the Zoom concept where people compete against each other to be the one that generates the biggest buzz or repercussions on social networks, race towards digital fame. In France, in March 2011, a variant around the idea, Club Vip, failed to attract impassioned viewers for the young ordinary contestants race towards fame. Young peoples liking for commenting and mocking TV programming via their social networks was not enough to support the TV audience and business model of a show created on this distanced approach. Because Internet viewing is not enough to finance or save a TV show via advertising. This is TVs dilemma today: in the Netherlands, the reality soap Secret Story, produced by Endemol, counts as many followers online as on TV. But financially its not enough. Therefore, while waiting to find the next great idea that will entertain young viewers, TV content producers are giving

in the netherlandS, endeMolS Secret Story, countS aS Many followerS online aS on tV. but financially itS not enough.

Producers are giving the mike to the young, to talk about their lives, tell their stories, become heroes of reality series and meaningful shows.

the mike to young, so they can talk about their lives, tell their stories, become heroes of reality series, entertaining and/ or meaningful shows. Anxious to reach a wider commercial target than the 15-24 year olds, and willing to attract young parents, TV seems preoccupied with giving life lessons to young adults. Teaching them how to leave the family nest, find a job, a life partner or start a family. Titles speak for themselves, Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents where parents watch their teens party; Working Girls on making a living without parents; Tool Academy, to learn living as a couple; Dad Camp to become a good father; Big Meets Bigger, to not gain too much weight and many other shows aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of sex, illegal drugs and alcohol.Another example of nightmare for a young, spoilt and out of control British teenager is to be sent to India for a week and forced to follow a local familys strict rules. This is what happened to one of the heroes in the British reality series Worlds Strictest Parents aired on the BBC. It is said that these teenagers recovered from the culture shock ready to change their ways, their minds enriched and their acting more mature. I hope that this exchange and encounter with the community of the friends of MTV India will teach us all a lot and bring us a lot of innovation.

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guest Column

sTuDyiNg The Tribe

What is the young consumer looking for - the Next Big thing or brands and products that are more authentic, humane and quite simply more mature? a trendwatcher helps find the truth. read on.

reinier eVers
Trendwatching.com

deep Social and cultural changeS dont happen oVernight. coMpared to Many other trendS, theSe changeS MoVe at a glacial pace.

he global marketplace is a bit of a clich now, but you only have to dive into one of the many global youth tribe studies to see that when it comes to youth, their motivations, and their relationships with brands the similarities worldwide far outnumber the differences. Younger consumers are well-connected and well-informed, and expect to feast on only the best-of-the-best delicacies. But for youth brands, understanding what makes young people tick must be right at the center of their offering. Where

to start? For youth (and in fact for all consumers), the search for social status is at the heart of almost every purchase and action. And what were seeing, in India and around the world, is that for an increasing number of people, status is increasingly not just about owning the biggest or most expensive, but can also be about acquired skills, about ecocredentials, about generosity, or about being connected to name a few. Now, thats not to say that Indian youth arent still chasing the material dream, but that there are increasing opportunities for brands to reach out to people with new aspirations. And the opportunities for consumer brands in India are truly awesome. Because as well as having a vast youth population, Indias young people are getting ever more urban and thus more accessible, richer and more open to trying new products and experiences. We call these new consumers Citysumers -increasingly young, increasingly urban consumers who are addicted to the hereand-now, experiences, choice and freedom, flexibility and rawness, unrestricted opportunity, and yes, the hunt for the Next Big Thing. Urbanisation and its associated social change is leading to another trend that we are seeing in Indian youth: Maturialism (mature materialism). Younger generations have grown up

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immersed in consumer culture: they get it. But just as sources of social status are fragmenting, so are the expectations of consumers. Savvy, streetwise youth are increasingly bored, if not downright distrustful of the conventional consumer-producer relationship, and now look for brands and products that are more authentic, more human, and quite simply more mature. Theres an obvious link between the broad spread of more liberal attitudes and increasing Indian urbanisation. As new arrivals find themselves distanced from traditional social and familial structures, and are exposed to a wider range of alternative goods, services, lifestyles and experiences, their tolerance to these alternatives grows, as does their interest. Now, deep social and cultural changes dont happen overnight. Compared to many trends, these changes are moving at a glacial pace. And while were certainly not suggesting that everyone becomes overwhelmingly liberal as soon as they move to the city, the clear trend is for urban populations to have more diverse living arrangements, and have more socially liberal and tolerant views towards abortion, euthanasia, casual sex, homosexuality, religion, drug use, womens rights etc.

There are increasing opportunities for brands to reach out to people with new aspirations. Opportunities for consumer brands in India are truly

interView

piyuSh SharMa i ceo and publiSher i MaxiM india

Music Works
has grown many folds. From automobiles, to glamour and lifestyle, to movies and music, to education and business, to sports, there is a publication to appeal to every individual and every interest. can music-related literature be successful in india? Any examples. Yes, music related literature has great potential in India as shown by the success of Rolling Stones. Media Transasia India Ltd. itself launched its music title called Blender and ran it successfully in India for almost two years before the title shut down globally. Encouraged by the response and identification of potential that music related literature has, we are planning to launch another music title in India shortly. is the indian youth serious about music as a profession today? Why? What are the reasons? Music is definitely one of the few shortcuts to success. Its the success of TV shows like Sa Re Ga Ma and Indian Idol which have really encouraged and further opened up the youth to look at music as a career. These TV reality shows have pulled out talent from the very corners of the country and helped them believe in achievability

Music related literature has great potential in india, the young here are also keen on opting music as a profession. excerpts.
how have reading habits of the indian youth changed over time? Since the two decades, the general publishing horizon revolved around business and general publications like Outlook and the India Today. Publishing has come a long way now. Publications are more focused and there is better fragmentation of target audience along with better interface for media content like current digital as opposed to the paperback in the olden days. With domain specialisation and quality advancement, the readership spectrum

Encouraged by the response we got for Blender, we are planning to launch another music title in India shortly.

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of success. Even on a smaller more local scale, the growth in potential for music professionals through local Rock shows, club events and stage performances has been tremendous because of which the youth of today considers music a more realistic career option than before. They are not averse to try their hands at what they are passionate about. What clicks with young indian readers? gadgets and gizmos, bollywood, Health and fitnesss, automobiles or fashion? To capture the young Indian reader, it has to be a balanced blend of all. Since the youth look out for variety, a little dose of everything helps. is india a celebrity-obsessed nation? can todays young play leadership roles or do they like to follow and emulate? We are celebrity obsessed for sure. Stars here are more larger than life than anywhere on the planet. But its their success stories that give the youth the belief in themselves to achieve similar greatness. Great examples are success stories like those of Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan etc., who have achieved star like status similar to the Sachin Tendulkars and the Kapil Devs of the game while being inspired not

YOUTH aND THE livE pErFOrMaNCES

TV VJ and festival director of Asias premier music carnival Sunburn, Nikhil Chinapa talks about music, marketing and the ties that can work both ways.
Bollywood still rules the roost when it comes to entertainment for the Indian youth. You cant throw a blanket on what todays youth likes, but Bollywood and desi beats have to be the Lowest Common Denominator. With emergence of smart phones, music is flourishing and is in everybodys reach. Indian rock bands play mainly in Desi NikHil CHiNapa languages and English. With internet and smart phones, it is possible to pursue all kind of music and genres today. A large part of all youth activities, be it motorsport; rock-climbing; cricket; literature or music, is dependent on marketing and spreading the word around. Music, on the other hand, is a very personal choice. Its a philosophy, a way of life! If a buzz is created and you are encouraged to sample some kind of music, you never know which new sounds you are going to explore. Indian youth is open to experiment and therefore enjoy live performances. The onus of popularising live performances lies on the fraternity. Music concerts should not just be about Bryan Adams, Shakira, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden or Akon; mid-level talent should also be encouraged and promoted. Music ties into fashion and fashion ties into lifestyle, therefore music is an integral part of the youths DNA today. The sooner the marketers realise this, more successful will they be with their respective products and brands. The research to put together Sunburn - the largest music dance festival in Asia comes from the lives we live and the experience we have.

overwhelmed by their star presence. I think its fair to say that the youth today is showing ample leadership potential in every field except some unchartered ones like Politics.

reality CheCk

The reAL coNuNDruM

from beeps to the blame game and from fanning controversies to five minutes of fame, reality tV has come a long winding path. Do the young still lap it up ardently following every twist and turn or is it another trend in the passing. Whats the reality of the reality tV. a closer look at the quagmire. By ankit Bhatnagar
trait and this generation is particularly schizophrenic. But Id describe todays youth as somebody impatient to succeed in life. Being true to the mindset that the Indian conditioning brings along, most of the youngsters are walking the path decided for them by their parents, but are increasingly exploring or looking out for other opportunities. This impatience expresses itself in loud, reckless behavior, Lakshman adds. The youth might be changing but the change is barely perceptible. Biases that existed years ago are still present. Weird notions about societal beliefs, tradition, superstitions are still floating around. But there is another world emerging that is a lot more tolerant and radical. The change is slow but it is there, says Raghu Ram, the brain behind MTVs cult reality series MTV Roadies. The youth today is aware that life is not just about fun, gadgets, girlfriends and boyfriends, there is more to living. Ive always been of the opinion that the young are a force, they should become a force, Ram adds. The recent protest by the civil society had tremendous backing of the young brigade. Anna Hazare triggered a spark but the cause got a widespread support and endorsement thanks to the cyberspace. The youth had something to say there as

the probleM iS not with the young, itS with the Social Scrutiny attached to whateVer they do.

he young today are both loud, reckless, promiscuous on one hand and street smart, practical and focussed on the other. Says Rajiv Lakshman, host of MTV Roadies and twin brother of Raghu Ram, No generation can fit into any clear-cut personality

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media marketing supplement

well. It was an episode of a person leading and stirring public emotion, he says. The change is more visible in metropolitans may be the young there have easy access to the Facebook, Twitter and the electronic media. I saw a lot of ambition in smaller towns too. In places like Patna, the youth want to arrive in life, are enthusiastic and more focussed, Ram says. play safe and lack of confidence and selfbelief, says Ram. The only focus of the reality-based properties today is to garner revenue and become popular. It should rather be to create cult. Its a gamble. Most of the times it doesnt work out. Some reality-show makers think that they can drive mileage by using expletives, cuss words and abuses on the national television. Reality TV has become a pack of cheap thrills today. While it has propagated voyeuristic pleasures of Indian viewers, it has helped few people discover their onscreen destinies. Palak of Roadies Season 6 behaved in a certain way on screen and landed a role in Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao on Sony. Dolly Bindra, the loud and controversial inmate in the Bigg Boss last season has got several new offers. Looking at such examples others want to capitalise participating on reality television and make a name. According to Rajiv Lakshman, TV programming genres dont work, ideas work. Reality shows in television will remain a strong genre, although the success rate of shows will not be as high as in the past. For reality television, I feel there is no single India or youth, there are many identities and mindsets to cater to, he says. Reality shows, if done with honesty, will reveal some aspects of youth. but it will not be applicable to the young generation as a whole.

raGHU raM

reality TV and the young

Reality TV is changing with the everchanging youth in India. TV producers are now keeping in mind the thirst of the small town youngster, who has a lot to prove in life. Is the obsession with the Five Minutes to onscreen fame wise and justified? Or is it nothing more than a shortcut to success? Says Raghu Ram, The problem is not with the youth, its with the social trauma or scrutiny attached to whatever the young does. Its not that the young brigade is unruly and indisciplined, the way we are shaping our youth today is flawed. The image for the society is the problem. Everybody today needs to decide what will help me and what will not? I dislike Indian reality television content because it lacks imagination and confidence in itself, said a media practitioner. Every Indian reality TV show is a copy of something successful. This shows medocrity, the tendency to

raJiv lakSHMaN

reality CheCk
roadies and its craze the youth today The theme of Roadies this time is think Struggling Shortcut to Hell. Its based on a trend iS for loSerS. among youth to follow shortcuts, faster they want to routes. The youth today think struggling by-paSS all is for losers. They want to by-pass all Struggle. they struggle. They want everything and want want eVerything it now. Its truly the Fast Food generation. and want it now. Sticklers for controversy may be, but they itS truly the faSt seem to accept it alright. Poonam Pandey, the female who vowed food generation. to bare all if the Indian cricket team wins
become more than a TV show. It was very different in 2003, when we started. The perceptions are changing every year. Television environment is changing. At MTV we differentiate ourselves, we do what we do. According to Raghu Ram, At an obvious platform Roadies presents a pessimistic world view where such situations are created that breed negative behaviour. At the not so obvious level, it shows the viewers that real face of every participant. When you can have the opportunity to not go the wrong way, how many make the right choice. Unpredictability of the show is also what clicks with the viewers. The Roadies spirit include courage, guts and attitude. It represents all that is Cool. If all the aspirations and ambitions of the youth can be condensed in one word its COOL. The young want to be percieved cool in the way they talk, the cellphones they carry, the people they hang out with, the role models they have, social issues they take up. Anna Hazare is cool, having a India Against Corruption badge on your Facebook profile is cool.

the World Cup might have faded away from public memory, but due to her quirky vow she has now managed an entry in the fourth season of the Khatron Ke Khiladi on Colors. Everybody strives to be a talking point on reality television. Before Roadies came along, there was no platform for the young to speak up. Issues like pre-marital sex, homosexuality, love marriage, live-in relationships were all within the closet, never discussed oneon-one. Through platforms like Roadies perceptions are put forward. Auditions for the show are in-your face and quite revealing. Over the years Roadies has

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web and mobile have only ensured a deeper connect with the viewer. While Roadies is on, you can chat with Raghu on a voice chat on your phone and tweet your friends on what he just said to you. It has moved the engagement from one way to two ways. Are brands doing enough to understand the needs of the youth? Most of the research studies today are typically onetime affair that ends up being a reference guide for brand marketers for a year or two. As a brand catering to this segment for decades, we at MTV are well aware of the fact that two years are not enough to grip the young peoples pulse. The essence of youth lies in their transience, they change as quick as time. The need to track them daily is of prime

importance and thus, MTV iSpeak was born. It is a hangout of a network of the young from colleges across 10 cities. These ambitious, extroverted, opinionated youth has been handpicked by the MTV. We meet them every day (online) to discuss their life and thoughts ranging from news headlines, politics, career aspirations to frivolous dating tips, and stories of love life. These online and offline meetings ensure we stay connected real-time and have a firm grip on the youth pulse. MTV decided to share these insights with the people to whom youth insights matter. MTVPlay. in was launched last year to share all that MTV knows. While we started off sharing just the trends, the site now allows data downloads and research updates.

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