Focus On:  The Youth Market
Playing Around With Promotions

     Companies and non-profit organizations spend millions of dollars every year to capture the attention of the youth market. These market savvy, Internet surfing, brand conscious "kids" are no longer enthused by the half-hearted promotions that companies once threw their way. They are a generation that has learned the value of the dollar and has influence over how it is spent at a young age.
     The heart of a child can no longer be bought with inexpensive toys and thoughtless campaigns. They are now looking for connection in the products that are put in front of them; they are demanding quality. Organizations are beginning to see that this is a market that must be included when plotting campaign strategies.

Tomorrow's Fortunes Today
     In order for an organization to target a specific market, it must find that market appealing. Companies want their campaigns to have such an influence, that goals are met and increases are evident. Companies and organizations have found that the youth market has the power and influence to make change, not just on Wall Street, but in the communities, making children a perfect target for most companies.
     The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Our City Our Children are two non-profit organizations that realize the power youths can have on both the local community and nationally. Both organizations bank on the spirit youths have today and the power they will have tomorrow.
     FCA is based in Kansas City, Mo., and targets youth and sports coaches. The organization is based on the principles of Christianity and has found that it is best for them to target children because 85 percent of all Christians choose their faith before the age of 18.
     Spencer Langley, FCA's manager of Marketing Services, believes the extreme focus children have on sports and athletes also is another instrumental force. These youths are the future professional athletes, so now is the time that impressions must be made. FCA definitely is making its impressions when it has more than 500,000 youth meeting on a weekly basis at 7,500 schools across the nation, all under its leadership.
     Our City Our Children, based in Fort Worth, Texas, also is geared toward children. Its mission is to have children volunteer for community activities. The organization is a joint initiative between the local school district and the city. Looking to these young people for acts of volunteerism almost ensures that these children will realize their civic responsibilities as adults. The program also gives children a sense of accomplishment and worth.
     Kathy Livingston, director of Our City Our Children, says the organization targets approximately 100,000 school-age children. The program does not target as many as FCA does, but it still has a considerable impact on the community.
     Companies that are looking for profit also look at the youth market for many of the same reasons that non-profits do. They see so much of the future potential that exists in children; they are the future consumers of America. Jon Harris, a Pepsi spokesperson, says that it is most important to target the youth market because people establish brand loyalty at an early age, leading to a long-term consumer/product relationship.
     Not only are children the future household decision-makers, today's children are beginning to have more pull in major family purchases. They also have influences outside of the home, among other children. Youths are more influenced by peer pressure and when it comes to marketing a product, this can definitely work to a company's advantage.
     "The youth market is very appealing to organizations because children and teenagers have a great deal of influence on what parents are going to buy," says Gary Gwynn II, executive vice president of Gwynn Advertising in Wheeling, W.V. "Youths want products that are popular; they want to use it, play with it, and they find it appealing so they will drive the family in such a direction that the product will be purchased."

Instances of Genius
     Companies and organizations alike use promotional products as premiums. These premiums entice targeted youths to use a company's product or services. The "giveaways" usually are used in conjunction with an event or special campaign tool.
     Events tend to be the most popular place to use promotional products, but there are plenty of other ways to use products with effectiveness. From meetings to awards, Kristin Edstrom, account director at Group II Communications in Oak Brook, Ill., says that promotional products can be used to enhance a campaign.
     "Use a promotional product whenever it is relevant and you feel that you can really offer a consumer a premium," says Harris, a Pepsi spokesperson.
     Our City Our Children uses its promotional products to invoke a sense of pride. The organization designed its own logo, based on logos presented by similar organizations. Placed on a gold pin, used for rewarding youth volunteers, the logo has become a symbol of pride that is worn on special occasions by its recipients. The organization also plans to put the logo on T-shirts and bumper stickers for further community recognition.
     "We are trying simply to get the logo out there to peak people's interest so they are asking about the symbol and what it means," says Livingston. "We are trying to get word-of-mouth generated."
     Disney probably is the most widely recognized company in the world. When it comes to promotional products, it has learned the importance of being able to offer a little piece of itself for people to take home. From the numerous shops at its amusement parks to its Disney Store retail stores across the country, Disney is everywhere.
     Marketing its own television station, the Disney Channel, is no different. The Disney Channel is in 43 million homes, 24 hours a day and embraces its youth audience with events and programming that target family.
     Eleo Hensleigh, senior vice president of marketing for the Burbank, Calif.-based Disney Channel, explained that an event the Disney Channel held over the summer was called Prem'ear' In The Park. This event was a free outdoor film experience that featured a Disney Channel-produced movie. At each "screening" there were activities and games for attendees to win. The giveaways were anything "in," ranging from yo-yo's to Frisbees to things that glow in the dark.
     Another event, On the Road with Bear and the Big Blue House, also provided the channel with an opportunity to hand out promotional products to further its image. Attendees to the "Bear" shows were given photos of Bear to take home.
     "We know that walking away with something from Disney or something that can be taken home is big," says Hensleigh. "What we are trying to do with promotional products is give something of value to our viewers they can take home and feel like they have a little piece of Disney Channel that they can keep."
     When looking at promotional products, it is important to remember that not every youth-oriented campaign has the funds to hand out fancy promotional products. Often, non-profit organizations are resigned to stick with the tried and true basics that cost the least amount of money. Two Phoenix non-profits that must stay within the confines of low budget promotional items are the Phoenix Zoo and the city's aquatics program, Buddy Bear Water Safety.
     With the Buddy Bear program, Aquatics Marketing Coordinator Doug Wenthe explains that the organization is focused more on teaching children what they need to know about water safety, but the program recognized that products can help in rewarding children. The staples of the Buddy Bear Water Safety Program are stickers, balloons and a coloring book that all have Buddy Bear emblazoned upon them. The colors are bright and fun.
     Wenthe admits that the products they use may not be the most exciting, but they get the message across, and the children love them, whether Buddy Bear is handing them out at a big event or a water safety class.
     The Phoenix Zoo is very similar in its philosophies. Alice Sluga, public relations director at the zoo, says that the zoo's mission is to instill respect for and inspire people to care about the natural world. The zoo does not rely on promotional products too often because of its focus on nature. However, when the zoo opened Harmony Farms, a new section in the zoo, it found that a promotional item worked well as a "thank you" for donors, community leaders and media when they visited the new exhibit. The item was a can of soil with marigold seeds attached. The outside label was printed with the Harmony Farms logo and directions on how to plant and grow the marigolds.

Keeping Up
     With a variety of promotional products to choose from and several scenarios in which those products can be used, the most important thing that an organization must do to ensure the products do their job is to stay in touch with trends. Today's youths are trendy and brand savvy. They are smart, educated consumers that demand more and expect to get it from companies. Companies and organizations need to keep in touch with the current trends and fads to see what items are going to get the attention of the younger generation and what products will surely flop.
     Edstrom from Group II Communications sees that the youth market is gravitating toward the licensed product because of its love with the name brand. Her firm looks at its trends and sales to see what items are moving and attends trade shows to find out what is hot. Working with research companies also provides her firm with extra information on buying trends and results of focus groups. Edstrom believes that licensing has become so popular because of young people's need to be affiliated with something.
     "I think that youth-oriented products need to be enticing to children in a way that makes them feel connected and brand names do this," says Edstrom.
     The FCA had to change its image a bit to attract the youth market. At one time, its products centered on the FCA name. Now, products have a look that is trendy and "alternative." Taking a style that appeals to snowboarders and skateboarders, the organization is hoping to be able to reach more youths with its message. The organization is moving toward a style focus that appeals to youths and lets them know that FCA is seeing things on the same level.
     "We were more internally focused before. Now, we are looking outward and trying to get our messages into the mainstream," says FCA's Langley.
     Youths are able to make more choices today when it comes to products. Disney's Hensleigh explains that there are more things being produced and developed for children. Youths now have entire television networks to appease them, along with home video games, CD-ROMs and the Internet. There now are multiple media available at their disposal. With this range of media, Hensleigh says that youth only will become better consumers because they will be learning from an early age how to make choices. Also, with the interactivity and personalization that much of today's technology allows to children, the more important it will be for companies to maintain a relationship, keeping with that personal connection.
     "Kids are becoming more sophisticated consumers as they have more choices," says Hensleigh.
     Gwynn, from Gwynn Advertising, says that the best way to find out what children think is "in" is to talk to them. It is most important to be observant, walk around the malls and public places and pay attention to what kids are wearing. He says an important thing to remember is not to depend on television to indicate what is trendy, because generally television shows are actually a little behind what is "in" now.
     He also recommends not focusing on what is hot nationally. It is important for a distributor to look locally because each area has its own trends and those are the ones that will work best for a local company. The only time national trends should be dealt with are when it is for a national campaign.
     Pepsi's Harris also advises that adults should not talk to or at kids; they need to talk with them. He says that youth, along with the rest of consumers, are market savvy. They know what is authentic. A company needs to stay true to its brand and image when choosing promotional products. No matter how "hip" the product is, if it does not blend with the company's image, the product will backfire.
     Companies need to stay in contact with consumers to see what is relevant. Harris says that things always evolve and change with time, making it crucial that companies maintain a relationship with the consumer because through this communication they will see where the trends will be going.
     "I think people's likes and dislikes change all the time. It is important from a marketer's perspective to continue to stay on top of those changes and continue to watch those things that count to a consumer--trends in fashion, sports and music," says Harris.

That's a Wrap
     Companies and organizations need to do their homework when looking for a promotional product that will appeal to the youth market. They are no longer a group of "kids," they are consumers that are affecting today's society with their choices. Youths are also the consumers that will shape the market of tomorrow. They are getting smarter as they have more resources at their fingertips.
     From e-mail to the Worldwide Web, children have an entire network for voicing their opinions, making their choices and connecting with others that have the same interests. As global trends become local trends, it will be more of a necessity for organizations to stay in contact with its targeted youth market. If a company wants a promotional product that truly makes an impact, it needs to do its homework.
     Gwynn warns companies that they need to be cautious in the products they choose. It is easy to overlook the youth market and put out a product that commits a major faux pas. One wrong move, without the proper research, and a company can ruin its image with a child. This image will then be carried over into that child's consumer habits as an adult.
     With the youth market, campaigns and their promotional products are making impressions for the future and that is something that every company and organization must remember.