//psy:009
'Meta Tribes'_Matt Hardisty.
Printable version
|
Youth marketing used to be all about
spiraling acidic graphics, hip-hop music and any variation on the word
'wicked'. Nowadays however, youth marketing is all about how hard you push the boundaries, and appropriate the new wave of direct action and desire for immersive experiences. |
 |
The new millennium is demanding a fresh approach, not only to marketing, but also to research. During the early 1990s, the US was witness to a rash of agencies catering for a generation that was beginning to be 'bred on the web' that required a clever 'approach'. For example, the street trends research agency Sputnik and the guerilla marketing 'collective' Green Galactic, both emerged to critical acclaim amidst seemingly out of touch advertising 'lunching' suits. The UK, through a combination of population expansion and increased levels of consumer literacy, saw a similar explosion during the mid to late 90s - evidenced by the constant stream of 'youth' marketing conferences - advising clients with buzz words such as "facilitation", "enablement" and of course, the creation of a "dialogue".
As a consequence Britain's cities have been awash with a new mode of marketing, in short 'creative fusion' was born. The division between the traditional creative disciplines of music, clothing and art were dissolved for branded 'association'. Age was no longer considered to be an issue, as the word 'youth' became blurred as we progressed to targeting by lifestyle and the now notorious, 'middle youth' terminology. Brands became 'the culture', creating immersive environments through which consumers could experience a given brand's proposition.
Beyond bland sponsorship and promotional activity, a process of 'promotional symbiosis' has evolved. The market now demands cross-media brand extensions. An example of this new phenomenon can be seen in the 'so cool it hurts' fashion brand, skim.com. The label's clothing features a unique e-mail address on each garment facilitating passers-by to contact the wearer, in an attempt to truly traverse the on and the offline realms. In a similar vein, Coca-Cola has embraced multi-dimensional communication through coke-auction.co.uk. Entrepreneurial children are encouraged to set up their own 'behind the bike shed snog-a-thon' for ring pulls to be mailed in for tradable points. And so, risk free day-trading for those under the age of sixteen was born.
In short, the Internet is serving to create a new ad speak savvy consumer, which requires a greater degree of innovation from agencies across all the communications spectrum. The Internet for our contemporary minded audience however, is no longer perceived to be a further medium through which to receive a quota of lifestyle information. The Internet is enabling a new entrepreneurial spirit to emerge. Our 'Combated Folkdevils' are roaming 'Planet-E', establishing their own 'independent' creative and media enterprises. No longer marginalized to the classifieds, fly posting or word-of-mouth communication, these enterprises can now extend beyond their immediate geography and embrace a 'glocal' audience.
Consequently credible sites, established 'by the audience for the audience,' have emerged and moreover, the creation of 'Meta Tribes' has ensued. The concept of 'Meta Tribes' organically supporting media properties in order to ensure their sustainability is not a new concept however, illustrated through the affiliation that independent record labels such as Manchester's Skam have with their consumers (or the relationship created by fanzines), but serves to illustrate how 'independent' media propositions can now at least become a viable lifestyle choice for the chosen few.
