Posted on March 26, 2009 by Luke

Reach is a keen Twitter follower of Graham Brown from mobileYouth.

If you’re not familiar with his output, I recommend you take a look.

Graham shares his ideas, resources, insights and opinions on an abundant daily basis.

He’s also great at pitching up a decent topic for debate.

This week I went one-to-one with him through Twitter’s slightly clunky direct messaging tool. I thought I’d fire through some questions and see what wisdom he could send back within the constraints of 140 characters or less.

We may not be the first to call this a ‘Twinterview’…

Luke, Reach Students
Please explain what you do for benefit of readers

Graham, mobileYouth
I help companies market & develop products for youth by understanding the role these products play within their social univ

Luke, Reach Students
What are the shared characteristics of brands that do youth marketing well?

Graham, mobileYouth
Ability to take risks, welcome change and think long term

Luke, Reach Students
When targeting the global youth market, how conscious do you need to be of local differences? Eg UK, US, Japan, India

Graham, mobileYouth
Local interpretations of global themes is vital. Underneath however global youth are more similar than we think

Luke, Reach Students
Have you ever come across a youth-focussed brand and thought “Wow – they really know what they are doing?” Who?

Graham, mobileYouth
Continue to be amazed. Red Bull, Scion, Threadless, Jones Soda and Nike inspire me to do this kind of work

Luke, Reach Students
How are they getting it right?

Graham, mobileYouth
They throw the rule book out, they don’t benchmark, they ask “what if?”…

Luke, Reach Students
Predictably following on…who is getting it wrong and why?

Graham, mobileYouth
Pepsi perhaps speaks for all the youth brands out there still trying to buy youth attention and trust

Luke, Reach Students
Why don’t you like Blyk?

Graham, mobileYouth
I think Blyk is confused whether it’s an advertiser or a brand that youth care about – the two are mutually exclusive today

Luke, Reach Students
What issues GENUINELY concern youth today?

Graham, mobileYouth
The issues seem the same as 20 or even 40 yrs ago but youth’s attitude has changed from spectator (80s) to participant

Luke, Reach Students
Why have youth turned off TV?

Graham, mobileYouth
Students always have been light TV consumers. Challenge now is other media (eg Youtube, FB) offer them more social currency

Luke, Reach Students
So they identify more with YT, FB as comms platforms? TV doesn’t feel ‘theirs’?

Graham, mobileYouth
Remember day after TOTP on campuses & school playgrounds? It got youth talking. Fragmentation undermined TV social currency

Luke, Reach Students
What emerging/current trends should marketers interested in youth be watching?

Graham, mobileYouth
Gating: Youth getting better at switching off marketing msgs. Means marketers need to build value beyond the campaign

Luke, Reach Students
Finally, what/who inspires you?

Graham, mobileYouth
The “crazy ones”. As featured in Apple’s original “Think Different” ad – people who dare to think different, speak the truth

Thanks Graham.

We’ll be doing more of these in coming weeks, with others involved in youth marketing.