Mobile Youth Survey

From Original Post Here

So you want to get into the increasingly popular consumer-generated video space but don’t know where to start? Check out this guide to get the most out of your efforts.

From Original Post Here

The greatest value of online communities is they increase word-of-mouth (35%), increase brand awareness (28%), bring new ideas into the organization faster (24%) and increase customer loyalty (24%), according to a survey of organizations using online communities.

“The 2008 Tribalization of Business” study was conducted by Beeline Labs, Deloitte and the Society for New Communications [...]

From Original Post Here

‘In psychology, there are three distinct ways to influence people––coercion, persuasion and contagion. Coercion refers to the use of force––in marketing terms, a monopolistic situation. Persuasion is the use of logic––this is what most of the marketing and advertising community is used to. Most ads are some form of consumer logic––be it betterment of living style or betterment of life.

Contagion is about exposure. There has to be something in the brand (can be product, communication or the people behind the brand) that when people are exposed to it they become carriers of it. This is the most evolved form of marketing and if done well, it can the biggest asset a brand can ever have––consumer advocacy.

In good times, huge marketing campaign and distribution push can help selling brands and lot of the shortcomings of a brand never get exposed. But when the times are not so good and marketing budgets take a nosedive, those brands become the first victims. In a recession economy, consumer advocacy can be the saviour. But for that to happen, the brands need to have a stronger social or cultural connect with the consumer and make the consumer feel a part of a larger thing.’

- Partha Sinha, ‘Consumer advocacy: A saviour during recession’.

From Original Post Here

Earlier this week, New York Magazine reported on a new fashion blog called Style Rookie written by the most articulate, stylish 12-year-old known to man. Over 50 people commented; some were congratulatory, but most were completely disbelieving that a sixth-grader has the ability to establish such an impressive website. What the commenters on New York Magazine must not realize, is that there are hundreds and hundreds of fashion blogs out there, all written by girls who have yet to graduate from high school or, in some cases, even junior high.

With blogs so easy and free to create, scores of tweens and teens are developing their personal styles (along with their writing voices) with the help of the web. Most adolescents desperately want to fit in during high school, oftentimes suppressing their eccentricities and individuality for the sake of blending in. Imagine how that might change with an entire community of bloggers and readers encouraging imaginative outfits, writing efforts and all-around creativity.

I did a little poking around and counted more than one hundred tween and teen fashion blogs (at which point I gave up counting). Each girl spends hours meticulously publishing their own opinions and outfits, and they all comment on each others’ sites forming an ever-expanding tight-knit community.

Teens have been blogging for years. I started my own, Teenfashionista.com, at age 13 because I loved reading, writing, and talking about fashion, and my friends all registered looks of unrestrained boredom at the first mention of “Vogue.” Although I was typically too shy to post pictures, I definitely got a confidence boost knowing that I was writing for a growing audience. It’s so much fun to look back at old entries because, like a diary, I can see how much I’ve grown in terms of writing, style and life in general.

This new wave of fashion blogging is exciting, and with few of them dating back before 2008, it will be interesting to see where this rising trend heads over the next year. Want to see just how sophisticated today’s teenage style bloggers are? Check these out:

Fashion Robot
Urban Audrey
Cinderella
Hail Mary
Sea of Style

From Original Post Here

InternetRetailer writes about a survey by Yahoo claiming that to many Gen Yers, especially teens, online search is equivalent with magazines for learning about new trends in fashion. Although, most buy offline because they don’t yet own credit cards, around half of teenagers 15-19 years old who in the last three months shopped for clothes recall using search rather than TV ads and fashion websites to find what they want in accessories, clothing, jewelry and shoes.

Around 68% said they used the web to find information on upcoming fashion trends and learn about unfamiliar brands. 61% claimed using Yahoo search to find their online fashion info. Half reported they planned on using search the next time they sought information on clothes or accessories.