Ypulse Interview: Lisa Li, China Youthology
Posted by meredith on 04-28-2010
In today’s Ypulse Interview we check in with Lisa Li, Founder & CEO of China Youthology. To get around time differences, we caught up with Lisa over email for a brief Q&A.
Below we ask her a few questions about Chinese youth today and what sets them apart from past generations. We also touch on some of the latest global youth marketing trends that Lisa and her co-founder Zafka Zhang, among our other international speakers, will explore during the U.S. & Global Youth By The Numbers preconference session at the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup next month. To hear more on China, Canada, Mexico, Europe and beyond register now for the Ypulse Mashup and save your seat today!
Ypulse: Could you describe some of the recent emerging tech and media trends you’ve seen spreading among Chinese youth?
Lisa Li: From top tier cities to lower tier cities, mobile Internet has become an important part of daily life for youth. We are visiting quite a few lower tier cities in China now, and high school/university students rely on mobile phones for entertainment and information. Social games, online books and news browsers are particularly popular. (Of course, online instant messenger has been a must-use for youth for the past several years.)
For youth in top tier cities, social networks (Kaixin001.com, Renren.com, etc.) have become the most important platform for information, networking and entertainment. Recently, Sina microblog has become popular among opinion leaders and celebrities. With the mobile applications of micro-blogging, the influence of social media is soaring. To marketers, they need to learn the best ways for daily conversation with young consumers.
YP: What are the biggest difference between today’s Chinese youth and the generations that came before? What hasn’t changed?
LL: In top tier cities, the biggest change is the evolving individuality – the construction and representation of individuality goes from surface to substance. Youth seek to identify themselves through exploring the meaning of life, re-investigating traditional culture and collective memories, investing/geeking out in hobbies, and seeking/experimenting with creative expression. Similar to the developed market, Internet and social media are the driver for community-powered learning/networking and diversity. Different from the developed market, the dramatic surge of economy and globalization put today’s youth in a very different context as compared to people that are five years older. See China Youthology for more.
YP: Can you name one or two examples of international brands that have done a really good job connecting with Chinese youth? Which ones and why?
LL: Nike.
1) They respect communities. They don’t simply import the “cool culture” from the west but make great efforts to understand local youth cultures and elevate those. They are a team of cutting-edge youth and community insiders themselves, and they always connect with the opinion leaders through providing support. They co-create products and communication content with cutting-edge youth.
2) Localization. China is big and diverse. Nike developed communication that is localized to region, even city. Very few brands can do so today.
3) Most importantly, they try to understand the dreams and anxieties of youth. We have presented our youth report to their global executives and are very much impressed by their keen efforts in adjusting the categories and role of a brand to respond to youth’s shared dreams and anxieties.
YP: What type of homework should marketers do before reaching out to this population? Are there any tips you could share?
LL: Chinese youth are changing fast basically because of the vast societal changes. Doing some homework to understand the macro context is critical to a good understanding of youth as well as the role of your category.
A tip is to join the SNS, see what they are talking about, talk to them, understand them.
YP: What do you hope Ypulse Mashup attendees will take away from your presentation?
LL: 1) A deeper understanding of Chinese youth – as human beings instead of merely as consumers. We’ll provide a portrait of Chinese youth with insights into macro context.
2) Trends in values and lifestyles.
More on Lisa
Lisa is Founder & CEO of China Youthology, a leading research-based consultancy that focuses on the youth market. She has spoken at ESOMAR with a paper nominated as “Best Paper” of 2008. Lisa founded China Youthology in 2008 and has been researching youth in China with a holistic approach based on Sociology and Anthropology. An in-depth understanding of the social changes at a macro level as well as long-term, immersive and community-based studies have enabled China Youthology to decipher youth trends with deeper insights. China Youthology has worked with brands like Nike, Nokia, Nestle, Pernod Ricard and Pepsi to provide them with “youth culture intelligence.” The China Youthology blog (www.chinayouthology.com/blog) was nominated by Ad Age as “20 blogs marketers to China should be reading” in 2009.
Categorized under: 2010 Mashup, International