Fresh results released from Label Networks' 2nd Annual China Youth Culture Study clearly indicate that the youth culture marketplace of 15-25-year-olds is the largest new market that's adopting trends the fastest, mainly because of the Internet. Results in this Study quantify how vital it is for even the most localized trendsetting brands in America to know what's taking shape in China. Based on the sheer heft of its size and burgeoning economy, this marketplace is having a major ripple effect that continues to shape global business strategies--making Chinese youth culture one of the most sought after new markets in the world.
“The Chinese youth market is comprised of an entirely new generation among their 1.3 billion people who have grown up among massive economic reforms resulting in influencing a great deal of the overall spending power of China of more than $3.3 trillion,” says Tom Wallace, President of Label Networks. “There’s a huge youth demographic that’s adopting new trends and demanding Western brands in mass volume. Cool logos are like badges; young people want exciting advertising; and they are without the cynicism seen in other youth markets,” explains Wallace.
However virgin the marketplace seems in China, it is a complicated place which takes insider knowledge and research to understand, as detailed in the China Youth Culture Study. As Label Networks’ field research manager, Sofie Ling Fei from Shanghai, explains, “Young people have become a very strong group of consumers daring to spend on branded goods. But there’s another market that purchase fake brands and goods. It’s very unique here with so many different things conflicting with each other, yet they can all exist in the same place.”
As the first generation of the one-child rule to have experienced economic reforms, open markets, and capitalism with a Communist twist, the youth market’s developing culture is greatly influenced by Japan, Korea, and Western influences, but is starting to create a lifestyle wholly its own. These traits in fashion, spending patterns, technology and communication, music, and especially sports with the ramp-up to the ’08 Beijing Olympics, are important trends to understand regarding the dynamics of the future of global youth culture.
Highlights from the China Youth Culture Study include:
* Sneaker Culture remains a competitive marketplace in China, but with new stand-outs including New Balance in Shanghai and Li Ning among 15-17-year-olds indicates that while the race it tight for top brands, there’s movement and space for entry of others.
* Internet Cafes as Cultural Hotspots mean young people are online in massive numbers with high percentages shopping online and searching for new ideas, styles, + trends online—this is in higher percentages than 15-25-year-olds in Europe based on Label Networks’ Pan-European Study
* Video Gaming in China indicates the importance of portable devices vs. consoles in the future, as well as online gaming with multi-player games steadily increasing since 02005
* Basketball + hero Yao Ming continue to set new trends in sports with males and females taking up basketball and greatly influenced by the American NBA
* Music Videos + Music Talent Shows are among the top influences in pop culture, giving rise to the popularity of TV show competitions, dance, + martial arts participation
* Mobile Numbers for Sale = big business as the usual numbers for mobile phones in China starts with 13 (bad luck). Recently users are willing to pay high prices to purchase unique number such as numbers with 4 eights which can sell as high as 2400 to 2800 RMB and those which have no lucky or fortunate numbers can be purchased at 50 to 60 RMB. (Lucky numbers are 6, 8, and 9.)
* Shanghai + Rap/Hip-Hop: Here, young people clearly have the most diverse tastes in music preferences and the strongest market that prefers Rap/Hip-Hop at 37.1% among 15-25-year-olds.
* Ridiculous Sister + Brother Poppy: Two “icons” that are currently the odd stars in China put their pictures in their blog posing in all kinds of styles and positions and allowing anyone to be critics. They’re not just two people, but a group who love to put their ugly looking pictures on websites to publicize themselves and draw people’s attention (think YouTube and the famous China boy-band singers) although they obviously are not beautiful. They wish to be famous but choose the most ridiculous ways to present themselves.
* Music + Importance of Ringtones: More than 80% of mobile users have downloaded songs or comic dialogue to be used as their ring tones. Downloading ring tones has become a representative for your individuality and image with hundreds of websites to download ring tones. There are two types of ring tone categories: Songs and Character Ring Tones. The first includes English and Chinese pop songs, classical music, and even the national anthem. Character ring tones can be sounds of animals, nature, and funny things or dialogue from a movie or play and amusing phrase or short talk. In Guangzhou, Cantonese pop songs are one of the favorite choices. 41% would change their ring tones within a week and 42% would change within 2 weeks.
* The Rise of the Green Collar Generation—A new future working class, the Green Collar is a younger generation that goes to university or has an education and are influenced by new thoughts about the environment, health, global well-being. Green Collar people will have a career but will try to maintain a life of quality: They try to find time to exercise or live healthy. Unlike the other Collar groups (Gold, Grey), they don’t prefer high class places but rather like to have gatherings at simple places with themes to organize their own events. They also do charity work.
* Flash Competition/Movie “Re-making”--After the so-called mega movie “The Promise,” directed by Chen Kaige, a college student, Hu Ge, re-made the movie by abstracting parts and inserting new voices and music. The result of the re-make caught more attention than the movie and suddenly re-making movies into short movies or flash movies are popular, which some brands also tend to used now to advertise their products, i.e., car ads.
Overall, the China Youth Culture Study includes actionable results and macro trend summaries and forecasting regarding specifics about fashion, brands, shopping, preferences, (with special reports on denim, T-shirts, and footwear), spending patterns, technology + electronics, video gaming, music, action sports, individual + team sports, entertainment patterns, marketing + advertising effectiveness, lifestyle traits, Internet patterns + social networks, cell phones, new media, future concerns, attitudes, changing styles, and influences. The China Youth Culture Study Subscription Package also includes:
* Quantitative Charts, Graphs, Frequencies, plus Cross-tabulations by Gender, Age Groups, + City
* Macro Trend Summaries detailing high-level trends written in an easy-to-understand format about the changing landscape of the marketplace within each topic
* Historic Trending comparisons to show changes in the marketplace + future forecasting
* Street Photography depicting leading-edge street fashion, footwear, accessories, attitudes, tattoos, + individual style
* Weekly Updates with fresh news, reviews of street fashion trends, music, sports, festivals, underground magazines, events, retail hotspots, + emerging subcultures
For thought-leaders looking to maximize their strategies as they pertain to the youth marketplace, the 2nd Annual China Youth Culture Study provides authentic street-level information about the demographic profile, economic, and cultural threads of influence across one of the largest burgeoning new youth markets in the world. For subscription information, or information about a Global Subscription Package, including North America, Europe, Japan, + China, call (323) 630-4000; info@labelnetworks.com.
Data for the China Youth Culture Study is based on a representative sampling from Shanghai, Beijing, + Guangzhou of 15-25-year-olds during the months of October, November, and early December, 02006.
The Confidence Level for this Study is 95% with a Confidence Interval of +/- 2.5%.
About Label Networks:
Label Networks, Inc. is a leading global youth culture marketing intelligence + media company authentically measuring the most trendsetting and mainstream subcultures in the world. Label was launched in 2000 to bridge the gap between companies trying to access the youth marketplace and the lack of useful, fast research about the fast-changing landscape. Label created new methods to gain constantly fresh quantitative and qualitative data about the marketplace accurately and quickly with a combination of remote data-acquisition and analysis systems, and a credible network of global Youth Culture Experts. Together, Label measures, reports, and consults with brands, agencies, and industry leaders about pinpoint consumer preferences gathered from face-to-face interviews from the heart of opinionated youth environments. Global Youth Culture Studies include North America, Europe, Japan, + China, plus Profiles on Snowboarding, Skateboarding, Urban Female, Hispanic/Latino Market Report; Euro Mobile Technology Report, Digital Lifestyle Report; Sponsorship Report; + Humanitarian Study; Clients: Apple Computer, Verizon Wireless, Burton, Vans, Braun, Motorola, Nokia, Footlocker, Oakley, Spy Optics, Salomon, Levi Strauss, American Eagle, O’Neill Europe, Playstation, Hasbro, Ford, Dodge, Columbia Sportswear, Warped Tour, Creative Artists Agency, Faith Popcorn, ESPN International, Kraft Easy-Mac. Contact: Label Networks, Inc., 13101 Washington Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90066; (323) 630-4000; info@labelnetworks.com; www.labelnetworks.com.
