Marketing Research: Teens' Methods to Combat Stress

The Top 12 Ways Young People Relieve Stress

Posted by anastasia on 04-08-2009

The folks over at MTV Sticky (i.e. Viacom Brand Solutions International) sent me their very cool Teen Age Clicks: Understanding Global Youth Culture report, which is packed with interesting info and stats. They gave me permission to excerpt a few sections for you on Ypulse. We all know that youth are busier and more stressed than ever before — according to the report, "stress is the invisible global constant afflicting youth of all ages in all markets." Here's how they're managing around the world….

1. Music Rules. The number one way young people cope with stress is to listen to music — 65% of all youth globally do this.

2. The Sun Always Shines On TV. In at number two, 48% of kids watch TV to relieve stress. 60% of youth globally lie down to watch TV. But….don't watch CNN. MTV's research proves the more news kids watch, the more stressed they become.

3. Talk To Me. Third is talking to friends (not face to face). The explosion in the new tools available to connect to friends has seemingly come at just the right time for a generation seeking moral support. That said, it is existing friends that provide the most support, rather than strangers, the only nation likely to turn to help from online strangers in significant numbers are the Chinese.

4. Sleep On It. Fourth most popular method is sleeping. However the quality of modern teens' sleep in question, "junk sleep" caused by over stimulated minds fueled by in-room gadgetry is the new "junk food." 40 percent of teens claim to be tired during the day.

5. Just Like A Prayer. Prayer is only the 14th most popular form of stress relief globally, but MTV has it at number 5 because statistically, young people who pray more are less stressed. Stressed youth on average pray 3.7 times per week. Relaxed youth pray 8.8 times a week.

6. Family Affair. Family represents a key source of love and self esteem. 43% of kids in the U.S. consult family when stressed. Generally young people in developing markets are more likely to turn to family. However, they are also the markets where parents are often the most absent. The average Mexican 8-15 year old spends 2.9 hours at home alone, compared to British kids who spend less than 45 minutes.

7. Big Boys Do Cry. Americans are the most likely nation to cry when stressed. They are also the most likely to play computer games (39%).

8. Thrills, Pills & Bellyaches. British are the most likely nation of youths to drink (43%) when stressed…They also eat a lot of junk food (40%) and do drugs (11%).

9. C'est a moi que tu paries? French are the most likely youth to get aggressive (42%) and have sex (16%).

10. Worried Sick. Swedish youth are the most likely to deal with stress through eating disorders. 23% make themselves sick after eating whilst 18% claim to diet or stop eating.

11. Shop Hard. Play Hard. The Chinese are most likely to shop to relieve stress (42%), exercise/play to relieve stress (46%) and are the most likely to write a journal/blog (27%).

12. Pass The Kleenex Henrik. Danish are the most likely to masturbate.

For more coverage of youth marketing, go to the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

So what do you think of that? Do you think young adult literature properly reflect these habits? Most novels revolve around a stressful situation for the protagonists (and antagonists, too, for that matter). But have you ever read a book where the main character masturbates to deal with stress?

Article - Headlines speeding up Publishing Schedules

"You’ve Read the Headlines. Now, Quick, Read the Book" by MOTOKO RICH

As the metabolism of the culture has sped up in the digital age, pockets of the publishing industry are prodding themselves out of their Paleolithic ways and joining the rush, with more books on current events coming out faster than ever before.

For generations the publishing industry has worked on a fairly standard schedule, taking nine months to a year after an author delivered a manuscript to put finished books in stores. Now, enabled in part by e-book technology and fueled by a convergence of spectacularly dramatic news events, publishers are hitting the fast-forward button.

[...]

Of course many publishers and authors suggest that taking time to produce a reflective work is what books are about, and that they should not succumb to the pressures of the 24-hour news cycle.

[...]

Publishers have released so-called instant books for decades, focusing on political campaigns, sports events and true crime. Most of Bob Woodward’s books are released on a tight schedule; his publisher, Simon & Schuster, calls it “extreme publishing.”

But the unprecedented pileup of historic news is motivating a broader industry speedup. Hoping to capture the public interest while it is still ripe — and to beat out competition — publishers are rushing out a cavalcade of books tied to the election of the first African-American president, a spiraling economic crisis and eye-popping financial scandals.

[...]

Industry insiders say more publishers should expedite their processes to keep pace with the modern media age.

Even books of high quality, if they “come out so late that they’re either obsolete or redundant, are going to lose out,” said Todd Shuster, a literary agent.

For now the quick-turnaround books represent only about 5 percent of all titles, said Kathryn Popoff, vice president for the trade division at Borders Books. But she added that there were more now than ever before, in part, “because of the news cycle.”

Many publishers maintain that books are not meant to chase headlines. “What we need to do on the book side is to do the most thorough, the best and most contextualized” work, said Ann Godoff, president and publisher of the Penguin Press.

[...]

Booksellers say that the closer books hew to the news, the shorter the shelf life. “They peak, and they are over,” said Antoinette Ercolano, vice president of trade book buying at Barnes & Noble. “If the consumer feels they aren’t getting anything new, it’s not going to work.”

Only a book that “has instant media appeal” is worth doing quickly, said Jamie Raab, publisher of Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette Book Group. Most books, she and others in the industry said, require time for the publisher to edit and market the book, line up blurbs or secure reviews in magazines with long lead times.

[...]

“If this book had gone through the normal publishing procedures,” Mr. Kiyosaki said, “it wouldn’t be worth writing.”

So I pulled out the meaty bits for you.

The question this quick-to-press trends asks is: with digital media evolving the marketplace and speeding up trends, will publishers rush novels through to take advantage of pressing market trends?

Yes, this article talks about books focusing on non-fiction topics. But could you imagine the renovation of the publishing industry if the process were to speed up as an ongoing standard?

There are risks: a lesser quality book and a shorter shelf life given the piggybacking on trends.

What do you think? Is publishing heading in this direction for fiction? Or do you think the traditional cycle will remain?

Web Trend Map

The Web Trend Map is a visual representation of the most influential online websites used in 2008 mapped against the Tokyo subway lines.

(http://informationarchitects.jp/web-trend-map-2008-beta/)

You have to admit, it's pretty darn neat. And you can look at it for ages.

What should you be looking for as a writer? Look at the Creative, Publishing, and Identity lines

All the social networking sites. Are you on them in some form or another? Maybe you should look into them if you aren't.

Specifically, look at the prominence of the following domains:

1. Kindle
2. Twitter
3. Facebook
4. eHarmony (just kidding!)
5. Wordpress
6. Blogger
7. iTunes (podcasts, e-books, and audio-books, folks!)
8. deviantArt (it's not just for visual art. And, yes, it is on the map twice)
9. Any torrent site (NOT your friend. Piracy central)
10. flickr (expanding your creative brand reach)
11. YouTube (book trailers, recorded readings, Q&A, witty/witless author adventures)

Well, what do you think about this year's map? Do you think it's an adequate representation of where the web is going?

A Mobile Device? You mean a car, right?

Nissan has introduced a brand new product! It's called a "Mobile Device".

I know what you're thinking. "That's a car, isn't it?"

Why, yes, it is, and an ugly one at that. Not to mention it would be interesting to break into the hatchback trunk.

 According to this New York Times article, Nissan is introducing the Nissan Cube in the midst of an economic downturn and marketing it not as a car, but a "mobile device". Feature descriptions include terms like "'search engine', 'browse', 'storage capacity', 'add friends' and 'set preferences' to describe features of the Cube." This vehicle is clearly being marketed to tech-savvy youths and young adults who presumable have credit enough to purchase an ugly unique vehicle (Nissan is making sure their payment programs accommodate this type of purchaser).

With product placements set up (in the Heroes online graphic novel), you'd think Nissan in on the right route, especially while hiring TBWA/Chiat/Day, which also markets the iPhone (you know, a real mobile device).

Ridiculous? Probably. But you have to recall Dentyne's advertisements using similar features.

Kind of heart-warming, isn't it? So why does it work for Dentyne but not for Cube?

Simple: the Nissan Cube is a big-budget, highly visible item; Dentyne gum is a small, regular, routine purchase with the potential for repeat purchases and more brand loyalty than a car mobile device. There isn't as much risk involved with purchasing gum as there is a car.

So how, pray tell, does this apply to writing?

Well, I'm glad you asked, you sly creature!

Books, while a huge investment on behalf of the author, are a small purchase for consumers. When you're marketing, you want to work to create a brand loyalty. What is your brand? Vaguely, it's books as a leisure activity. More specifically, it's your genre, whether it be romance or mystery, adult or young adult. Then, it's your publisher. Even more specifically, it's you, the author.

By building an interactive appeal to your novels and networking opportunities, especially if your readers are tech savvy (which, for example, young adults and urban fantasy readers typically are). 

How do you build interactive appeal, such as Dentyne is trying to do?

Make a commercial to tug at the heart strings.

Use gimmicky language.

The best thing to do is have a website with "bonus features". This doesn't simply mean posting a sample chapter--while that helps those who haven't purchased yet, it doesn't benefit those who have purchased and want more out of the product they purchased and the brand (you) they are trying to get acquainted with. Readers want that little bit of extra, perhaps a deleted scene or a character blog where they can interact with their favourite character. Branch out to interact on popular mediums, like Twitter, blogs, chatrooms, message boards, Facebook, MySpace (if this applies to your audience--personally, I hate it). Host contests of items of added value - signed books, posters, cover flats, t-shirts/mugs/other merchandise you invested in. What does this do? It has the potential to bring in friends and family brought by the holy grail of all marketing--word of mouth.