Growing up Tech: Digital Kids and Their Families Hold Key to Bright Future

WATERTOWN, Mass. and CHICAGO, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer technology is in a constant state of evolution, but the adoption rate varies and the role it plays in families' lives has become a controversial topic.  Today, Ogilvy & Mather, in partnership with leading consumer insights company Communispace, released findings from its new joint research study, 'Tech Fast Forward: Plug in to see the brighter side of life,' which takes a deep dive into the role technology plays in families' lives today, exploring the mindset of tech-savvy kids and their families, as they pave the way for what lies ahead for consumers and brands alike.

The report uncovers insights from the "Tech Fast Forward" (TFF) family segment (defined as households who use more sophisticated technology than the average person, with children ages 3-12) and seeks to understand how parents and children embracing technology differ from their less tech-savvy counterparts. Following this group helps brands and marketers alike understand the mindset and experiences that companies need to stay engaged and relevant in today's rapidly changing world.

"You don't need to be a futurist to know that today's world is changing rapidly and technology is driving this evolution—continually creating possibilities, broadening our horizons and opening new doors," said Graceann Bennett, Managing Partner and Director of Strategic Planning at Ogilvy & Mather Chicago.  "We assumed as a starting point that technology is our future, but what we did not know—and what we sought to uncover—was whether the outlook would be limitless or limiting, dangerous or delicious, awesome or overwhelming."

According to Manila Austin, Ph.D., Communispace's Vice President of Research, "The brands that effectively speak to the Tech Fast Forward consumer today link products, services, and even corporate social responsibility together to showcase the brighter future Americans and the world hope to see."

A Tech Future is a Surprisingly Bright Future

Among the study's key findings, TFF Families have a more positive mindset overall and express less anxiety about the future.  Parents believe technology is helping their children develop critical skills that will empower them to navigate—and even save—the world in the years and decades to come.  According to the research, the TFF segment is twice as likely to say their children's generation is better off than prior generations and three times more likely than the rest of the population to strongly agree that when their kids' generation comes into power, they will "save the planet," "the world will be better off because of how they will lead the way" and "there will be global peace."

So What Does this Mean for Brands?  

Through the research findings, Communispace and Ogilvy were able to identify the following 12 implications that will help marketers stay ahead of the curve and connect, literally and emotionally, with today and tomorrow's tech forward consumer.

1. Mobilize tech optimism: Brands have the opportunity to capitalize on today's tech optimism by helping consumers create the brighter world they want to see.
2. Generation bending: Nobody really acts their age anymore: market to kids as adults, adults as kids.
3. Mine the family mindset: As intergenerational attitudes converge, opportunities to market to the family as a unit increase. Purchase decisions are family decisions.
4. Be nice: Mean pretty much stinks; speaking to values of kindness and tolerance will increase acceptance and "liked-ness" of your brand.
5. Curate unexpected connections: Brands have the opportunity to bring unimagined access to consumers across the globe and should harness the power of connections in more interesting ways.  
6. Put the world to work for you: Technology has unleashed the wisdom of the crowd and brands can build on tech optimism to channel their customers' creativity.
7. Turn up the intensity of shared experiences: Brands can leverage technology to expand and elevate shared experiences; look beyond the ordinary and consider partnering with artists to enhance and deepen brand involvement.
8. Respect the mode: Consumers today switch between modes of separation and integration, and seek service and product solutions to help them feel in control.  Brands will benefit by providing a flexible feature set that speaks to the multi-modal life.
9. Un-connect the dots: Consumers want to interpret your brand—to make your brand's story their own. So give them the building blocks and let them put the pieces together.
10. Build gated communities: Safety and privacy create major barriers for self-expression online; private communities help consumers feel secure and confident when engaging with your brand online.
11. Get serious about game play: Game play is no longer relegated to the domain of kids—as technology makes brands more interactive, consumers expect to engage with brands in ways that mimic "play." Be it betting, competing, constructing or solving puzzles, consumers look for ways to take time out and have a little fun with your brand.
12. Let people mess with your brand: The creative impulse abounds, and today, any and all content is fair game for experimentation, adaptation and reinterpretation. This includes your brand!  Companies need to embrace this trend and enable consumers to reimagine and remix brand assets.

How the Research Was Conducted  

A nationally representative sample was conducted with 1200 tech savvy kids and their families across America with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 12. The first round of data collection occurred in 2010, and a second round was conducted in April 2011.  Ogilvy Chicago also conducted in-home ethnographies with tech savvy kids and their families.  Communispace conducted a series of qualitative studies including interactive conversations, image galleries, and other dynamic and exploratory activities with its proprietary online community members, which involved some 100 technology-savvy families with children between the age of 3 and 12.  

The full research paper can be found online at www.ogilvy.com/techfastforward and www.communispace.com/techfastforward.

About Ogilvy:  

Ogilvy & Mather is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. Through its specialty units, the company provides a comprehensive range of marketing services including: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing. Ogilvy & Mather services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 450 offices in 120 countries. It is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY).  For more information, visit www.ogilvy.com.  

About Communispace:

The world's most admired brands turn to Communispace, the leader in generating game-changing insights via private online customer communities. Founded in 1999, the company has created more than 400 customer communities for industry leaders such as Kraft, Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, Hallmark, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, and Hilton Hotels Corporation. Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, the company has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, London, New York, San Francisco, as well as Imperia, Italy and Sydney, Australia. For more information, visit www.communispace.com

SOURCE Ogilvy & Mather

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