Changing nature of youth
Lifu Zhou aka Rfu - 20, hip hop dancer, teacher and co-owner of dance studio, Speed Control Studio
"There are two kinds of people in Shenzhen; one group chases fashion closely. They read magazines like Milk and YOHO. They like to follow brands and see what cool stars are wearing, especially Hong Kong stars. The other group is doing their own thing. They start companies and make everything original. I am part of the second group" - Lifu Zhou aka Rfu20, hip hop dancer, teacher andco-owner of dance studio, Speed Control Studio.
Starting in December of 2008 we took a look at Chinese youth, like Rfu, to see how digital media affects their lives and how brands should navigate these media.
In the past year, this group has seen a series of big, never-before-seen events that rocked their world. Conflicts with foreigners over Tibetan freedom, Edison Chen's sex scandal, new recycling measures, the Sichuan earthquake and Olympics mania challenged how youth perceived the world and their place in it. Personal issues like sex, nationalism, exclusion and community were re-evaluated and are being redefined.
Specifically, our aim was to investigate how these events and consequences are being experienced by youth in China. By studying how trendsetters and tastemakers are evolving in two key cities, Shanghai and Shenzhen, we can plot the course of how youth's changing attitudes and ideals will drive the future. We aim to forecast how they will perceive themselves ultimately, how they will want to be communicated with, created for and known.
Changes & ChangePoint Opportunities
- From faking it to being truthful
- From hiding feelings to calling for privacy
- From me to we
- From west is best to domestic chic
- From factory to studio creations: Identity and creativity
- From transactions to experiences
- From fitting in to standing out
Download the full report (pdf, 779kb)
Study brought to you by Bates141Evision in partnership with bergstromtrends.com. To know more on how Bates141 can help your brand connect with the Chinese youth better please get in touch with fareeda.jia@bates141.com.