Youth spend an average of $400/month on guess what: non-staple items like music, movies, trendy clothes and fast food.

Where are youth are getting their disposable income?
In short, more parental figures: grandparents who live longer, their parents and stepparents. It's called six-pocket syndrome

Today the average family has "1.7" kids. Those 1.7 kids are each getting 40% more cash than they did when there were the proverbial "2.4 kids". (Statistics Canada, 1999). Fully 67% of women and 74% of men aged 20 to 24 who were unmarried were living at home in 1999. This adds further weight to the argument that young money is going less towards rent and food and more to fun and play. (Statistics Canada, 1999)

Kids believe- true or not- that they're the ones who figured out and spread the word that Mountain Dew has lots of caffeine. The caffeine thing was not in any of Mountain Dew's television ads. This drink was hot by word of mouth." - Business Week, Feb 1999

So how can you appeal to young people (and their pockets)? Youth value individual experience and peers more than other markets. Combined with their innate use of, and love for, technology the way is paved for the preeminence of viral marketing.

Nothing will make a young person buy something more than having their friends, or even someone they've just met, telling them how a new brand, product or service has literally changed the way they do, or approach, things.

A Couple of Other Basic Tips:

Employ whatever methods you can to make sure you never lose touch with the street. From hanging out on Queen St. and Kensington once a month to immersing yourself in video games at the Playdium to reading Teen People - any effort you make to see their world will rub off on your business. You'll immediately see emerging and raging trends and start to understand how they can start impacting your youth-oriented business.

Don't depend on your brand name but only if you don't rest on your laurels. Ten years ago, the biggest brand of shoes was Reebok and the biggest brand of jeans was Levi's. Well, it's Air Jordan not Pump Jordan and it's "Everybody in Khakis" not "Everybody in 501s".

This, of course, is all set to change in the next nano-second.

Pumas and scooters were hot this summer as was the color orange. The fall is full of more ponchos and retro earthy fashion than you can shake a rain stick at. What does this all mean? Well, give us an afternoon and we'll tell you. In the meantime, use the constant ebb and flow of trends and attitudes as your guide.

Be like sharks: if you don't keep moving, you'll die.

Nitasha Kapoor
NRG Conductor, nitasha@thenrggroup.com