Today's Ypulse Interview is with Jacquie Lane, VP, TeenEyes Division at C&R Research. C&R is the exclusive research sponsor of the Ypulse Mashup in July and will be running our pre-conference session Deep Dive: Understanding Tweens and Teens. Here's a sneak peek at what you'll get from this pre-conference session.
Ypulse: First, tell us about how C+R does its tween/teen research and describe the specific research you plan to present in the pre-conference.
Jacquie Lane: C&R is a full service research firm with several specialty divisions. We have been conducting both qualitative and quantitative research in the youth space for over 25 years. The consulting and research we do for our clients in the youth space comes out of our two youth specialty divisions KidzEyes and TeensEyes.
The research we are presenting at the pre-conference is actually a first look at our soon to be released semi-annual syndicated report - YouthBeat. YouthBeat is a comprehensive report providing an in-depth view of today's youth covering ages 6 to 18. The overall report is based on approximately 9,000 monthly interviews of kids, tweens and teens ages 6 to 18 (Grades K-12). Released in two waves; Spring and Fall, each wave tracks the mobility of usage and behavior trends by season and year. Overall, the report is a comprehensive look at key psychographics, attitudes, and usage behaviors of kid's, tweens and teens. The topics covered include: Activities and Hobbies, Music, Media Consumption (TV, Magazine, Radio, Internet), Advertising, Electronics, Earning and Consumer Spending, Shopping, Snacks/Food/Beverages, Social Awareness, Video Games, and Movies.
At the Ypulse Mashup, we will be focusing on the tween and teen targets, and showcasing the findings on technology, the internet, media habits, and some general lifestyle and attitudinal details.
YP: What can attendees expect to take away from the Deep Dive session?
JL: A broader perspective of the audience, an understanding of who they really are, what they're about, and some opportunities and ideas on how to succeed with tweens and teens.
YP: Is there a research finding over the past year that really surprised you or challenged your assumptions?
JL: Nothing entirely surprising per se, just the constant reminder that there are so many misconceptions about this demographic. Despite what we hear in the media, they're not all social network junkies, they still have their "couch potato" moments, and the psychology of being young is nearly the same as it's always been. They certainly have more influences, opportunities and gadgets to interact with, but overall they're still at their stage in their lives when they're trying find out who they are, what they like, and who they aspire to be.
YP: Lots of conferences have teen panels - how will the Deep Dive session be different?
JL: Well, first the real purpose for doing the live panel is not only to bring the research findings to life, but also to give the audience the opportunity to really engage with their core consumers. It's amazing how often we find that companies who target teens don't ever really talk to them directly. The live panel is about the experience more than anything else. As for what makes our panels different....honestly, a lot of it comes down to good moderating. When we conduct these types of panels for our clients and their marketing and brand teams, they always have an exciting and engaging interactive experience. We know how to talk the talk without talking down to them, and can translate what they have to say into what we all want to know!
YP: Anything else you want to add?
JL: If anyone has any specific questions or topics that they'd like for us to cover either in the research presentation portion, or questions for the panel, they can send them to me anytime before July 2nd. We will attempt to incorporate the topics and questions into the session. The pre-conferences is all about giving the attendees the best and most useful information.
The 2008 Ypulse National Mashup is just a week away, and I wanted to share some news that I think will make this year's event even more dynamic and interactive. Meebo, the Web's live communications platform, has signed on as our official "chat room" sponsor. This means that there will be a "back channel" live chat happening during our event. We are creating a Meebo room just for Ypulse Mashup attendees to discuss issues raised by our speakers and ask questions during the event. As if you needed one more reason to register.....
