To start off the fresh spring season in Beijing, China Youthology and GroupM are pleased to release our media habits report, Chinese Youth Mediascapes: A Cultural Perspective

Last year, China Youthology collaborated with GroupM in a Qualitative and Quantitative consolidated research which took us about half a year to investigate the media habits of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Chinese youth, the cultural role of media, and what youth care about media. These insights we hope can inspire new principles to media strategy for you.

China Youthology is available to give greater in-depth presentations using the full report, allowing you to dive deeper and discuss the nuanced findings. In addition, the full quantitative data gathered from this study is also made available to help foster greater analysis and insights. Please contact us for more information and syndicated subscriptions.

We’d love to hear your ideas, responses, and experiences.

Check out the slides below, check out the Chinese version here. For a PDF version in English or Chinese, email zafka.zhang[at]chinayouthology.com

Filed under: China Youthology News, Internet & Web2.0, Trends, Advertising, China, China Youthology, group m, marketing, media channels, media habits, mobile, online, report, tv, youth | Post a comment

This January, community manager Candy Yang was invited to hold BUTTER 17 at the third annual Make A Difference youth workshop in Hong Kong. MaD is all about inspiring and empowering Asian youth, and we were honored for the invite.

80 young people signed up to participate, and this time, they were all speakers. We divided youth into different groups, so everyone could  share their stories about on the theme of ‘change’ (like what’s the biggest change in last year? What’s your aspirational change in the coming year?’) All the participants were encouraged to make friends, exchanging gifts and planning to exchange more if they realize their dreams in the coming year.

Check out the video below for some of the dreams that were shared (quite a few are in English too). In the future, we hope Butter can continue to spread, and help more youth realize their dreams!

Filed under: China Youthology News, Internet & Web2.0, Social volunteer, Butter Youth Conference, China, MaD, Make a Difference, youth, Youth Conference | Post a comment

In November we held Butter Youth Conference 16, and the first ever Butter Workshop. Butter Workshop is a new engagement event to provide chances for face-to-face communication with the speakers and first-hand experiences of their projects.

Here are some memorable sentiments from our participants.

Che Lu, Designer, Initiator of ‘Be Proud of The Teen in You’ Project

Tag: Youth Project

Che and his friends initiated the ‘Be Proud of The Teen in You’ project to encourage youth to maintain curiosity and embrace possibilities through a series of courses and activities.

Website: http://teen4.us/

“Don’t rush to be mature. Keep a child’s heart. Be curious. Be sensitive. It’s the most meaningful time in your life.”

+++++

Jay Mark Caplan, Youthologist

Tag: Hobbies, Lifestyle

Jay is works for China Youthology, and has taught himself a lot of skills like graphic design, video production, and comic books. He has been able to create a great career path through self- learning, even without a clear dream to chase.

“Even if you don’t know exactly what your dreams are, follow your curiosity and focus on learning more. Keep learning, keep growing, and everything will be fine.”

+++++

Zhang Chi, Founder of Douban Group named ‘The Eco-cycology Life’

Tag: The Eco-cycology Life, Lifestyle

Chi learned about ‘The Eco-cycology Life’ of reducing consumption, and found it so interesting that she is building a community around this lifestyle for Chinese youth.

Website: http://www.douban.com/group/168861/

“We live in this world and then we leave. We can’t take anything with us when we die. Owning an experience is more meaningful than owning material things.”

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Zhang Qibin, University Student, founder of campus community

Tag: Public Sphere, Community Building, Youth Development

Qibin created and built up a public sphere for initiating salon culture for sharing good ways of life at his university.

“We believe that the ideal public space  belongs to everyone. And the most ideal life is that you can connect to the earth you are living on and the people you are living with.”

+++++

Zhang Yifan, Founder of ‘Grapevine Wineclub’

Tag: Wine Culture, Self-enterprise

Yifan became geeky about wine during her overseas study experience in South Africa, and now she has her own wine club.

Website: http://site.douban.com/127835/

“If you ask me that what’s the most important thing for an entrepreneur，I will say that it’s START. No matter what ideas you have, you can only find your way to realize it by starting.”

+++++

Yang Cheng (in place of Gao Lei, founder of ‘IMLAB’)

Tag: Social Innovation, Self-enterprise

Yang Cheng works with IMLAB, a studio that uses sociological research to provide inspirations and solutions for product design.

Website: ttp://weibo.com/imlab

“We founded IMLAB to design for people around us. We want to go back to daily life to find the small needs of people around us. And we try to fulfill those needs with our designs. That’s how we can create value for people.”

+++++

Filed under: China Youthology News, Creative culture, Qing Gong Guan, Butter, China youth, dreams | Post a comment

Chinese Singles Embracing Independence

By Iris Bian and Jay Mark Caplan

This year, a holiday made up by lonely university students was bigger than Christmas for online retailers in China. Marketers, it’s time to get to know China’s new singles culture.

On Singles Day (光棍节), T- Mall shops sold over 3.36 billion RMB worth of goods in 24 hours, compared to 936 million RMB last Christmas. Alipay did over 439 million transactions, and there weren’t enough couriers in the country to handle all the delivery traffic.

It’s no surprise that consumers rushed to get in on great sales.  But why was Singles Day, of all holidays, such a great one for online retailers to rally Chinese youth?

One reason is that Singles Day enjoyed a surge in popularity this year because it fell on 11/11/11, a ‘Super Singles Day’ that incited extra buzz and participation among Chinese youth.

Another reason is that Singles Day is closely connected to online youth culture. Singles Day has been popularized mostly through Internet word of mouth, which makes the holiday perfect for e- commerce promotions that spread hype through digital influence.

But there’s an important cultural driver behind Singles Day success. Far from a fad, Singles Day is part of the rise of a new singles culture in China.

SINGLES IN POP CULTURE: NEW LIFESTYLE ROLE MODELS

Just look at the hit romantic comedy Love Is Not Blind (失戀33天) about a young woman breaking up and dealing with the challenges of being single (before eventually finding a new boyfriend of course). Released November 8 to coincide with ‘Singles Day,’ the low- budget film achieved a box office gross of over 30 million RMB in one week, one of the most successful releases ever for a Chinese film. Slogans for the film were ‘When you’re in love, be crazy; when you lose love, be independent!’ (爱，就疯狂；不爱，就坚强！), and ’Breaking up can be a chance to love yourself again’ (失恋或许就是让你重新喜欢上自己…).

There’s also the sitcom smash hit Secret Society of Men (男人帮) chronicling the lifestyles of successful single guys in Shanghai. According to director Zhao Bao Gang, Secret Society of Men is intended as a ‘love textbook’ that provides strategies for youth to deal with being single in today’s urban realities. On Singles Day, the cast of Secret Society of Men was featured in promotions by 360buy.com, offering tips on how to use consumption to woo the opposite sex like “Reading a book is actually about letting her know what you are reading’ (看书，是让她知道你在看什么) or ‘Some laptops will set you apart from others’ (知道拿什么笔记本会让你显得有事业吗).

ALL THE WOMEN WHO ARE INDEPENDENT: CHANGING SINGLE STATUS

Today, an increasing number of young Chinese women (and men) are staying single. Traditionally, unmarried twenty- something women are considered ‘shengnu’ or ‘leftover girls,’ perceived as less desirable and excluded from mainstream ideals of success.

But now young women have more freedom to achieve independent success and explore exciting urban lifestyles, with higher expectations of potential grooms and less incentive to marry. Meanwhile, many young men are unable to buy property that most women (and parents) insist is necessary for marriage in the midst of a real estate bubble, and are frustrated and confused finding a partner in changing times. Divorce rates are high, and new divorce laws passed this year have made marriage a more dubious investment, with shared property reverting to the original owner.

Until recently, ageing singles reacted by feeling bad about themselves and trying to find a partner as quickly as possible.

But now, single men and women are embracing new independent values, and searching for successful single lifestyles to match.

The core value of Singles Day is breaking the status imbalance between singles and couples by delivering the message that life can still be awesome without a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Breaking status imbalances is not just for singles, either. Many Chinese youth are frustrated with status quo culture that devalues who they are and what they like, and are looking for more accessible and rewarding ways to change and grow.

That’s the real secret of Singles Day success. For Chinese youth becoming more independent, shopping is an important means for self- improvement and learning new lifestyles. There is a strong need for products (and connected stories) that build up status and confidence for successful independent lives.

In past years, university student Da Wei celebrated Singles Day by splurging on all- night hot pot and KTV, with (unfulfilled) hopes of meeting a girl. But this year, Da Wei spent Singles Day cooped up with his dorm mates taking advantage of online sales.

“I’ve been dying for a HTC smartphone for 3 months, and now it’s half price!” said Da Wei. “I’d rather spend money on something real. Besides, it might be easier to ask for a girl’s number in the club with a cool mobile phone!”

The Singles Day spirit is promoting independent values and encouraging singles to take care of themselves and find their own partner. The mass movement feeling helps create a communal experience of banding together with other singles for comfort and support.

If you’re thinking about Singles Day promotions next year, how can you celebrate independence, and equip Chinese youth for successful independent lifestyles?

Filed under: Internet & Web2.0, Trends, Tribes, China, Chinese youth, e- commerce, love is not blind, singles day, taobao | Post a comment

By Jay Mark Caplan and Iris Bian

In 2009, white- collar worker Xie Xie took a vacation in Tibet, and fell in love with an avid backpacker named CaiCai. They parted ways and returned to office jobs in Shanghai and Guangzhou, but soon after XieXie gave CaiCai a call. “Why don’t we both quit our jobs and take a gap year together?”

XieXie and CaiCai’s 10-month journey to 18 countries became a viral sensation on Weibo, their most popular post forwarded over 75,000 times.

‘Gap Year’, or taking a year off to travel, is fast becoming a cultural trend among Chinese youth. An increasing number of first- jobbers and uni grads are putting their careers aside for journeys to exotic places like Tibet and India. These trailblazers might not be a major segment now, but they do share tensions and aspirations with a broad audience avidly following their travel adventures on social media.

A big part of the attraction of a Gap Year is escaping the drudgery of working life for new and exciting experiences. But perhaps equally important is the act of choosing for yourself.

Many Chinese youth grow up complying with expectations of their parents, taught that success comes to those that follow. But with rising uncertainty Chinese youth crave the confidence to make their own decisions. The choice to take a gap year is a rite of passage to becoming a stronger individual, the challenges of independent travel helping equip youth to take care of themselves.

Beyond personal growth, many youth also aspire to social warmth and a positive impact on others. Gap Year travel is highly associated with volunteering.

Although taking a Gap Year comes with social risks, there are also rewards: travel stories can earn Chinese youth an audience of like- minded peers. That’s perhaps why Gap Year travelers skimp and save to stretch their travel for as long as possible, but invest in professional- grade cameras: stunning photos are very shareable social media assets.

Here we take a look at five influential Gap Year stories. Enjoy!

1. Xie Xie & Cai Cai:

Xie Xie & Cai Cai’s story was widely spread on Weibo, and is probably the turning point for Gap Year gaining mainstream recognition. Many travel bloggers give travel tips, but Xie Xie and Cai Cai are special because of their fairytale romance: their courage to stand up together against the world’s expectations inspires youth struggling to do the same.

- Xie Xie

2. An Xin:

An Xin took a gap year to spread the message of social participation. Before she started her gap year in July, An Xin had already volunteered in China and Malaysia during her spare time and vacations. Since starting her gap year, An Xin has been interviewed by several media and was a speaker at TEDxGDUFS. For youth like An Xin, having an impact/ influence on others is an important attraction of a Gap Year project.

- An Xin

3. Liu Chang & Gu Yue:

The journey of Liu Chang and Gu Yue has been highly influential because they made a documentary film. Gu Yue was born in Beijing and immigrated to the US when he was twelve. He was a risk assessor in GE after graduation but felt bored. Gu Yue’s girlfriend lives in Berlin, and he got the idea to attempt to visit her without spending on an airplane, by hitchhiking across China and Europe.

Liu Chang was a documentary director also tired of urban life in Beijing. Different from Gu Yue, Liu Chang grew up in China and didn’t have much experience on the road, although highly influenced by the novel “On The Road’ and films like “Into the Wild.” He wanted to live his own travel dream, and inspire other Chinese youth to do the same.

On their year- long hitchhike to Berlin, Liu Chang and Gu Yue often had encounters with strangers, and an important theme of their journey is the importance of warmth between people.

”The trip to Berlin was just like an age ceremony at my thirties. Of course travel couldn’t solve all the problems in life, but for me at present, those problems will no longer take up all the places of life.”
- Liu Chang

“If you don’t start right now, you will never be able to do it.” - Gu Yue

5. Sun Dong Chun:

Sun published a book titled “The Late Gap Year,” and many youth discovered the concept of Gap Year from this travel bestseller. Just like most mass youth, Sun found a stable well-paid job in Guangzhou after graduation and led a cozy life. At first he tried traveling for 3 months to volunteer in India. When he returned home, he realized he had found more meaning in life while traveling, and so quit his old job to continue learning to take care of people both physically and mentally. In India, he met his wife, a Japanese girl volunteering with the same NGO, and eventually he moved to Japan to start a new life.

- Sun Dong Chun

Filed under: Social volunteer, Trends, Tribes, backpacker, China, gap year, travel, trends, youth | Post a comment

This month’s Butter Youth Conference was a special edition, part of the Sohu 789 culture festival. Thanks very much to Cai Huoche Café for the great event space!

Check out the video below for a quick recap.

We had another six awesome speakers, here are some of our favorite quotes from their stories:

Jiang Yan, 21-yrs-old, gap year practitioner

After she graduates, Jiang Yan is going to take a year off and travel the world by bicycle.

“Why do I need a gap year? I want to find out and convince myself what I want from my life. And I think that a meaningful gap year should not be a huge gap separate from your  life. What you experience and what you learn in your gap year should benefit your future.”

Yun Jia, 21-yrs-old, founder of Jiayuan, a social participation platform for students

This self- motivated guy founded Jiayuan to provide more volunteer jobs and help more students learn from the volunteer experience.

“I spent two year in wasting time playing. I didn’t feel I had any personal value until I started to volunteer. I appreciate those people who give me a chance to help them, to help me learn and grow. I wish that more and more campus students can find their personal value by providing value to others.”

Kevin Mei, 22-yrs-old, TEDxBLCU Founder

Kevin wanted to change how his community shares ideas, so he got involved with TEDx, and his mission ended up taking nearly all three years of his college time.

“I think that Chinese universities need more TED. To make the atmosphere of communication better, to share new info about the outside world, to inspire campus students to dream big and change, to care about their personal growth.”

Wu Tong, 27-yrs-old, member of ‘SambAsia Beijing’

Wu Tong is a proud participant in SambAsia Beijing, a community school and performance group for Brazilian samba percussion and dance.

“I came to Beijing to realize my dream of being a star. But I found that I can’t devote myself to that like others.  I think many young people are in the same situation as me- we get along doing something for a long time without passion or true love. We continue without too much thinking day by day. I wanted something that I am really interested in. For you can only get the real enjoyment when doing things you love.”

Ren Haibao，28-yrs-old, initiator of ‘City Tent Living’

Ren Haibao was searching for the meaning of ‘home’, so he moved out of his house and started his urban tent living journey.

“I spent one month living in a tent after I broke up with my girlfriend. Before my tent journey, I used to think that you find home in a lover’s heart. You devote yourself and you live in it so that you feel warm and happy. But after the tent journey, I realize that home is a strong heart inside yourself. You can’t rely on anybody but yourself. Only your heart is strong enough to protect you.”

Hou Maimai, 26-yrs-old, director of an animation documentary

Hou Maimai is a fans of animation and decided to shoot documentary about the animation industry. He spent one year interviewing all kinds of people in the animation industry.

“There are three kinds of people in our world: people who create, people who spread, and people who record. I am the third kind of person. I want to make a documentary about people who love animation. I do it for people in the future. I with that people can get to know this time’s animation culture. “

Filed under: Animation, China Youthology News, Creative culture, Social volunteer, Butter Youth Conference | Post a comment

Online channels are growing fast in China, and increasingly important for marketers.

But it’s not clear what online channels mean to Chinese youth, and what they can offer compared to traditional media. If your target market is all watching TV, what’s the point of digital?

This presentation works towards answering that question. We introduce some examples of how youth culture develops with online media, and how that culture contrasts with what we see in traditional media.

In your opinion, how do you feel online media plays a different role than offline media?

Filed under: Internet & Web2.0, Trends, Tribes, China, China Youthology, digital media, influence, SNS, social media, Youth marketing | 1 Comment

by Jay Mark Caplan and Iris Bian

Counterfeit designer goods are commonplace in China, but fakes don’t always match the hottest trends. After all, how can a middle- aged factory owner in Guangzhou keep up with what Kate Moss is wearing?

To remedy the situation, industrious Chinese fashionistas are using online forums and e- commerce to connect with factories and get exactly the fakes they want.

Just check out Hers.com, a popular fashion and beauty forum with hundreds of threads devoted to factory petitions.

Here’s how it works:

1. START A THREAD AND RECRUIT FOR A GROUP BUY

In late July, Hers.com user White Rose decided she simply had to have a copy of Danish model Freja Beha’s trademark Balenciaga biker jacket.

So she started a thread on Hers.com, posting photos of Freja with her jacket, and encouraging her ‘sisters’ to get on board and vote for production.

2. HOOK UP WITH A FACTORY

Factory bosses scan the forums looking for popular items. One such shanzai producer contacted White Rose saying he was interested to do the Balenciaga jacket.

3. BUY THE ORIGINAL FOR COPYING

The factory boss must obtain a real version of the item and post detailed photos to assure the girls the fakes will be up to snuff. The factory boss in question bought a real Balenciaga, posted pics, and White Rose was in business.

4. QUOTE A PRICE AND TAKE ORDERS

The factory boss then sets a rough price based on how tough the item is to make and what kind of materials are required. For the Balenciaga jacket, the factory boss tried goat and cow leather before producing a suitable fake from pig leather, and set an asking price of 280 RMB. White Rose then sent a Taobao link to all the girls who voted for the jacket, asking them to pay a deposit, and giving them a coupon code for a preferential price.

5. GET THE GOODS!

White Rose’s fake Balenciagas are still in production, and should be delivered just in time for fall.

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Some consumers use the Hers.com boards to petition for expensive duplicates of luxury styles. Others want cheap knock- offs of popular branded goods.

But the most loyal users are choosy leading- edge consumers seeking trendy items they can’t get in China. These influencers use photos of celebrities, references from fashion media, and outright campaigning to convince other users that their desired item is this season’s must- have, and generate enough demand to get it made.

So what does this kind of e- commerce/ social media team up mean for the fashion industry in China?

CONSUMERS LEADING MARKET TRENDS

Chinese youth are not waiting for marketers to tell them what they want. Avid fashion followers are informing themselves on global trends, and spreading influence like wildfire through social media networks. And with Taobao, even lower tier youth can (and do) easily adopt top tier styles, creating a gaping chasm between local retail development and consumer expectations.

Talking down to China with slipshod ‘localization’ is going to become increasingly futile as more Chinese youth plug in to global styles. If you aren’t giving them what they want, they can easily find someone else who will.

STATUS = STYLE LEADERSHIP

Make no mistake, affluent youth still relish the opportunity to walk into a fancy mall and snag a designer handbag just because they can. But dressing smart is becoming as important as dressing expensive.

Chinese youth are learning a more sophisticated design language, able to recognize quality construction and trademark style cues. Fashionable youth now assign status to the most skillful application of style codes, not the most ostentatious logos.

That means even luxury brands need to stay sharp if they want to maintain market relevance.

MIX AND MATCH AUTHENTICITY

Youth are more brand- savvy than ever, but the role of authentic branded goods is becoming more nuanced. The new cool is to splurge on one or two legitimate designer pieces, and having the skill and sensibility to seamlessly mix and match with affordable online purchases.

Learning when and where Chinese youth demand legit branded goods, and when just the right look will do, is going to be essential for forward- thinking retail strategies.

+++++

Chinese youth are still followers when it comes to style trends, but are most definitely global leaders when it comes to innovating consumer/ producer relationships, and remodeling the meaning of branded goods.

Why shouldn’t pirated fashion be as acceptable as pirated music, when the copies are as good as the originals? Like ownership of songs, ownership of styles can be renegotiated.

The music industry had to adapt, and the fashion industry will soon also have to rethink their value added in order to keep up with Chinese youth.

Filed under: Fashion & visual arts, Internet & Web2.0, Trends, Tribes, China, consumers, designer, e- commerce, Fashion, shanzai, social media | 2 Comments

By Jay Mark Caplan

On July 24 2011, China Youthology held the second Youthology Salon, China Tribes, at Central Studios in Shanghai.

We invited China’s community of youth marketers to share understanding about interest- based youth communities, and how marketers can collaborate with them. We want to thank all participants for coming out and contributing to the conversation!

The Salon White Paper below summarizes the market insights and implications discussed at the Salon, as well as those drawn from our China Tribes research and other expert interviews.

Check out a video of our Salon below. Drop us a message if you want to participate next time.

Filed under: Internet & Web2.0 | 1 Comment

Download the first issue of our new quarterly publication, Youthology Journal!

Part academic digest, part field diary, Youthology Journal presents market trends and culture shifts from the youth perspective.

Most of the content is drawn from our blog, but redesigned as a snazzy PDF magazine for your reading pleasure. Available in English and Chinese versions, too.

Youthology Journal is a free publication. If you want to subscribe, send us an email at jay.caplan[at]chinayouthology.com

Update: Download links had a problem, but are now fixed. If you couldn’t get Youthology Journal before, try again!

Download English

Download Chinese

Filed under: China Youthology News, Trends, youthology journal | 1 Comment