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The Thai youth market
11th May 2000
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The youth market is critical not only to marketers marketing youth targeted products, but also all consumer products. Building brand awareness in youth has been a mainstay of mainstream consumer products and services marketers who wish to build brand loyalty not only now but for the future.
Certainly the youth market controls a still increasing proportion of disposable income thoughout most developed and developing countries in Asia. Entry level salaries are increasing from their very low levels of yesteryear, and middle to upper-class parents, contrary to common belief, are often very generous with allowances to their children.
But it is in building brand loyalty that the youth market has the largest potential. Banks in countries world-wide traditionally offer special "youth" accounts tailored for this market, losing on small bank balances early but gaining from the awareness of the brand when youth converts to mainstream accounts and services. CNN today offers a youth market program for much the same reasons, and Apple's strategy of donating their computers to schools, was the closest Apple came to winning the PC race with IBM and DOS/Windows a decade or so back.
The Thai youth market shares some common characteristics with other Asian and Western youth markets. Yet there are some major differences. Thai youth are perhaps the most fashionable of certainly their neighbours and perhaps most of Asia. The Thai advertising industry produces some of the most creative promotions in Asia, despite budgets that are extremely low. Thai youth attitudes are affected by the same Buddhist religious and national culture that pervades Thailand generally. In comparason to Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism, this culture encourages individualism, youthful idealism and tolerance and respect for divergent views. It also shares the respect for age and family. At the same time however, it is conservative - embracing change, ...but cha cha.. (slowly.. slowly..)
Marketers could do well to review the summary of this recent survey from ACNielsen on Thai youth attitudes. Reinforced is the very strong influence of Japanese role models and trends, mirroring the Japanese influence in business following Japan's massive investments in Thailand in the past couple of decades......
Earlier this year ACNielsen conducted a study to "better understand young Thai people's current lifestyle, values, interests, and opinions" and to "explore attitudes to the future" in terms of personal, family, and social impacts. Dubbed the "Millenium Buzz" project under the ACNielsen Activate brand, the results contain some interesting results, though based on a fairly small sample. The methodology involved 4 Mini-Groups in Bangkok with respondents made up of students and young working adults aged 18-30 of both sexes. Five interviews with "Care-takers" & "Social Commentators" - parents, a high school teacher, a radio DJ, a fashion designer, and an artiste-singer were also adminstered. Mini-group interviews took 2 to 2 and a half hours and used projective techniques such as collages. picture sorting, life documentation (disposable cameras technique), and the "precious posessions" method. According to the interviewers, Thitaphol Chuathong & Chularatana Arthasarnprasit, "...the interviews were rich in their findings and highlighted the strong sense of roots, changing community and changing family values in contemporary Thailand...".
The key findings are summarised below:
| Coming out of the recession |
The working adults reported hardships in coping with the economic crisis in terms of:
- loss of business
- paying off debts
- tougher competition
- higher education is not enough now, work experience is needed also when applying for a job
- Teens, on the other hand, spent time and money collecting brand names.
- Well known brands last longer, match what one’s friends are wearing, look modern, affluent
- Today teenagers dress up more , try to follow fashions closely, dare to express themselves. "They are braver today" said a higher school teacher.
- Fashion center - Japan
- Influenced by TV, actresses, pop singers
- A lot of people study abroad, and bring back influences
- Higher standard of living
- More educational options available with private colleges (High School teacher)
- New techniques in education. Scientific approach/beliefs more effective
- Don’t just believe what you are told, but value the truth. Believe what we see and hear
- Now more variety of occupations
- Housework easier - more facilities, washing machine, micro-wave, can buy readymade food
- More working women, don’t care to rely on husband, have their own salary, own budget for spending
- Now in marriage, women don’t just want to please their husband, but also want to be themselves
- Take care of health, and body. Care about food intake, make up (women)
- More travel, tourism, to the beaches, forests, mountains, nature
- Religion in bad shape, leaders behave badly
- Not afraid of sinning
- Problems, concerns, worries shared with friends, not family
- People more ambitious now.
- Both parents work, less time spent with kids, more tension at home
- Mothers compensate by giving their children money or buy them things
- Material things substitute for love
- Things are easy to buy, so many shopping malls nowadays
- Kids don’t know the concept of saving
- Parents blame themselves, can’t scold children, want to avoid conflict
- Parents feel if they are too strict, there will be too much pressure on the kids, affecting their education / mind, etc
- May have to accept changes - can’t control them, only guide them, otherwise will do something and not tell you
- Children hide things from their parents - pack clothes and change after tuition class
- Children less confident now, closer to friends
- They copy friends, can’t live without the acceptance of friends
- Talk for a long on the telephone, even after midnight
- Dress a certain way - to be accepted by the group
- Used to live in large extended families with grandparents - now more and more people are living as nuclear families
- 10 years ago, people were more gentle, more respectful. Now they are more aggressive now, more self involved, think only of themselves
- Today’s teens want to be popular, like a pop star or actress on TV, model - someone who is creative, confident
- Nicole is a very important symbol for the creative teenager - she is smart and energetic
- Radio DJ important source for problem solving - someone to talk to
| 2010: Anticipated Changes |
- No borders any more between neighboring countries
- People will love each other more, more afraid of wars
- One language all over the world
- Ideas will become similar globally, people will be smarter and adopt the same ideas
- Women will be working more, more efficient and capable than men
- Men and women will be more equal
- Thai ladies will be leaders in decision making
- People will live alone more, wont marry too soon, will want to be independent first
- Live together and have many partners to try out
- Looser morals, don’t care who they sleep with
- Teenagers too bold, will like to shock people
- Preserve the forests, no animal testing
- Hope that people will be judged by their ability, not by their looks or personality
- More in vitro babies
- Wont live with grandparents, there’ll be fewer kids
- Children will live away from home since an early age
- Parents won’t control their kids much. Kids will be more independent and liberated
- Lots more competition, kids will study harder
- Education will be open to all, not just those with money
- More condos
- Glass domed home - when it rains at night it will be so romantic
- 1000 seat theatres
- Private viewing for 2
- Movies in your home
- Outrageous fashions, people will do a double take
- Unisex, want look at each other
- Men will wear lip gloss
- No restaurants, get food from vending machines
- No waitresses. A screen will come up, just order what you want
- Chilled drinks without refrigeration
- Unusual foods, don’t gain weight
- Concentrated nutrition so you don’t have to eat a lot
- More natural foods, will get into your bloodstream faster
- Surgery - so you don’t have to look old any more
- 1 medicine for all diseases
- See the results immediately, especially skin treatment
- Wont need doctors anymore, will have medicines with no side effects
- Genetically modified products
| 2010: Product/Service Suggestions |
- Hair Care: (Men)
- Driven by convenience
- Shampoo with no water needed
- Use shampoo and it lasts for 1 month
- Hair Care: (Women)
- Shampoo for wavy hair, for straight hair
- Do it yourself - don’t need to go to the salon
- Skin Care:
- spray on lotion
- spray or apply on tan - like a mask - which lasts 1-2 days
- Will have masks, wont need to use make up any more
- 2-in-1 : cancer prevention and sunscreen, all in one
- Internet:
- The world will be smaller. Can see and buy everything on the internet
- Can stay in bed and wait until they deliver it. No time wasted searching
- Catalogues for the future season on the websites
- Home pages with prices and where available
- Services - Banks
- Monthly interest, don’t have to wait a year
- Micro-chip credit cards same as car key, ID card - like a bar code in the body
- On line transactions from home, can see the teller’s face
- Transactions on the telephone, give cash without leaving the house
- Both fashion and technology expected to change rapidly
- Food is usually slower to change in all Asian countries
- Banking a notable exception, though considered important
- Health and personal care not as important nor expected to change much
- Some optimism, some worry, some concerns about the future
- That there will be significant changes, there is little doubt
- Teenagers are following the textbook - using dress to express their biological coming of age, their independence from their parents
- Almost magically, the weird teens transform into disciplined, socially attuned young working adults
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Today's item contains research data summarised with permission from a presentation by ACNielsen in Bangkok, Thailand April 2000. Thanks to Thailand Tale's Kriengsak Nirattapanasai for arranging permission and ACNielsen Thailand |
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