The report is somewhat akin to a soft ‘moral panic’ stating that young people who are kings of the digital age are costly to keep, pragmatic, lacking idealism and generally lost or confused in a world of endless choice, much of which is bought on by their being endlessly online. The internet and social media is in part blamed for young people’s lack of reflexivity and a ‘look at me’ culture, meanwhile the growth of social contacts via Orkut has fuelled increased party attendance and this is blmed for increased drinking and drug taking amongst Brazilians.The article however also seeks to criticise teens for having lost the sense of revolution that their parents exhibited, worrying only about getting into stable employment and receiving a good salary.
The shift in power relations due to adoption of technologies is also seen as a factor behind how young people now increasingly control household spending behaviour and the fact that young people are now 5 times more expensive than 30 years ago.
The article which starts by drawing comparison to Holden Caulfield’s crisis of 2 generations ago ends with a list of recommendations to parents on how to raise their children with reference to such issues as – how to get them to answer the phone, or stop exposing too much of their lives online!

If you would like to know more about our own extensive and less sensationalist research report into Young Lives across South America – please click here

TWRAmericas have recently completed a major study of Trends among young consumers (ages 15-19) in Brasil across various cities and with youth of a variety of ages.

The study looked at a range of issues inclusing young peoples values and influences, the role that media and new technologies play in their lives, as well as the role of brands and advertising within their own youth cultures.

The research involved a wide range of qualitative methodologies – from focus groups to online interviews and digital ethnography

If you would like to know more about the project or to see some of the findings please get in touch and we’ll send  a copy of the Vidas Jovens DVD Report to you.

Samsung launched their action “Its Hot, Its Cold” by putting a block of ice in front of the luxurious Shopping Morumbi with the company’s products inside. The promotion will giveaway products to the consumer that hits – or near – the date, time and exact minute when the cube has completely melted. Through infrared laser sensors, an alarm will be triggered when the ice thaws.

The promotion was made in partnership with the interactive agency Digital One in partnership with Dudinka.

To mark the UN Environment Day, TWRAmericas undertook a series of discussion groups with Brazilians to look not only at the issues as they relate to consumers in Brazil but also broader issues of sustainable development and ethical consumerism. The groups approached a broad range of subjects including current behaviours and responses to a range of ‘green’ advertising and activities by brands. Their are a series of 5 video clips with the thoughts of the participants. Please feel free to add your own own comments or thoughts on the issues discussed.

In this third section of clips respondents discuss a range of green advertising and its influence on their behaviour as consumers.

To mark the UN Environment Day, TWRAmericas undertook a series of discussion groups with Brazilians to look not only at the issues as they relate to consumers in Brazil but also broader issues of sustainable development and ethical consumerism. The groups approached a broad range of subjects including current behaviours and responses to a range of ‘green’ advertising and activities by brands. Their are a series of 5 video clips with the thoughts of the participants. Please feel free to add your own own comments or thoughts on the issues discussed.

In this third section of clips respondents discuss a number of Brazilian consumers and their green activities.

To mark the UN Environment Day, TWRAmericas undertook a series of discussion groups with Brazilians to look not only at the issues as they relate to consumers in Brazil but also broader issues of sustainable development and ethical consumerism. The groups approached a broad range of subjects including current behaviours and responses to a range of ‘green’ advertising and activities by brands. Their are a series of 5 video clips with the thoughts of the participants. Please feel free to add your own own comments or thoughts on the issues discussed.

In this third section of clips respondents discuss a number of issues surrounding their own behaviour and what might influence this in the future along with some potential measures which governments might adopt to better assist consumers act in a more ecologically sympathetic manner.

To mark the UN Environment Day, TWRAmericas undertook a series of discussion groups with Brazilians to look not only at the issues as they relate to consumers in Brazil but also broader issues of sustainable development and ethical consumerism. The groups approached a broad range of subjects including current behaviours and responses to a range of ‘green’ advertising and activities by brands. Their are a series of 5 video clips with the thoughts of the participants. Please feel free to add your own own comments or thoughts on the issues discussed.

As the second set of clips show, Brazilians, or a certan sector of Brazilian society is well travelled and well informed and has customarily adapted experiences from other societies and cultures. Our groups included individuals with direct first hand experience of visiting other countries and shared their thoughts on how Brazil compares to the practices elsewhere… The clips can be viewed with annotatios by clicking here

One of Brazil’s longest standing brands announced a makeover in its visual look last week in an attempt to “rescue an identity lost in recent years”. With a campaign set to run across different media platforms, Caloi aims to return to its once dominant position in the Brazilian bicycle market.  With the launch of a new website and campaigns across the Cartoon Network and Telecine, Caloi also aims to launch events at airports to promote its 110 years of bicycles in Brazil.  The brand was born in 1898 when the Italian Luigi Caloi arrived in Brazil and founded the company in Sao Paulo, originally importing bicycles from Italy but after difficulties experienced during the Second World War the company began making their own bikes. The company reached its peak in terms of public awareness during the 1970’s with TV ad campaigns  such as this here…

In the 1980s Caloi were joined in the national market by Monark whose target market was more the adult cyclist while Caloi focused on the youth market.  Though having a limited public profile the brand has increasingly attempted to use niche marketing techniques and sponsored sporting events aimed at young people.  The company ceased to be a family owned entity in 1999 when the company was sold. The brand now incorporates not only bicycles but a range of fitness products.  The company also has a US subsidiary opened in the 1990s and based in Florida. The US based Caloi, now big in the cruiser market, moved from mountain biking into the road-racing market and for some time co-sponsored the Motorola-Caloi team. Among those cyclists who rode Caloi bicycles designed by Eddie Mercx, was Lance Armstrong, as the main athlete.
Source – Geocorp

We have been following with interest the increasing number of examples worldwide of consumer created marketing. Click here for a few more examples from the Digital Dialogues site.  The phenomenon seems to have reached Brazil where last week the US airline operator JetBlue announced its landing here in Brazil in a somewhat innovative manner. 

• The public have been invited to enter the company’s YOU CHOOSE site – available here and once registered then go on to do any one of the following
• choose the name of the airline
• characteristics of the service
• the airline routes
• the uniforms of in-flight attendants (could be interesting) 

 The rise in the ‘Wisdom of Crowds’ approach to marketing is naturally of interest to us and as researchers it would be easy to be critical of this form of consumer consultation. That said we’ll be keeping an eye on the progress of JetBlue in weeks to come.