The  Young Lives project is one of a number of trends studies undertaken here in South America by TWRAmericas. The project has run over 3 months with young people between the ages of 15 and 19 from different cities and socio-economic groups and incorporated a wide range of trends analysis and qualitative methodologies, from group discussions and time spent with young people in their spaces to online interviews and observation of their digital communities.

The youth market in Brazil is important not just because of its scale but also because of a range of demographic, social and economic changes evident in this emerging economy all of which are influencing the consumer culture here.

We initially set out to explore the values, identities and influences amongst young Brazilians. Some of the key issues which emerged include their increasingly global perspective and the role of new media within this, the changing family and gender dynamics in Brazilian society but also the more immediate implications of local issues many of which focus on relationships to community – in the many forms that that takes nowadays.

The subjects of media and technologies were unifying themes for all of the project participants. We observed a number of trends that are of course increasingly global amongst this age group  – their comfort at multi-tasking, the emergence of a generation that is used to Free media, the ways in which content is sourced and shared amongst individuals and peer groups.

We also saw how mobile technologies and the desire to be permanently online shape their lives and interactions. But also how more traditional media can still be important and the role that key media brands can play in young lives.

The project participants discussed their relationships to brands and how advertising connects or fails to connect with them. We saw how young people are increasingly adept at understanding the many forms of marketing that they encounter on a daily basis.  We looked at the role of influencer media and how they make decisions as consumers but also how new media allows them to become brand champions, critics and the means by which brand messages are shared within their peer groups.

By clicking here you can get more

1. Background Data – young people in Brazil

2. Video Report – analysis from TWRAmericas