Future Youth Trends

If yours is a youth based radio station…Hot AC to CHR, Urban to Rock, your livelihood demands that you stay on top of trends for your audience. After all, the younger end of your audience are tomorrow’s adults, making buying decisions and influencing business, and determining our success as marketers of the radio product.

There are so many diversions these days, with everything from IM to video games to I-Pods competing for their time and attention. I recently read a briefing on The Cassandra Report®, an in-depth look into the lives of 14-34 year old consumers. It’s an eye opener…a comprehensive understanding of emerging trends across a broad range of topics, including technology, entertainment, fashion, spending, marketing, attitudes and consumer products. Here are a few points that I found that reflect state of the art concepts for today youth:

MOTION PICTURE TRENDS: WHAT’S NEXT

INTERACTIVE THEATER VIEWING:
In the future, going to the movies may become more like a theme park ride, as technology makes it possible for theaters to offer an experience that includes motion, vibrations, temperature changes, wind, scents, or strobe lighting. Ultimately, viewers will be able to really “feel” a movie in theaters, not just watch it – which could give the multiplex an edge over home entertainment. We could also see the return of audience participation. Screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with live actors and props, still live on in some cities, and we think younger audience are looking for more of these participatory movie experiences. In the future, smart studios will tap into this trend, offering similar interactive experiences that buck the passive audience tradition.

DIGITAL MOVIE LIBRARIES:
Downloading TV shows was hot in the press in 2005, but we think 2006 will see movie downloading start to become more commonplace. Just as CD collections have gone the way of MP3s, movie collections will also likely go into digital storage. When movie downloading services become more user-friendly, we expect to see a dramatic increase in personal movie collections, similar to the boom we’ve seen in music collections due to the digital revolution. Because access will be greater, people will generally be more well-versed about not only Hollywood movies, but indie and classic films, as well. Up next, downloadable movies formatted for portable media devices.

FASHION TRENDS: WHAT’S NEXT

ALTERNATIVE SIZING SYSTEMS:
Fit is extremely important when it comes to fashion, yet many consumers don’t fit perfectly into existing sizing systems. To cater to a wider array of shapes and sizes, apparel will begin to incorporate additional body measurements, such as bra size, derriere size, thigh size, arm length, and shoulder width. Newly launched Rebecca & Drew Manufacturing produces button-down shirts for women that incorporate bra sizes into their shirt sizes. Notify Denim’s Body Sculpt Jean features three curve sizes, similar to bra cup sizing, to cater to a more pronounced “curve” in the derriere. Expect to see items featuring additional sizing elements or new sizing systems to satisfy a diverse consumer base.

MULTI-STYLE APPAREL:
By adding customizable features and removable parts to existing apparel, designers will enable shoppers to get more than one look out of just one piece of clothing. Brands such as Radcliffe Denim feature hidden buttonholes in the side seams of each leg, allowing wearers to insert a cufflink to create short and long versions of the jean. Expect to see more brands feature removable parts and a set of replacement parts, as well as adjustable lengths to create multiple silhouettes.

FOOD/BEVERAGE TRENDS: WHAT’S NEXT

ACAI:
The latest “it” ingredient to hit the market, acai is an antioxidant rich berry that claims to boost energy and immunity and moderate cholesterol levels. Its taste is described as a unique berry flavor, with a hint of grape and a dash of chocolate. Usually found in juice form, Acai has become a very popular smoothie ingredient and was even mentioned recently by Oprah Winfrey as one of the “ten superfoods for age-defying beauty.” Acai will be the next super drink, similar to pomegranate juice and we anticipate it popping up in trendy cocktails and smoothie joints.

PRESCRIPTION FOOD PROVISIONS:
We’ve already seen the beginning of this trend, with products that boast health benefits like Kellogg’s Heartwise cereal and 7Up Plus soda, which is fortified with vitamins and minerals, while other foods cater to more serious conditions like diabetes. We predict more food and beverage brands will treat physical and mental health problems in the future, from menopause and colon conditions, to sleeplessness and hyperactivity. With advances in science, food and beverages could ultimately serve as homeopathic alternatives to medication.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS: WHATS NEXT

MVNOs:
Cell phone companies have taken notice of the demand for niche programming, creating boutique carriers like Amp’d Mobile that offer content unavailable through bigger phone companies. MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, serve as niche content providers for a specific target audience – for instance, selling adult videos licensed from Hustler, MP3 libraries, and access to media channels featuring content from partners like Sports Illustrated and EA Games. Other companies planning launches include Disney, ESPN, and even Diddy.

SOCIAL MOBILIZATION:
It’s only a matter of time before mobile devices and social networking truly merge. We’ve seen one example of this already with Dodgeball, a service that allows users to keep track of their friends’ physical locations using friend lists and text messaging. As more cell phones come equipped with GPS, the desire to know others’ exact geographical location will only grow. In the future, we could see voice-recognition applications that can tell us which nearby restaurants our friends have recommended, taking a page from the networking sites like Friendster and MySpace and putting them conveniently in our pockets.