If you compare this with our Pan-European results, however, what’s interesting to note is the importance of Magazines in Europe, and lower percentages of those who find out about new brands and styles via the Internet. This is just the opposite of China, where the Internet is a key source. And Japan, where it’s a mixture of two elements including Magazines, but often via Mobile Phone/Internet. Many young people in Japan use magazines, such as Egg, which act almost like catalogues where they can either scan or punch in information about a brand or style and locate further information. With the rising popularity of Internet cafes as social hotspots in China, Internet continues to increase, as well as TV—based primarily on new shows that are similar to “American Idol.”
The direct opposites by culture are Europe and Japan regarding the popularity of finding out about new fashion brands and styles via Stores. In Europe, Stores are one of the key sources, especially among females. Young people not only remember the names of their favorite stores, but often site the store name as their favorite brand. This is just the opposite in Japan where finding specific stores is incredibly difficult and young people tend to remember the region, colors of buildings or nearby structures, and what the area carries, vs. the brand of the store. The retail experience, while important in Japan, has a different kind of meaning overall—often known for its visual site as a meeting place than actual address or even name. However brands thrive because of unique marketing methods—mainly magazines and mobile phone information about brands within magazines intended for youth culture, including source locations and pricing information.
When comparing sources of new fashion brands and styles globally, you can begin to see just where the most appropriate targeted marketing works. For example, Stores in the UK for females 18-25; Internet for 15-25-year-olds in China as well as TV Shows; and Friends and On the Street for 13-18-year-olds in North America, but changing away from Friends among 21-24-year-olds and more via Magazines. In addition, the Internet is clearly used across the board overall in North America and China.
In terms of misconceptions from a global perspective, is that most people don’t realize that males say Friends are their main source for finding out about new fashion brands in most countries higher than females, which is often thought of being the other way around. Another misconception is that females don’t source the Internet as high as males, which is clearly not the case in China or North America. What have changed the most since last Spring’06 are the higher percentages of males who say Magazines are their main source—which has even crept more than twice as high as females in North America and increased in Europe as well.
In North America, Europe, Japan, and China, a similar trait across the board is that the older the age demographic, the lower the percentages who say Friends as their main source. On the Street generally tends to peak among 18-20-year-olds; Magazines increase the older the demographic. Also most notable is that the Internet is up among 15-17 then 18-20-year-olds, which indicates a generation that is growing up with the Internet as a main source for fashion brands and styles—particularly in North America and China, but losing pace across Europe. This is where a significant divide is already taking place. In addition, TV is highest among 21-25-year-olds in general, but continues to lose pace in North America. Overall, the results by age indicate higher percentages of younger demographics that look online for brands vs. older demographics that still use TV.
For more information about our Global Youth Culture Subscription Packages for additional cross-cultural comparisons, contact us at info@labelnetworks.com; (323) 630-4000.
