🤝 Introducing our new Generations Matrix and Youth-Friendly Engagement Funnel for media brands
Because we can't just slack all these links back and forth between the two of us anymore.
Youthquake and Stuff is your bi-weekly dose of straight talk on connecting with the younger crowd, curated by Liesbeth Nizet and Danuta Breguła. We genuinely believe news publishers can win over the youth. However, to make that happen, we've got to shake things up a bit. New here? Catch up on recent posts.
Welcome everybody! Here’s what we have prepared this time:
Some new tools we’ve been working on to help you engage young audiences. Check out our new Generations Matrix and Youth-Friendly Engagement Funnel below.
Speaking of the funnel, we highlight how young people capture breaking news and how good old YouTube is beating Netflix.
We share our first highlights from the Reuters Institute News Report.
Latest poll results: Readers of Youthquake and Stuff consider news avoidance the biggest issue…
… for publishers trying to reach young audiences, followed by the challenge of picking engaging formats. Thank you for voting—we will focus on these even more. This year’s Reuters Institute’s News Report highlights that selected news avoidance is at highest levels recorded (39% say they often avoid the news, all markets, compared to 27% in 2017).
When it comes to reaching young audiences, the problem is sometimes not in the distribution, which we talk about so much, but in the core message and whose point of view our journalism channels. We asked Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, for his comments on his observations presented at last month’s WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Copenhagen. The example he gave might be a much-needed cold shower for some:
“If real estate prices go up, it is, crudely put, good news for those who own their home. Not so much for those who aspire to buy their first home. Especially if real estate prices go up much faster than income, as has been the case in e.g. the UK. Where, I would suggest, the tendency for most upmarket newspapers (whose readers and, often, most of their journalists, are property owners), rising real estate prices tend to be covered as good news, and falling real estate prices as bad news. Which it isn’t necessarily for younger people.”
We will let that sink in for now. [GENERATIONS & YOUTH-FRIENDLY ENGAGEMENT FUNNEL]
New stuff we figured out for you: how do your newsbrands score?
Curious about how your news brand vibes with Gen Z and alpha? We’ve adapted McCrindle’s generation map to focus on news consumption and the latest macro trends. Now it’s your turn to see how your news brand stacks up with the younger crowd.
👉 Hit us up with your feedback—we’re always on the lookout for case studies and love helping you out with our insights and experiences!
Generations and news consumption: which boxes do you check? 👀
Generations and macrotrends : which boxes do you check? 👀
But wait, there’s more! The traditional marketing funnel just doesn't cut it for engaging and monetizing young audiences. We’ve revamped the funnel using success stories from both inside and outside the media world. Have fun applying it to your audiences! 🚀
In our work, we help publishers find actionable ways to implement the above and seek out the best examples. Today’s example for the Inspiration section above is the recent collaboration between Highsnobiety, a global fashion and lifestyle media brand based in Berlin and since 2022 owned by Zalando, and some of the most iconic Parisian brands, including Le Monde, for this year’s edition of their Not In Paris campaign. See more beautiful photos from the campaign here and learn about all the accompanying events here. Let us know if you want to know more examples like this one.
[BREAKING NEWS ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS]
How young people catch breaking news
Younger users are way more likely to catch breaking news online. According to a study of Pew Research Center, on Instagram, around 51% of users under 50 see real-time updates, compared to just 29% of those over 50. Even on X (formerly Twitter), where both age groups stay updated, 79% of younger users get breaking news compared to 69% of older users.
What really stood out is how 'unique' people think the news they get on social media is. They believe they wouldn't find that news anywhere else, which is something newsrooms need to consider in their publishing strategies.
[MORE ON PLATFORMS]
New data shows how thoroughly good old YouTube is beating Netflix in the fight to be a 'must-have' service
We would love to hear about your strategy towards Youtube. For inspiration, have a look at Brut.
[ELECTIONS EVERYWHERE]
Global youth casting votes for their future - update
All eyes on France the coming weeks 🇫🇷 Jordan Bardella just won the European elections and is eyeing the French Prime Minister spot after the June and July elections. Who is he? Bardella is the new face of the far-right in France—a 28-year-old TikTok star, always sharp-dressed and polite, even in heated debates. His charm has made the far-right party more mainstream, with many who once shunned it now supporting him, especially amongst young French voters. As head of Rassemblement National, he's the embodiment of the far-right’s new, normalized image. But it’s not only in France, the ‘foreigners out’ generation of young alt-right voters is a thing all across Europe. And it’s not likely to go away soon. To combat disinformation effectively, we must first understand the motivations of right-leaning youth.
[REPORTS]
Youth trends in digital news: selected insights from Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024
Younger groups everywhere are showing a weaker connection with news brands than in the past.
Younger audiences trust unfiltered, user-generated content on social media more than traditional news, seeing it as more authentic and less biased.
Our take: publishers should use social media for news-gathering and collaborate with content creators.People can live with constant updates from media outlets. In fact, they prefer it. In most surveyed markets, understanding-based needs are the top priority, especially in the Global North (in the Global South it is preceded by knowledge-based needs).
Social video platforms, where personalities matter more than brands, offer significant opportunities for media outlets (if executed well).
Motivations for using social video. Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024
[ALSO WORTH READING]
My Spotify: Spotify is speeding up its retention flywheel by launching ‘My Spotify’, personalized listening experiences creating ‘an ever-evolving personalized soundtrack for listeners complete with the artists, genres, and creators they love’
People to watch: Business Insider's most innovative CMOs of 2024
Books & Movies: Young people, especially, are choosing to read in English even if it is not their first language because they want the covers, and the titles, to match what they see on TikTok and other social media. English-Language Books Are Filling Europe’s Bookstores. On the other hand, arthouse hits draw young UK filmgoers to a summer of subtitles
Loyalty programs and reward clubs: American Express Zooms Ahead as Gen Z Gets Hooked on Card Reward and Kith’s new points-based loyalty program
Family: The Delicate Art of Turning Your Parents Into Content
Content creators: Gen Z Influencers rule at Cannes Festival of Creativity. “This is a breakout year” for influencer marketing, Ryan Detert, CEO of marketing company Influential, told the Marketing Brew.
That’s it, congratulations on getting to the end! 💜
Hope to talk soon
Dana & Liesbeth
Want more?
Download our recent “How publishers can grow with today’s youth. Navigating engagement and monetization” report.
Follow Liesbeth Nizet on LinkedIn
Follow Danuta Breguła on LinkedIn