Teen Study Finds a New Vanguard of Cool: ‘Creatives’.

In the 1990s, you only had to look one place if you wanted to find the world’s coolest teens: the USA. They were the most technologically advanced, their style was envied, their brands coveted. Today a new group of teens called Creatives is re-defining cool as we know it. According to the GenWorld Teen Study, conducted in 13 countries by Energy BBDO, Creative teens represent about 30% of teens worldwide, and their numbers are especially high in Western Europe.

Unlike cool kids of the past, Creatives eschew external appearances (only 9% value looking good) and most are highly apathetic about brands (only 37% say they “like wearing brand logos” and 64% believe there is “too much advertising and marketing in the world”).

Why do we consider them the vanguard? They are the most wired, most innovative and most influential teens worldwide.

Nearly 70% go on-line every day or almost every day. There are much more likely than other teens to IM, email, or use a search engine everyday. And they are leading the huge trend towards original content creation that includes blogging, personal websites, personal networks and personal media creation. Creative teens are more likely than others to say they are “among the first to try something new,” and to say they value curiosity, creativity and freedom.

Whether or not Creative teens like a brand is pivotal to that brand’s overall popularity. Creatives teens’ favorite brands, including Adidas, Nokia and Sony, were the top rated overall brands in the GenWorld study. Creatives are more likely than others to say they feel negatively about certain brands, including McDonalds, KFC and AOL.

Creative Teens represent 30% of teens worldwide and are present in all 13 countries studied. Interestingly, the US lags slightly in its share of Creative Teens (only 23%). They are outnumbered by Traditional Teens, at 41% the largest segment in the States.

What’s driving the formation of the Creative pack? According to study author Chip Walker, executive vice president and planning director at Energy BBDO, this group is being guided by one ethical code: authenticity. A far cry from the days where being prep, jock, or grunge was the key to cool, the mantra among Creatives is “Be Yourself.”

“The drive to be yourself, establish your own personal image, and connect with like-minded peers is behind many of the trends we see with this generation: blogging, personal websites, personal networks and personal media creation, where teens are creating and publishing their own poetry, music and movies online.”

What does this means for brands? Walker explains, “The days of a Nike-style mega brand that dominates an entire generation is over. Welcome to a world with as many different definitions of cool as there are individuals.”

Walker continued, “Teens today don’t want to fit into one neat little box, and they don’t want their brands to either.” Walker continued, “Chasing the cool bandwagon or launching superficial ‘brand as badge’ efforts will fail with this generation.”

In effect, today’s brands need to be asking the age-old questions: Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I believe in? Where do I fit in? According to Walker, “For teens, knowing what a brand stands for means Brand X can become part of Brand Me.”

Time for a little brand therapy anyone?

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