The youth segment

Who are we talking about?

Tourism Australia defines the youth segment as males and females, aged between 18 and
30 years. This group are commonly referred to as Generation Y with alternative labels such as
‘Millennials’ and the ‘Dot.Com generation’.

What do we know about them?

Culture
The youth segment have information at their
finger tips, are innovators of new products
and trends and accepting of change. They
care about the earth, are socially aware, and
are environmental champions. This segment
is image conscious and places importance on
keeping physically fit. They are experiential,
enjoy the Arts and events from music
concerts to adrenalin activities. The youth
segment places significant importance on
their community and friends. Interestingly
the term ‘friends’ to this segment
encapsulates a wide audience. The advent
of the internet means that youths are able
to communicate with a number of people at
one time therefore friends could even include
people they haven’t actually met physically
before.
Travel Behaviour Youth Experience Seekers
Travel opportunities for the youth segment seek to develop confidence
are many as the world becomes more
accessible with flight operators providing and life skills through travel
increased routes and the cost of travel
becoming more affordable. The youth
and the sense of achievement
segment is encouraged to travel by friends, this derives. It is a journey of
family and the institutions or associations
they belong to. The majority of trips taken by personal growth.
young people are motivated by goals such as
a desire to explore, experience, work or study
abroad. This segment wants to help people
and make a contribution to the places they
visit. They enjoy exploring other cultures and
interacting with local people.1

Youth Experience Seekers find Nature and Coastal

experiences more appealing than Food and Wine,
Journeys and the Outback experiences.

1. CCS Brand Study 2008, Index to U.S. Population.

What messages resonate with the
youth segment?
ADVENTURE - Australia is an adventure holiday destination
IMMERSION - Holidays in Australia are about participating in
life, not observing it
TRANSFORMATION - A holiday to Australia would give me a
fresh perspective
WELCOMING - Australia is a welcoming destination
NATURE - Australia offers involving experiences in the
natural environment
How should we
communicate with the
youth segment?
The youth market is extremely media-savvy;
they are cynical and untrusting of advertising
and marketing promises. They desire instant
interaction and gratification and they have
a short attention span. There is a need to
“belong” and have “control,” they want to feel
empowered, confident and independent.
Digital media
Digital channels need to be core to any
communications strategy as the internet is
emerging as the centre of the young adult’s
world.

Australia is a huge adventure
playground where a
multitude of experiences are
within easy reach.
In Australia you will take part
in adventures you could never
have imagined and will leave
feeling uplifted and full of life.
Mobile Technology
Mobile phones are an absolute necessity for
the youth segment and mobile marketing
will become more effective in reaching
this segment as technology becomes more
advanced and campaigns and messaging
more engaging.

Worldwide web
The people are friendly and the climate is fantastic The internet is widely used by the youth
market, to obtain and share information
all year round so there’s nothing stopping you from and for entertainment. While online, youths
tend to focus on communication and
creating your trip of a lifetime.
entertainment. The number one activity is
‘interactively communicating with people’,
with 56% claiming to do this. Other activities
Whether you want to party You will meet like minded included listening to music, downloading and
online games.
in our vibrant cities, camp travellers as you move around
under the stars in the outback, the country so there is always Viral Marketing
trek through a rainforest, someone to have a drink with Being the first to send an innovative and new
viral media execution to peers can provide
learn about the world’s oldest and share the stories you kudos, and accordingly makes the campaign
culture or dive into our pristine collect on your travels. likely to be passed on many times and be
successful. A successful viral marketing
waters, there will be an campaign includes a persuasive message that
engages potential viral marketers through
experience to suit you.
creativity, interactivity, fun and intrigue.
Social media
Social media provides an authentic
environment for young travellers to share
their own stories, thereby acting as natural
advocates for Australia and creating buzz
about the destination.
To reach this audience, social media must
include the following four elements; social
interactivity, immediacy, Gen Y literacy,
and individualism. Social networking sites
such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and
MySpace are an effective way to reach
this segment. Blogging is another popular
communication vehicle. Some successful
social networking sites within the travel/
tourism space include Couchsurfing.com,
Virtualtourist.com, Tripadvisor.com and blog
sites include Globenotes.com, Travelblog.org
and RealTravel.com. These sites allow users to
provide their feedback therefore interacting
with the site and its users.
Word of mouth
Peer to peer recommendations are important
to the youth segment, the need to belong
and be part of a community may dictate
their purchasing decisions. They are highly
influenced by their own peers.
Experiential marketing
Youth want to actually ‘experience’ the
brand/product/service rather than be told
the features and benefits. They want to
touch, feel, play and communicate with
others about the product/service before
considering making a purchase.
Sponsorship and/or advertising at events
or areas visited by youths for example
music festivals/concerts, chat rooms
or social networking sites promotes
advocacy by association.
For further information please contact www.tourism.australia.com
Mass media
Attention levels paid towards the internet far exceed all other media, however it’s important
to note that TV isn’t dead for this audience. It is undergoing long term change, towards open
content models and highly involved consumers. The ‘lean forward’ consumers – those who
chase open access content and who feel as if it’s there to be in control – are in the main younger
adults. They self-navigate, toggle, search and self‑author content. In some way, they can no
longer be considered an ‘audience’. They are, simultaneously, readers, editors and marketers.
Percentage global 18-24 year olds regularly
watching TV through each platform
TV set
Computer
online
High-def/
plasma
Pre-recorded
On-demand
On mobile
0 20 40 60 80
Source: Carat research report: Holistic Target Profiles of First Time Experience
Seekers and the two sub-segments: Youth & Luxury Prepared 23/4/09
The change in attitude towards TV viewing is best been evidenced by the growth and scale
of online video consumption.
Core content viewed on TV tends to be U.S and home grown series, news, films,
entertainment programs and live sport. Streaming or downloading TV content has grown
beyond being just user generated content to also include must see series (especially US
produced), streamed news, sport, films, YouTube clips, program repeats and program
highlights (catch-up TV). The availability of (Foxtel IQ and Tivo) also enables youths to
watch what they want, when they want.
What this means is that TV consumption isn’t decreasing; it’s just changing platform and
the distinction between PC and TV is becoming more blurred for young people.
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