Catching up with Echo Boomers: 4As Conference

Echo boomers have a lot going for them. These 12- to 24-year-olds are a confident group. They think they are smart. They know what they want out of life and are willing to work hard to get it.

This group will be on advertisers' radar screens for a long time, so its a good idea to understand what makes them tick, said Ann Clurman, senior partner at Yankelovich, Inc., speaking at the 4As Media Conference & Trade Show in Orlando last week.

Echo Boomers value authenticity and autonomy. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 80% have a clear idea of objectives and goals in life; 76% of 18- to 24-year-olds know what they want and 71% said they know how to get it. And they're willing to work hard (81%) to come out on top. The vast majority believes they are really good at their jobs.

"We are talking about a lot of confidence here," Clurman says. The mission is: Don't get voted off.

Echo Boomers also feel they are smarter than the average Joe. Some 62% of 12- to 17-year-olds think they are smarter than most kids their age. Sixty-three percent of the 18- to 24-year-old group think their IQ is higher than average.

When it came to critiquing the business world and media, Echo Boomers saw some credibility issues. Some 71% of the 18-to-24 group believe that most businesses would take advantage of the public. Another 82% are skeptical about what they see in the media.

Few Echo Boomers—a mere 2%—said they trust magazine ads or TV and radio commercials. None trusted the Internet.

"They are looking for integrity: 'Who can I believe and who can't I believe?'" Clurman said. Always telling the truth was high on the list of things that are important to Echo Boomers. They want to be seen as people that tell the truth, that their integrity is beyond question, she said. And they want to be seen as people that can see through the exaggeration and the hype.

These young people have been shaped by a wide range of influences, from TiVo to being able to select the color of an M&M for worldwide distribution, to their parents.

They are the beneficiaries of a new focus on family thanks to their Boomer moms and dads. Some 78% of Echoes indicated that having a good relationship with their kids is a sign of success and accomplishment, compared to 66% in 2001. More Echoes (52%) say their parents tell them what they can and cannot watch on TV versus 43% in 1999.

They are remarkably accepting of differences and different choices. Some eight to 10 people between the ages of 18 and 24 said it was OK to do what you want.

Some of the other findings Clurman discussed are:

• 48% of Echoes are looking forward to the day when they can affect what happens in a TV program.

• 68% will buy a different brand just to see what its like (17- to 24-year-olds).

• 19% subscribe to fewer magazines than they did one year ago citing a busy schedule and the ability to get the information free online.

• 53% said it is very important to make time to relax, compared to 41% in 1997.

• 42% want to know more about stress.