Published on 19.07.2022 under Agency, General, Content, Social Media
This is how you communicate successfully with the target group of young people
Generation Z has its own language, its own sense of humor - and this is often differentiated according to different subgroups, because young people are anything but a homogeneous target group. How do you still reach the target group of young people? How do you get their attention? And how does an organization or company manage to transport or change narratives?
Using the example of a project commissioned by the AJA, the working group for non-profit youth exchange in Germany, we show how it is possible to formulate and transport messages that are suitable for the target group of young people:
Youth exchange sounds tempting and inviting to many, and one thinks: Easy! A closer look makes it clear: not all students feel equally addressed when it comes to the topic of “youth exchange”. The challenge and starting point of the project were the result of the "Access study of research and practice in dialogue - International Youth Work Research Transfer eV":
Origin, education, financial resources and the gender of the students play an important role in the decision to go on a student exchange. So how do you get students with international history or with little financial means excited about a student exchange? How are more boys reached? What does it take to get them interested and actually consider a student exchange? So that the messages really fit the target group of young people, we decided to develop them together with the young people, i.e. for a co-creative process. This creates acceptance and authenticity.
Storytelling for and with the target group young people
To start with, we did an analysis of the topic of youth exchange in social media. In the same step, we were able to sharpen the objectives in close cooperation with the AJA working group. Based on this, matrix sought and found young people from the target group to participate in the process.
In a second step, we asked the young people: What do you associate with student exchange? What are your worries? What would lure you? The students had the opportunity to name initial solutions and to define the medium. In our case, the choice quickly fell on TikTok, since the target group of young people primarily moves there. Furthermore, it was necessary to identify the young people's doubts about the student exchange, but also to make possible incentives visible: just create new narratives. Concerns included financial issues and fear of being alone. Exercising, cheerleading, and learning a new language were some of the positives.
With the help of a moderated world café, the young people worked in small groups to develop ideas and conceptual approaches for the scripts. Storyboards were then developed on the basis of specific subject areas. These were then passed on to the next group, who developed them further until all groups knew all the storyboards and added their input. This resulted in a lively exchange of ideas. And so it happened that, among other things, the #onedayafterwatching TikTok trend was adapted to the topic of youth exchange.
Knowledge Transfer: From Script to TikTok Video
The matrix agency sharpened the ideas from the World Café and developed them into screenplays. After coordination with the AJA, the implementation and thus the shooting of the TikTok videos began. Here, too, we have included the target group of young people. It is important to us as matrix agency Team that the young people here are not only "actors" in the video as a target group, but that they also develop media skills and learn how a film works, that they understand what is really important during shooting and that knowledge transfer takes place as added value. That's why we explain, for example, how working with the green screen works. The young people (and we too) definitely had a lot of fun during the shooting in the professional studio. And with the fun, more ideas usually come. That was also the case with this project and we are always enthusiastic about it. It then takes a lot of tact and the customer briefing in detail in the head, so that the tightrope walk between creative freedom for the young people and the fulfillment of customer requirements is successful.
Participation and Co-Creation
From the first ideas to writing the story to shooting, the young people were involved in all instances. And we think: you can feel it!
After post-production, the videos became the partners of AHA presented. Of course there were discussions about specific aspects of implementation and we were enthusiastic about the courage of the partners to really engage with this target group.
What the end result and thus the participatory work with young people can look like? You can see that here:
