I recently read in Advertising Age about a new campaign introduced by Subaru with Fader Magazine – using some classic, tried and tested youth marketing techniques to truly engage with their desired audience.  Working with Gen Y is an ongoing challenge for many reasons, including the fact that they have grown up with marketing all around them and are obviously more skeptical than previous generations.  The guys at Subaru and Fader do a great job at ensuring the campaign is simple yet exciting and engaging for the desired audience.  The concept is simple - providing consumers with new content (in the form of undiscovered music), in a form easily consumed (CD) and with the stamp of credibility with the Fader Magazine connection. Here’s a quick dissection of the campaign:

• Surprise element – the campaign is giving out a limited edition CD with some up and coming Hip Hop artists, so the surprise of hearing new music is spot on
• Authentic element – the Subaru team is definitely leveraging Fader Magazine’s credibility with the target audience and ensures the music will connect and provide a cool halo for Subaru
• Right tone – definitely has this one checked off, again thanks to Fader the tone and language on the packaging of the CD is spot-on
• Shows up in right space – the CD is being distributed at the X Games, so again, perfect place to reach the twenty-something crowd where they are already having fun
• Brand permission – with Fader on its side, Subaru definitely has permission to create and distribute the CD, it doesn’t feel forced and naturally fits in to the audience’s lifestyle
• Broader possibilities – with the ability to win 25 on the Website, the campaign gives those who hear about it but aren't going to be at the X-Games a chance to also get in on the fun

These are just a few of the elements needed for a successful youth marketing campaign.  A little plug for H&K, we've developed a "Youth Filter" that we use to review every campaign to ensure we can check off as many boxes as possible of known successful campaign elements to increase the potential for success.  Next time you are working on a campaign use the ones above to help you score big with your efforts.