Today's Youth Market
by A. Michael Baker - Printed in Specialty Automotive Magazine

Many of us who've been marketing performance parts over the last 3 or 4 decades have had a pretty good handle on who the consumers are and what they are about. But, the times they are a changin'. Over the past few years we may have experienced the most significant influx of new consumers since the 60's and early 70's. Punk rockers and heavy metal rockers of the 70's and 80's saw cars as transportation rather than an expression of their personal style. The environmental movement successfully convinced many young people that modifying their vehicles was an antisocial act that would destroy the environment. It just wasn't hip for a young guy to be into automotive performance in the 80's. Then slammed trucks and sport compact performance hit like a tidal wave in the 90's. Since I had children much later in life than most people I've been able to watch the changes in attitudes and behavior through my own kids and their friends. But, I'm still an old geezer and generation gaps are for real. I found I needed a little more structured way to understand and relate to the burgeoning teenage market.

In December of 2001 I did an informal survey of high school parking lots and students across the country to get a feel for where the kids are now. I did not do a scientifically designed survey. Therefore, I am not presenting statistical results and analysis; however, the findings are still valuable. Think of it as kind of a focus group by phone and walking around. My results here are generalized national trends. This information can vary widely by region and even within large metropolitan markets. If you really want a concrete look at what the kids in your town are doing, head over to your own local high schools. Introduce yourself to the Principle and ask permission! Most campuses are closed these days. They don't take kindly to strangers stalking their parking lots. With permission, walk the parking lot with a clipboard. Tally all the student cars breaking them into groups. I like to break them into basic car, truck, SUV groups and then subdivide each by compact/full-size, decade of manufacture, and whether they are modified or not.

The first important thing I found was a lessening in the radical environmentalism which had once been growing among teenage males. The girls, though, are mean, green machines. It's my guess that the natural tendency toward rebellion somewhat insulates the boys from the "politically correct" liberalism of the school systems; while the girls have more of a tendency to go along. Sounds like an interesting line of research for a master's thesis. This is very important to us because environmentalists don't buy performance parts.

As always, the first accessories these kids buy are typically wheels and tires. Then come the exterior and interior styling accessories: clear lights, wings, spoilers, grille guards, etc. Gauges, dash kits, pedal covers, steering wheel covers are all top choices. Engine performance comes in third. Where earlier generations would bolt on a manifold and carb long before an exterior dress up part, these kids usually rank style a little above actual performance. The most commonly mentioned engine performance part was a nitrous kit. They may be afraid of potential engine damage; but they all know nitrous. There is tremendous opportunity here for education and subsequent market growth. Suspension modifications seem to occupy split categories. For the most styling oriented kids, the suspension changes are seen as an exterior styling mod and are often done soon after wheels and tires. For kids that are more serious about performance the suspension changes often come after engine modifications. Old vehicles see restoration first and then wheels, tires, and engine performance.

There seem to be three main lines of vehicle interest: Sport compact performance, off-road trucks, and 60's "resto" cars. We all know about the growth in sport compact cars. Little Honda cars are sprouting giant wings all over the county; especially since the release of "The Fast and The Furious." Interestingly, high school males view sport compact performance as polarized along ethnic lines on the West Coast and in much of the Southwest. Sport compact performance is seen as popular among the Hispanic and Oriental ethnic groups. Many of the Anglo-European kids react by choosing other areas of interest. My observations indicate that friction and separation between ethnic groups is probably growing rather than shrinking. The US is not the "great melting pot" anymore. So, while many people often cross racial lines, I find that, in the Western US, sport compacts are dominated by Orientals and Hispanics, low riders are dominated by Hispanics and African-Americans, and the Anglo-European kids go for off-road and "resto" cars. While there are similar racial differences in other areas, the vastly different racial mixes of the Midwest and the East don't allow quite so clear distinctions. Local and regional companies can adjust their marketing mix to suit their particular market. National advertisers can face a problem, though, in tailoring a more effective targeted promotional program.

Remember that while social groups can be, and often are, made up along basic ethnic lines there is still a significant crossover between ethnicities. These social groups are the mechanism that splits up the automotive aspirations and other leisure activities. Knowing the social groups and their relative sizes in your market is a key to targeting your marketing.

Wherever you check you can still find huge numbers of youngsters that lust for a pickup with a 6" lift and monster mudders. Compact pickups seem to have the edge over full size ones and pickups have the edge over SUVs. Even if they will never visit the dirt, these guys just love the look. "Monster" trucks are still a happening thing. Lowered and customized street trucks, on the other hand, are falling out of favor in high schools. This mirrors a general trend around the country. On the street the pre-runner look is the fastest growing segment of the custom truck market. As is typical in America, appearances are more important than substance. Hard core 4-wheeling isn't necessarily the thing; it's the look that counts. Sell the sizzle instead of the steak.

Some kids go for the seemingly strange styling coming out of Detroit and Japan these days. The largest single group of enthusiasts I found reject that styling and look to modify used sport compacts to reflect their own social group's sense of style. Another group rejects not only the "hard-edged" new styling but what they see as the "cookie-cutter" look of sport compacts in the 90's. New "retro" styling like the PT Cruiser isn't in on high school campuses. They see the PT as a car for old guys. They want the real thing.

Odd as it may seem, I found major growth in the desirability of 60's cars. Not necessarily muscle cars. Anything restored (or even in decent shape) is considered cool. I was surprised how many kids knew all about Chevelles, Mustangs, Comets, and Camaros. Full-size sedans are considered extra cool among some. Not only are you different from everybody else, you can also carry all your buddies and their skateboards! VW Bugs are well known and generate some interest; but the Kharman Ghia coupe is a body style to lust after. The restoration companies specializing in 60's muscle cars (and the midsize family cars they're derived from) are going to do really well with these kids.

Today's kids are different from the first two waves of car and truck enthusiasts. I think they have a more highly developed sense of style than previous generations. One was once able to generalize about basic social groups like straights and greasers in the 50's or soc's and hippies in the 60's. Today there are far more diverse groups in the teenage social milieu. Motorsports and general automotive enthusiasm is benefiting as each of these groups pick and assert an automotive style. The growth of extreme sports, such as freestyle MX, BMX, and skateboarding, also seem to lead into a predilection for some form of automotive enthusiasm. The need for speed expresses itself in many ways.

Smart retailers and manufacturers will be looking at this new generation of kids and begin to market to them. You may find yourself buying a spot for your banner at the local skate park as well as the race track. These kids may not ever visit the drag strip or oval track. They do read the national car and truck magazines; but they don't read newspapers. On the local level, radio can be an option. Though it can be very expensive buying the variety of stations you need to reach all the groups. Local retailers should look into teenage promotional opportunities in event sponsorship and non-automotive sports facilities. That banner at the skate park, BMX track, or paintball field starts to look really good. Banners and PA ads work well at events. Try Supercross, Motocross, Freestyle MX, and Monster Truck shows. If I were running a retail store, I would have bought ads on every theater screen in my market for the full run of "The Fast and The Furious." Those screen ads shown before each movie are a great, cheap way to target your advertising to particular social groups. Local cable TV is very inexpensive in small and midsize markets and you can advertise directly to almost any social group. Don't stick with automotive, truck, or racing programs. You'll miss huge numbers of potential customers. Once he gets a driver's license, every kid with a motorcycle or water craft has something to tow it or carry it. They accessorize those vehicles as well as their play toys. Be creative and try new things to reach the various social groups. Track your results and zero in on those promotion and advertising opportunities that work for you.

As long as we can continue to find freedom for individual automotive expression and maintain a reasonable national inventory of older vehicles that kids can afford, the future is here and it looks really good. Every generation in the "automotive age" over the last 80 years has sought the freedom of personal automotive transportation. This generation is more into it than the kids of the 80's and early 90's. My investigations indicate faster and more diverse growth of automotive enthusiasm today. It's a happening thing and the opportunity for our industry is tremendous.