THE EVOLUTION OF Pre-Family Man Pre-Family Man (PFM). He s the man in that gap between secondary education and having a family. And traditionally he s always been targeted as part of the 21-35 age demographic. He s one of a big market. One of 21 million in the big seven EU countries alone that s 8% of the population. And thanks to societal and cultural changes, his group is set to grow, since PFM is taking longer to settle down and have kids. But this group isn t quite as homogenous or as clear cut as we thought. He goes through clearly defined life stages on his journey towards starting a family. And there are some significant differences within the PFM group that can have a major impact on advertising strategies - and the ensuing campaign results. Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
HOW IS HE EVOLVING? Pre-Family Man goes through several life stages, each with specific priorities, motivations and behaviours. These stages are defined by who he lives with and where, but the pace at which he moves between each stage is not so straightforward. His journey may be complex and varied, but let s first start with the common elements that make PFM a distinct group. 1. He faces a balancing act. A balance between hedonism and fun on the one hand, and responsibility on the other. For example, when he begins his journey, he wants to have fun and see his friends but still has to balance that with finding a job, so that he can leave home. As he comes to the end of his journey, the seesaw tips the other way - and his thoughts turn towards responsibility and settling down. 2. He s busy and wants to be busier. There s always something he wants to do and he fills each moment of every day. Yet he wants to do even more, and subsequently feels like he has less time. 3. He has to prioritise. He can t fit in all the things he wants to do with the responsibilities he has therefore he has to make a choice. His priorities such as love, career, fun, money also change as his journey continues, and he evolves through the life stages 4. He s always switched on. Technology and the Internet is critical to PFM because it gives him the tools to pack more into the day it allows him to talk to more people, arrange more events, see more video and play more games. It also helps overcome the hurdles on his journey helping him balance hedonism and responsibility. The result? He s always switched on. The key to targeting PFM is to recognise his journey will take in three main evolutionary stages LIVING WITH PARENTS 67% 75% 92% don t see as much of their friends, as they did in the past of all PFM see love as a top priority are online wherever he is, across multiple devices. And that means digital is the perfect way to reach him LIVING ALONE OR WITH FRIENDS LIVING WITH A PARTNER Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
THE EVOLUTION Unfortunately, Pre-Family Man doesn t face a smooth, seamless journey towards starting a family. Hurdles exist between each of three main evolutionary stages (eg buying a car, moving home, getting married, buying a house and starting a first job), making it hard for him to move on in fact, 67% had a major transition in the past year and 83% expect one next year. These evolutionary hurdles are universal, but then European cultural differences come into play. These have an impact on when PFM enters each specific life stage and therefore, when he faces hurdles: 67% had a major transition in the past year 83% expect one next year 20% of Swedish 21-23 year olds live with parents compared with 80% in Spain. 31% of 21-23 year olds want a better career in Sweden, against 7% in the Netherlands. 35% of 21-23 year olds want more money in Germany, yet only 15% in Sweden. In short PFM faces a complex evolutionary journey, through a number of life stages: LIVING WITH PARENTS LIVING ALONE OR WITH FRIENDS LIVING WITH A PARTNER LIVE WITH PARENTS WANT A BETTER CAREER WANT MORE MONEY Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
While Pre-Family Man is living with his parents, his thoughts are focused on moving out. He ll also be working out how to make more money so he can afford a place of his own and still have a good time. In his spare time, he ll be spending a lot of time thinking optimistically - about finding a partner. He s looking for entertainment, spending more time looking at sports sites than at any other stage in his evolution (61% regularly visit sport sites). During this stage, entertaining PFM is key to engaging him, along with property rental websites and events listings. You might also find him looking for a first job or indeed, dating sites. There are wide variations on his priorities between countries 24% of PFM living with parents in the Netherlands want to move out, whereas in Spain the figure is 2%. 69% of Spanish PFM look at sporting websites compared to just 20% in Sweden. PRIORITIES Career and Money are most important I have enough money to live comfortably 37% rate it as a top priority 32% HIS HURDLES: MOVING OUT OF THE PARENTAL HOME, STARTING A FIRST JOB, MOVING IN WITH A FRIEND AND BUYING A FIRST CAR Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
WITH friends Whether he s on his own or, Pre-Family Man loves the freedom that comes with moving out of the family home. He s still focused on finding a partner but he s going to enjoy doing so and not give up his friends in the process (51% of Spanish PFM are interested in restaurant and bar websites). He s becoming increasingly conscious of the need to plan ahead and build his career. His choice of website broadens, covering health/ medical, adult and clothes/fashion as well as the inevitable music, film and sport. Again, cultural differences come into play 39% of Swedish PFM spend time looking at fitness and exercise websites compared to only 11% in The Netherlands. PRIORITIES Fun is most important 48% rate it a top priority HIS HURDLES: MOVING IN WITH A PARTNER, MOVING HOME AND CHANGING JOBS Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
Pre-Family Man has now found his partner, so his attention moves to the long term. Marriage and kids are on the horizon so he focuses on keeping his relationship going well and planning for the future. This is reflected in his use of websites, which begin to encompass DIY, property, holidays and cooking. In fact, holidays and money are both key interest points (61% of PFM at this stage visit websites on each of these topics), although gadgets (50%) and sport (56%) both display a drop in interest. Although 91% use online video as a major source of entertainment, regional variations between PFM are still marked within this life stage - 73% of Germans are interested in film and movies compared to just 49% in the Netherlands. PRIORITIES PFM living with a partner see love as a top priority 80% rate it a top priority 50% ready for family I have enough money to live comfortably HIS HURDLES: PREPARING FOR A FIRST CHILD AND GETTING MARRIED Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
What this means for advertisers As well as helping Pre-Family Man overcome challenges, technology helps him achieve his other great aim packing more into each day. Even though he s always busy, he s always looking for more to do. 92% are online and this technology helps him: Stay in touch 92% use e-mail at least once a day. 55% use social networks at least once a day. 42% use IM at least once a day. Social media is critical to engaging with this market Watch video 91% look at short videos, 69% stream longer programmes. 61% download films, 47% watch films online. Viral videos could be a fertile route for advertisers as could TV/movie download sites Keep informed and entertained The Internet is a critical tool for PFM it s where he gets his information, watches films and crucially stays connected. Sites visited vary according to life stage: sports sites. Living alone/with mates adult entertainment, health/medical clothes/fashion. partner widest portfolio DIY,cooking, holidays, property. As well as using websites to spread information, foster discussion on review boards, Facebook, Twitter Play games PFM would give up his TV and mobile phone before he gave up his gaming. He plays for fun (56%) or to test skill (44%). Those who viewed skill as more important talked about and played games more. As well as advertising on games sites, look at in-game advertising as well as game discussion boards Find - and keep love Technology is central to PFM s love life. 48% have met in person after talking online, 42% have dated after meeting online. Tech is also good for helping PFM keep his relationships on the boil 71% use e-mail to stay in touch with their partner. Dating sites are an obvious route but an e-mail campaign with, for example, mini-break destination e-mails that can be forwarded would work well Make money These are the most popular PFM sites 60% visited money/finance websites - that s more than sports (57%) and gadgets (50%). Not really surprising since PFM needs money to help with responsibilities and pay for fun. Money sites are popular but information on saving or managing money would attract interest Go shopping 72% shop online once a month or more mainly for tangible items, those that can be selected based on precise physical attributes, eg holidays, tickets, electricals. 73% do plenty of online research, they see other consumers as experts but not themselves only 11% submit reviews. It s the first place he goes to research. Shopping sites are a top digital priority, but so should review sites and the expert message boards. Stimulate discussion about your brand Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
1 Life stages 2 Cultural difference 3 Priorities 4 Information If you currently talk to Pre-Family Man by age, you need to factor in different life stages. Household status has a major impact on priorities and behaviour which is why the kind of Re-messaging and Behavioural targeting offer is so important - allowing you to connect and engage with PFM with the right message at the right time, in the right place. focus on fun activities, flats to rent, sports events via sport sites. In-game advertising could be crucial. Living alone or target money, fashion, health and fitness sites. Because of a high penetration of watching TV/movies online, viral films should also be considered. partner - because his priorities are not so much about hedonism any more, he s especially responsive to more mature messages around DIY, holidays, property cooking and money. Social media and review sites will prove fertile ground for advertisers. Remember cultural differences across markets. The evolution from student to family man goes at a different pace in different countries 80% of Spanish PFMs aged 21-23 live with parents compared with only 20% in Sweden. This is where our Multinational Sales team come into their own: book a multi-market campaign targeting PFM through one centralised point of contact. Use multiple digital platforms Internet, mobile, games... remember, 92% of PFM are online (PFM is always switched on). Technology is the key to connecting and engaging the PFM. Ad networks such as the Media Network combine with Audience Targeting solutions to scale brand buys and enable you to gain greater reach and engagement across the path to purchase. Consider how you can help PFM overcome his hurdles and deal with his priorities. Give him the tools and information he needs across multiple platforms. Look how you can leverage bought, owned and earned digital media to build brand awareness, engagement with your brand site, and encourage chat on review sites. Look to create viral videos to engage PFM, and give him something to talk about across social media (talk to our Creative Solutions team about developing viral and product demonstration sharing experiences). Help him make purchases. Give him links to expert information and allow product information to be shared, either by him or by experts after all, 72% of PFM buy online at least once a month. Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
THE EVOLUTION NEXT So now you ve met Pre-Family Man, how do you engage him? You could start by challenging to develop some innovative media solutions Technology means that Pre-Family Man is always switched on. And as his behaviour evolves, and with technology advances, marketers have a rich opportunity to reach and engage with him over multiple devices. Multi-screen advertising with helps drive increased consumer engagement by enabling integrated advertising campaigns across PCs, mobile phones and TVs. Media Network 300 top global websites Xbox live 36m users* Success stories 13 M 2 S #1 m u N po ser rta s * l To 12 Hot p 4m ma em use il ail rs * se rv ice 76mBing use rs * Messenger* 108m users Market leader Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22
BACK The multi-screen multiplier effect the key to Pre-family Man Objective Implementation Outcome Our solutions connect multiple platforms such as mobile, PC and TV/gaming with advanced Audience Targeting to bring greater impact to your media strategy, enabling: 1. Greater brand awareness 2. Improved consideration and brand preference 3. Encouraged purchase spend is increasingly moving toward buys as the way to add efficiency and cost effectiveness to brand buys particularly when executed across bought, owned and earned digital media. Through solutions such as Behavioural targeting and Re-messaging, we can combine scale with rich targeting based around attitudes, behaviours, interests and content for groups like PFM. With a single media buy through, you can incorporate your message within the digital environments PFM uses daily, across a range of trusted media brands. And with Atlas Engagement Mapping we can we can determine which parts of your media plans are contributing the most to the end sale for PFM. We provide the widest range of digital advertising media solutions to address your objectives and make media planning, implementation, and evaluation easier. TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT advertising.microsoft.com/europe/home Reach, connect, engage Bought Owned Earned Scale your brand buys and achieve great campaign ROI Connect and re-engage with PFM across multiple screens Content of interest includes Money, Jobs, Sport, Shopping, Property Meet PFM desire for information, research and comparison Engage with PFM throughout the purchase process driving purchase intent and conversion Benefit from PFM social networks and desire to interact with others Rich media advertising across our network. Consider MSN eg MSN Money plus advertorial content Xbox in-game advertising Windows Live Mobile / any mobile device Bing Media Network (300 of the webs premium websites) Video offerings across Windows Mobile, Xbox and MSN Video Use Audience Targeting solutions such as Behavioural, Profile and Creative Re-messaging Drive volume to owned media using Targeting such as Site Re-messenging + Performance CPA / CPC Talk to our Creative Solutions team about bespoke content options incorporating user generated content such as viral video content and or product demonstration experiences Advertise where PFM has his online conversations: Windows Live Hotmail Windows Live Messenger Xbox live in-game chat via the latest Ciao Shopping reviews Leverage Audience Targeting to reach and engage PFM using Windows Live ID to connect to PFM across Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Hotmail and Xbox Live in-game Chat Generate brand interest and awareness - the catalyst to driving owned and earned media exposure Gain greater and more sustained connection with PFM using your brand assets Be part of the conversation. Use technology to generate brand interaction Source: The Evolution, 2010-09-22