There are currently 31.5 million kids in America between the ages of 12 and 19, part of the biggest population surge since the baby boom. And these kids have money to burn. If you want to understand teenagers, you have to form relationships with them. To do that, North Castle immersed itself in teen culture by attending sporting events and concerts, and accompanying kids on shopping trips to the mall. Agency execs teach biweekly advertising and marketing classes in exchange for the chance to run focus groups with the students.
Students engage in a wide range of activities.
They create time capsules that reflect their lives, draw storyboards for products, and play guessing games with music and consumer products. The frequency of the panels allows North Castle to gather information that is brand new. We have access to these kids every week, so we stay tapped into what's going on. And because North Castle sees the same students over and over during the school year, the kids feel more comfortable and their responses are more genuine. That's what it's all about.