Reaching American Kids in the 21st Century: New

Strategies Needed

Gary Kiedaisch

Derrick Crandall

Robin Snyder

Two Key Steps to Success

• Provide a compelling product/service

• Communicate via today’s medium to the right audience

If We Are Going to Try to Lure Today’s Kids to the Outdoors

and Then Limit Them to Yesterday’s Activities …

• Then save your time and resources. They aren’t going to come.

Get Their Attention –Give Them What They Want!

• Excitement / competition

• Adrenalin activities/challenges

• Life Style experience

• Music

• Social interaction

• Memories

Learn About -- How to Manage --New Activities …

• Mountain biking• Terrain parks• Boarding• Geocaching• Podcasted interpretation• Destination wilderness sites

Once You Have the Product …

• Understand how your target audiences make leisure time choices.

• Look at the communications trends of 2007 …

Reaching 21st Century Americans

• Average urban American now is exposed to 5,000 ads each day

• Major advertisers are decreasing ad spending – down .3% overall – and shifting to non-network channels (Internet, cable and more)

• iTunes sells over 5 million songs each day• In the US, 166 million cell phone users send

text messages• At least 83.4% of US households are Internet-

connected

For today’s kids, the love of reading has been replaced by

…

… a drive for exploring and discovering and a passion for

communicating.

Often in code …

Icon Meaning:) Standard smile:-) With nose:-E Buck-tooth>-) Evil grin:( Sad or frown smile:-( Sad with nose:-< Super sad:P Sticking tongue out (raspberry)(((H))) Hugs:-X Kiss on the lips`:-) One eyebrow raised:^) A broken nose:-& tongue tiedE-:-) a Ham radio operator

AITR =Adult in the room

Generation C

• An emerging, ageless generation

• What they share is that they get their content from the internet and via social networking

• High percentage of Gen Yers – but also many Gen Xers, even Boomers

Generation C

• The thrill of exploring is nearly as exciting as …

• Being the Publisher and Broadcaster, showing off discoveries!

Think of Recent Innovations in Cell Phones

• Speed dialing• Circle of friends• Bye-bye land lines!• Text messaging• E-mails• Web surfing• Special caller rings,

images• Caller ID

• Calendars, address books, photos, music and more

• GPS enabled maps• Push to talk• Games• Clock and alarm• Cameras, photo-

sharing

Youth and Phones

• 3 out of 4 Americans between 12 and 21 use text messaging, and nearly half use picture messaging and download ring tones.

• Some information – including advertising – is accepted, on cell phones, but mobile is an intensely personal medium and poorly conceived mobile campaigns fail and create ill will.

March 2007, Best Practices “Best Practices: US Mobile Marketing”

Innovations in Communication

• Center for Biological Diversity wanted younger Americans to care about endangered species

• Solution: special ring tones of whales, wolves and owls –

• More than 100,000 people have downloaded these ring tones

"I just downloaded the orca ring tone!!! This is so awesome! My nine-year-old (on her way to becoming a marine biologist or veterinarian in a zoo) will think I am the coolest mom ever!!! Thanks and keep up the great work!!! By the way, this couldn’t have been easier!!!!"

Are We Even Playing in the Game?

• To get the address and phone number of a Pizza Hut, or information on a concert, use SMS (short code) to message Google (46645) and get an instant, free response.

• Can we match that and give information about local parks and park programs?

And now … Let’s turn to Derrick and the messages

from the Recreation Forums

And now we have our “ringer” – our professional communicator –

who makes communicating with kids look easy,

Robin Snyder.

End