What is the ‘Awakened Generation’?

In an exclusive report done by Jing Daily in collaboration with RTG Consulting, they look at youths of the university age range that are  ‘connected, curious, conscientious’. While the alliteration is nice, what more do we know specifically about these young Chinese?

 

From the report we gather that they are tech-savvy (having grown up with the internet), and more importantly they understand the importance and potency of accessing the world outside of China.

 

 

 

Understanding this Demographic

The report conducted consisted of in-depth conversations with 70 Gen-Y and Gen-Z Chinese in top tier cities, with a smartphone survey of an additional 1,000 respondents also been used to supplement gathered information.

 

From the interviews and studies, four factors have been noted that are ‘crucial to understanding the demographic’. For this series, we will be looking at each four of these points, as to gain a wider idea of who or what the ‘Awakened Generation’ are and the exciting possibilities for your brand.

 

 

Arts and Culture

“Modern, confident and worldly young Chinese consumers are tuned in to global trends. At the same time, they’re forging new ground at home based on their own unique ideas of what it means to be Chinese and how to celebrate that identity – and how not to.”

 

 

The study uses reality show ‘The Rap Of China’ as an example of how the Awakened Generation are utilising art as a means of self-expression. It goes on to say that this show has been successful in making rap feel distinctly Chinese, as it allows contestants (or rather the ‘worldly young Chinese consumers’ they are talking about) to use this as a form of expression to address the challenges they face every day.

 

 

In terms of culture, they use the rap show’s co-winner Gai as an example, explaining that his special rap at the CCTV 2017 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala; a rap which delved into homesickness (a popular theme within Chinese poems) and even used lines straight out of traditional Chinese poems, was a means of bringing past culture and history to life in the modern world.

 

 

The appeal towards art and culture in the ‘Awakened Generation’ demographic’s mentality is an exciting prospect for many brands. Personalisation is a trend that is important to both brands and consumers, allowing consumers to feel important, valued and connected to their product and usually, the brand. In turn, this brings brands more exposure and sales.

 

For the ‘Awakened Generation’ in particular, it provides them with a way to express their voices artistically, and for some to (as RTG puts it) bring the past to life in a modern way. In 2018, emphasising personalisation (a topic which will be discussed in an article later this week) will be more useful for bringing in younger Chinese consumers and getting them to come back, than ever before.