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As outdoor specialists are keen to point out, young people spend a

lot of time out of home and are highly mobile, making outdoor and

ambient the ideal media for targeting 16- to 24-year-olds.

Research by JC Decaux and Bartle Bogle Hegarty found that outdoor ads

are seen as accessible and a point of interest to this group. Posters

also scored highly as being uncluttered and having an impact.

TGI data shows that the 15- to 34-year-old age group sees more posters

than its older counterparts. Outdoor is also significantly cheaper than

TV. Figures from JC Decaux put the cost for reaching a thousand people

through TV at £30 compared with just £2.80 for out-of-home

media.

But cheap doesn't mean outdoor is risk-free. "The thing about young

people is that they are generally more passionate about life than other

age groups," says Ian Pierpoint, head of youth specialists Vegas. "When

you get it wrong you get it really wrong. If you get the message right

and you do it creatively then they will latch onto your brand like no

other group."

Ambient offerings

So how should advertisers use outdoor? Ambient media is often suggested

as ideal. Ticketmedia argues that its medium - ads on train and bus

tickets - has an extra attraction for city dwellers and those who have

yet to pass their driving test, as tickets provide a distraction during

the average 17-minute bus journey.

Brands that have recently bought into this include Nintendo, with new

printing technology, such as scratch 'n' sniff, providing some

interactivity.

For brands targeting the older end of the youth market, a medium such as

Boomerang's network of bar or coffee shop postcards might be more

appropriate.

But Glen Wilson, client director at Posterscope, points out that many of

today's ambient offerings have been around for a while and, unless

appropriate, can turn into wallpaper.

"While they can do a job in terms of general awareness, I don't think

they do a job in terms of hearts and minds," he says, adding that

traditional outdoor can also be as effective for this group. For the

launch of Fanta Icy Lemon, Wilson says a mix of six-sheet posters near

relevant outlets, combined with a lemon-scented bus ticket campaign

helped drive a 25% uplift in sales in tracked outlets.

He adds that targeting UK youth doesn't just have to happen in the

UK.

Destinations such as Ibiza and Ayia Napa attract a high concentration of

British youth in the summer.

Another benefit of outdoor is its ability to run ads only in specific

places, allowing planners to locate consumers based on their favourite

venues or common meeting points.

Nike used 3,000 phone booths from PhoneSites' London network located

close to football grounds, open spaces and recreational parks for its

Park Football campaign. Earlier this summer, Sony and Panasonic both

used PhoneSites to launch new products.

Using outdoor indoors

But as well as targeting youth on the streets, brands can also use

outdoor indoors to hit a concentrated audience of 16- to 24-year-olds.

Specialist offerings, such as bar-toilet ads through Admedia or

Rockbox's student packages in unions and music venues, can help reach

this audience.

Media Initiatives Group also has an offering in this market and is

testing plasma screens at Kent University. The video jukebox allows

students to select their songs with ads running between the tracks.

Debut advertisers are Blockbuster Video and National Express. If

successful, it will be rolled out across the UK.

Yvonne O'Brien, director of marketing at More Group, says Rockbox has

been popular with travel and mobile brands, with a higher concentration

of record companies using the medium's music venue sites.

But she adds that it's not just a case of choosing the right location,

brands also have to get the message right. "The message should talk to

youngsters in their own language."

Adam Dewhurst, marketing director at Sleazenation, warns that many

so-called underground media are now just 'brandalism'. Sleazenation, he

says, no longer does flyposting or sticker campaigns because they have

turned into just another piece of media clutter. And when it comes to

music festivals, he says brands should focus on giving something back

rather than simply plastering their logos throughout the venue.

"Festivals have been the biggest joke this year," he says. "It was like

walking around a supermarket. It was just desperate."

Two brands that he says got it right were Orange and Bacardi. Orange's

phone recharging areas were useful and the Bacardi bars, featuring cheap

drinks and a credible DJ line-up, meant that everybody enjoyed spending

time with the brand.

LEVI'S SUCCESS WITH BUS SHELTER ADS

Levi's has been a regular user of illuminated six sheets to promote its

Engineered Jeans brand.

It booked three week-long bursts of advertising through Adshel. The

first kicked off the launch of the new range in March 2000 and the

second at the end of February 2001, with the latest burst running in

September last year.

According to TGI, 15- to 24-year-olds are 35% more likely to notice bus

shelter advertising and posters at the sides of roads than other age

groups and Levi's used the medium to make a splash with its new offering

for the highly competitive youth clothing market.

The launch campaign, where Adshel's six-sheet sites were supported by

national TV advertising, magazine ads as well as 48-sheets spots, aimed

to build awareness quickly. With this in mind the company's media

agency, Starcom Motive, booked a mix of roadside six-sheets and a strong

high street presence, including shopping centre posters.

Research through Millward Brown among 16- to 24-year-olds after this

burst revealed that the campaign scored highly, with 45% recall compared

with 39% coverage.

The campaign also helped drive footfall into retail outlets. The

creative was through Bartle Bogle Hegarty.