Youth Driven Research and Development

NGT keeps the agency and its clients on the forefront of innovation through:

  • Trend and Product-Tracking
  • Global Youth Research Panels
  • Internal Research Reports
  • Cross-Practice Consulting
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Blog and SNS Pages
  • Media Outreach Initiatives
  • Immersive "Boot Camps"
  • Global Trend Studies
  • Theory Development
  • Resource Management
  • Case Study Analysis
For More Information

North America
Alan Rambam
FH New York
212-453-2155
Contact Me

Kendra Bracken
FH New York
212-453-2127
Contact Me

 

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Next Great Thing

Tracking Youth-Driven Communications Throughout the World

Hindsight may be 20/20, but for our clients, insights into today's youth come from our foresight. For us, those predictions start with the "Global Youth Tribe," the tastemakers of tomorrow. At NGT (Next Great Thing), we follow this influential young group in order to provide deep market insights that inform decisions about direction, investments and strategy for our clients. By recognizing how youth are using today's new mediums, they can make a personal, lasting connections with this valuable audience.

NGT is essentially an R&D think-tank and consulting group for the rest of the firm and its clients. Our initiatives include:

  • Media Immersions: Or as we like to call them "boot camps," that bring to life the themes, entertainment, technology, and activities that are—and will be—shaping young people's lives and the future of all communications online, offline, and wireless.
  • Trend Tracking: We are constantly updating our blog, nextgreatthing.com, with original insights, news stories, commentary and trend updates. In addition, we keep clients in the know via emails, quarterly trend reports, and RSS newsletters.
  • Custom Research: Don't know what a widget is? Curious about the effectiveness of "Pester Power"? Looking for an alternative to Second Life? We conduct custom research based on the needs of our clients, always keeping an eye on what's next.
  • Global Trending: We are tapping into our global network of offices—80 in 25 countries—to conduct firsthand research into other youth cultures with a strong focus on Asia, the leaders of the Global Youth Tribe.

What's Next for Youth?

Cingular Wireless

How could Cingular Wireless keep youth engaged, passionate, and loyal? By staying two steps ahead of other brands. So while other marketers were just sticking their toes in the blogosphere, NGT recommended Cingular immerse itself in the next trend—virtual worlds. This meant it needed more than just a standing advertisement on Second Life—the message had to engage teens, to speak to them. Thus Tony Fresh, a character on MTV's virtual version of Laguna Beach, was born. The first branded avatar in any virtual world, Tony fast became the most popular guy there and not just for his sparkling personality. Through Tony, users received exclusive Cingular rewards—from VIP party invites to free VOIP trials. According to MTV, 350,000 registered users are spending an average of 36 minutes on each visit, with about 80% voluntarily interacting.

Ernst & Young

Longtime Fleishman-Hillard client Ernst &Young needed to attract top-tier talent in a highly competitive marketplace. They had an Internet presence, as did all the "Big 4" firms, so we suggested they think outside the website. What were college students doing online for fun? NGT created a recruiting campaign on the popular social network, Facebook.com, making E&Y the first professional services firm to use such a platform as a primary recruitment channel. Facebook not only provided E&Y with an enormous pool of potential applicants, but the ability to target their ideal candidates. The company promoted their on-campus efforts and engaged students with fresh, relevant content within a trusted environment. As of May 2007, their "Sponsored Group" had 7,316 members, 190,381 unique visitors and approximately 136.1 million impressions.

Fleishman-Hillard's NGT group operates within FH Youth and Digital to provide key marketing and communications insight that delivers strategic results. Learn more about NGT at www.nextgreatthing.com.