About INgene blog : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog

About INgene : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog:
This blog explores the detailed characteristics of Young-India and explains the finer & crucial differences they have with their global peers. The blog also establishes the theory of “adopted differentiation” (Copyright Kaustav SG,2007) and how the Indian & Inglodian youth are using this as a tool to differentiate themselves from the “aam aadmi” (mass population of India) to establish their new found identity.

The term youth refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. Used colloquially, however the term generally refers to a broader, more ambiguous field of reference- from the physically adolescent to those in their late twenties.
Though superficially the youth all over the world exhibits similar [degree of] attitude, [traits of] interests & [deliverance of] opinion but a detailed observation reveals the finer differential characteristics which are crucial and often ignored while targeting this group as a valued consumer base. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for the retail investment in the A. T. Kearney’s Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. With the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural (R1, R2 to R4 SEC) areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% (A, B,C, D & E SEC) and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers (A1,A SEC) and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart.








Friday, May 17, 2013

Titan Industries 'Paradox Panel' Think Tank - Youth in India

I was in the panel at Titan Industries 'Paradox Panel' Think Tank discussion yesterday.


Here's a report published in the faqs:

Titan Industries today unveiled the ‘Paradox Panel’, a discussion forum designed to research, debate and develop insights into India’s 21-35 year-old communities – the so-called ‘millennial’ generation. The inaugural white paper published by the panel, The Millennial Paradox and the Age of Collective Individualism, highlights this demographic group’s obsession with self-expression, individual choice and personal opinion, while at the same time exhibiting an unprecedented desire to share and belong to some form of community, both in the professional and personal context. The analysis has been compiled by an array of experts representing the fields of research, marketing, advertising and academia and is designed to stimulate discussion, debate and further insight.

To mark Titan Industries’ 25th anniversary, the Paradox Panel will be exploring the implications of the Millennial Paradox on India’s youth in terms of their consumer behaviour, family and relationships, professional lives and careers, and leisure. Throughout the year, these insights will be published in subsequent Titan Industries’ Millennial Paradox Quarterlies.

S Ravi Kant, CEO, Eyewear Business & Executive Vice President Corporate Communications at Titan Industries, described the inaugural Millennium Paradox Quarterly as a compelling insight into the motivations, perspectives and behaviour of India’s 21-34 year-olds. “Our esteemed panellists have neatly captured how individualism has become the new convention, and from where and whom this generation of India’s population are finding endorsement, validation and meaning,” he said.

“Titan Industries’ 25th anniversary represents an important milestone for us and the perfect opportunity to analyse how India’s own 25 year-olds see the world. We are actively looking forward to debating and discussing all aspects of our inaugural white paper, from the workings of ‘collective individualism’ to the ‘millennial paradox’ concept itself. Let the debate commence!” concluded Mr Kant.

Titan Industries’ Paradox Panel

- Aditya Swamy – Executive Vice President, MTV India

With an MBA in Marketing from S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Aditya started his career with Coca-Cola and moved on to the entertainment industry in 2006. He has helped MTV to convert into a multiplatform entertainment destination. Today, MTV reaches out to over 130 million people on TV, has the largest social media connect with over 8 million fans on Facebook & Twitter; and has over 2 million views a month for its mobile TV service.

- Dr. Bino Paul – Professor and Chairperson, Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Bino Paul GD is Professor at the Centre for Human Resources Management and Labour Relations at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He has a doctoral degree in Economics from IIT Bombay and affiliated with the Centre for Human Resources Management and Labour Relations, Innovation and Research Facilities: Labour Market Research Facility and the School of Management and Labour Studies. 

- Kaustav Sengupta – Associate Professor at National Institute of Fashion Technology

Kaustav is a well-known youth trend analyst, alternative media expert and a fashion theorist. He heads a research & direction team of young Indians which is organically growing and now has a network of more than 1,500 young trend-spotters across India. This initiative called INgene, is the first ever youth trend research initiative in India recognized by many international experts as the best source for youth trend insights in India. He is also representing PYMCA (www.pymca.com, the largest online archive of youth culture) in south east Asia; along with other honorary associations (Local advisor of TED, NeN NIT Trichy, IIT M etc.)

- Sam Ahmed – Vice Chairman and Creative Director, Rediffusion India

Sam Ahmed is one of the biggest creative names in the world of advertising and is currently Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Rediffusion. He is one of the world’s most awarded creative people. Sam has spent 14 years at Y & R, Dubai where he was credited with making Y&R the No. 1 agency in Dubai in creative rankings. Over the years, Sam has won more than 200 international awards including the Cannes Lions, One Show, Clio, New York Festival, Epica among others.

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