1. Some nuggets on the Indian youth

2. 20% of global youth
population is Indian
17% of Global youth population is
Chinese
Over 50% of India is young and the median age of the
nation is 26, below the global average
USA 37 UK 40 CHINA 36 INDIA 26

3. The cultural codes undergirding the Indian youth
Seek
opportunities
Individualist that lead to
yet collective dramatic
transformations
Technology‟s role
extended beyond it‟s
Modern yet function
rooted
Jumping with
a safety net

4. “They seem self absorbed but deep down they love to be
part of groups”
Antti Ohrling, Chairman, Blyk Media
Individualist
Standing out from the rest and being recognized is a critical yet collective
motivation, especially for the young. Sunita Gogoy, an
Asamese participant in the dance reality show, Dance India
Dance on Zee TV confessed that her biggest motivation was
to prove to skeptics back home that it was worth her while
to put time and effort into perfecting her dance. Even in the
remote villages today, youth have the need to stand out and
be noticed.
- Dheeraj Sinha
USA Mexico Brazil Germany Russia Turkey China India Japan
What will better increase your
chances of succeeding in today's
world:
Being true to who you are or 882 967 902 892 882 862 64 65 72
Being the person others think you
121 4 101 111 121 141 366 356 28
should be
The Indian youth are highly motivated by limitless aspiration. The high aspiration levels,
accompanied by a motto of “make my family proud” (as seeded by parents) not only makes the
youth in India focused and career centric but also the most family oriented youth in the world.
A recent Global TGI report states that India scores highest (76%) in the rating of “it is
important my family thinks I‟m doing well”.

5. 18-24 year old Indians are being exposed to- and are
interested in- new experiences, they‟re still holding on to
traditional values as well. In a sense, they want to
Modern
prove to the West the importance of the values they‟ve
always held.
yet
– Lenovo 18-24 year olds Global Persona study by The
Futures Company
rooted
Youngsters do not simply consume a trend but filter it through a unique osmosis process
(slow and time consuming) where it is treated with an Indian flavor and mixed with the
finer elements of age old customs and then ultimately is readied for consumption. One of
the finest example of this phenomenon is the way Indians create a unique ensemble
with the ubiquitous denim jeans. The simplest combination can be a Kurta with wood or
glass beads worn around the neck, a Swatch on the wrist, Levi‟s, Kolhapuri footwear,
sunshine stones, a gold ring on the finger (gifted by the grandparents), a red charm
thread around the neck or wrist and so on. It is an interesting and heady mix-trix of
fashion, tradition, spirituality and family values. This mix-trix pervades every aspect of
the lifestyle of Indian youth be it in food or fabric. Pizza retail chains struggled to get
Indian youth habituated to pizzas until they came up with the unique chicken tikka
pizza, paneer tikka pizza, tandoori pizza and so on. Coke came out with Coke and
Samosa/Dosa combo.
– Kaustav Sengupta, Youth Researcher

6. Youth in India reinvent ideas by adding their own
flavor to an existing habit or a need. They venture
into new businesses by adding a modern/new twist to Jumping
an existing business model. For example, Gunjan
Gupta, an award-winning furniture designer takes
with a
something that‟s rooted in traditional Indian culture safety net
and adds a modern, unique perspective to it.
- Times Crest
While they want to be entrepreneurs, they make
sure they are armed with the right education and
skill sets before they set up their own shop
- AFAQS MTV Youth Report
“In the choice of role models, youth are very different. Their role
models are achievers from various walks of life. They follow those
whom they can associate with. So, many often they look up to sports
and film personalities.
- MTV Youth Report

7. India buys into technology through all sorts of surrogates
and meaning systems but rarely only for technology itself.
Marketing the graphic vision of digital technology, rich with
Technology‟s
high tech imagery of circuits and chips and gizmos, will role extended
likely not be as effective with Indian consumers, technology
must be presented as it will be used, interwoven with beyond it‟s
everyday life, as an enabler of new things and new ways of function
doing old things.
“I have what it takes to earn the respect of my peers. 400 GB of movies.”
- MTV Play.in
This is the generation that seamlessly integrates technology in
their life that allows them to multitask for hours each day. If the
generation gone by is wondering where this generation gets the
time and energy for academics and social life; they amaze you
with aplomb managing all of that and more. “Today, the youth has
the advantage of technology and available options to do much
more than many cam imagine
- Aditya Swamy, Channel head MTV India

8. The younger India today is clearly seeking a
much more fertile work environment that offers a Seek
non-linear growth path; a job that brings them opportunities
not just money but fame and fun as well that lead to
- From the book „Consumer India‟
dramatic
transformations
Today‟s Indian youth do not shy away from
taking shortcuts or exploring multiple paths;
they are ready to do whatever it takes to reach
their goals.
- Consumer India
The particular desire of today‟s youth is to be extraordinary in everything they do.
Their dreams are non-linear and are being supported by high starting salaries, easy
availability of finance and an ever expanding array of consumption choices. A
middle class youth proclaimed that his dream was to own four apartments in all the
four metropolitan cities in India. On being quizzed further as to how exactly he
planned to achieve this, he had no clear plans but his confidence and optimism
remained unfazed.
- MTV Youth Study

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