The Youth Marketing Strategy Summit London 2018 (YMS LDN) celebrated the importance of doing youth marketing differently. Paul Frampton, the chair of the festival, talked about the idea of a 'Youthquake', what he called the "awakening of young people in a social, cultural [or] business movement." 

At YMS, the term youth was used to refer to those in the 18-24 demographic. This is the generation who think about brands differently and who have an expectation of authenticity. As Cramton stated in his introduction to the day, "brands that do social good are in a minority but that will change."

Hosted by Voxburner, the interactive festival took place in the Old Truman Brewery and saw a myriad of speakers across six stages discussing everything from London’s night-life to the rise of veganism, interactive storytelling and solutions-focused journalism. 

Key take outs:

• Voxburner presented the youth trends to look for in 2018 in a panel discussion that touched on the power of peer-to-peer recommendations, the importance of empathy and the reality that brands need to be more open about what they're using our data for.
• Amy Lamé, London's first Night Czar, examined what living in London today entails for a young person. She asked, how do we keep London relevant? Her answer, "Address injustice, trivialising youth and outdated perceptions. Make London a truly 24-hour city with youth at its heart."
• Sir Martyn Lewis CBE introduced the idea of solutions-focused journalism. He believes the media are so focused on the negatives they leave no room for the good. He wants journalists to "write about and explain the problems to enable you to find the solutions." This will lead to more constructive journalism and therefore more balanced news.
• Lucie Cave, Editor-in-Chief at Bauer Media, was on a panel looking at how entertainment brands can create engaging media moments. The discussion touched on the effects emerging technology will have on brands. She said of Amazon, "No one really knows what Alexa will offer but it creates more exciting opportunities."
• Moderating that same panel, Liam Mullins, Managing Director at the7stars, wanted to encourage brands to "think attitudinally not demographically. Traditional channels aren't dead. It's about the blend."
• Ultimately, to market to 'the youth' as a category you must give them a story they can engage with. As Hayley Granston, Commercial MD at Beano Studios said, "Kids know what they want. They are influenced by what they find out for themselves."

Visit Voxburner's website to find out more.