Young adults' habits decoded in survey

Young Irish adults have a disposable income of £35 million (€44 million) per annum, according to the findings of a new youth survey. Most surveys covering this 18-24 age group are brand or media specific but this survey, called Decode, is yielding broad and interesting results because it has been commissioned from MRBI by a consortium of Irish International OMD, TV3, the Moore Group, Carlton Screen and the Star.

"It's important to get a handle on this age group because at this age they're habit forming and that's where brand loyalty begins," says Mr Peter McPartlin of Irish International OMD. "It also helps us and clients realise that this generation is quite different from what we might expect and, from our end, this helps when it comes to writing advertising briefs."

While it is very obvious how important mobile phones are to this age group, the findings in Decode spell it out. Eighty-five per cent own a phone and they spend an average of £35 per month using it. Just over 54 per cent place the mobile phone in the top three when asked what leisure activity they would miss most if deprived access for one month.

Some advertisers have already cottoned on to the importance of mobile phone technology for young people - most notably the new outdoor campaign for Smirnoff Ice. Devised by DDFH&B its headline wan2CMe2nite is written in text message speak. Aside from offering new creative opportunities, the proliferation of mobile phones would suggest that they could become a significant advertising medium given the difficulty in reaching this age group by traditional means.

Trials of text messaging advertising in the UK have been successful, but Mr McPartlin says there is a significant problem. "The research showed that 83 per cent of phones are pre-paid. This means they are not signed up for a contract with a mobile phone company, making it difficult to find out exactly who they are and what are their interests."

However, he predicts that by the end of the year the phone companies will have worked out a system, rather like permission e-mailing, whereby they get the permission of call-card phone users to contact them by text message.

The research, which surveyed 600 people and covered subjects including motoring, meal formats and technology, found the Budweiser campaign tops the "best advertising" charts at 29 per cent.

Interestingly, the next biggest mention is the drink-driving campaign launched over the Christmas and New Year period. It showed a young motorist ploughing through a garden fence and killing a young child. However, the research also showed that three in 10 young people felt the speed limit was too low.