The media consumption habit of youth is skewed towards out-of-home, radio (on mobile phone) and cinema and internet, which also reflects their lifestyle: hanging out with friends more often and their affinity towards technology.

Today’s youth is ready to give a chance to inclusive media; the more interactive the media, the more chances of it being more effective. Mobile phone is the umbilical cord of youth. This is also termed as the third screen after Cinema and Television. The time is now right to go to the next level and use ‘Bluecasting’.

With improved infrastructure in public places; Youth is spending a substantial amount of time in these improved, air-conditioned, well maintained hang-outs, and Companies are now taking the help of ‘Bluecasting’ or Bluetooth technology at public places to promote their brands and surroundings with local ads, special offers, merchandise, and directions. All you need to do is to switch on your cell phone and ‘bluecasting’ takes over. The technology is capable of being scaled up and used to involve and engage with a ‘call to action’.

The fourth screen after mobile is “Digital screens”, which are peppered across youth hangouts; malls multiplexes, cafes, corporate buildings, housing societies, though, currently, the full potential of this media has yet not been exploited by the marketers. But the current media owners in this space are improving content rapidly to be at par with the developed world, where the media is driven by content. Currently, the media allows you to choose your target audiences and customize messages, which you want to send to an area or specific number of screens (flexi-casting). The OOH media is also investing resources in understanding the consumption pattern of this media.

Activation in India has come of age and brands are now going out of their way to woo customers by making them experience the product/service. Malls and Multiplexes are used as platforms, where customers are more relaxed and receptive for interacting with the brand. Today, brands across categories, including Automobiles and Financial products, are using activation as a very effective tool of consumer engagement.

The various media along with conventional out-of-home media like billboards, street furniture, kiosks and transit media are also reshaping by adapting technologies like bluecasting & digital screens, and engaging customers through technology is becoming a very effective way to communicate with Youth. One of the drawbacks though, is lack of a clear measurement tool in the OOH medium and some new age media, which means that only savvy marketers who are game to experiment jump on to this bandwagon.

Even as I write this, most of the new age media companies are working hard to develop measurement tools so that they are armed with the “media stickiness” data for brands to bite into this existing new age media tools.