Why on earth would you invest time or money interviewing adults when your primary research objective is to understand boy culture? Perhaps it's because you recognize that such adults: namely, parents and teachers are part of the system of relationships that comprise boys' environment. As applied research practitioners, we can benefit a lot from applying an ecological systems approach to our efforts to generate consumer insights, and the Boy Culture research project is a great example. This paper will focus on the project's methodology, and the additive advantage of interviewing multiple structures within boys' microsystems, including target boys themselves, their close friends, their parents, and classroom teachers.
This paper highlights kids' influence on retail selection and then compares and contrasts their motivations behind these selections with those of parents. The in-store shopping experience (including family dynamics, the impact of signage and special displays, and planned vs. impulse shopping) is also explored.
This paper presents findings from an extensive research project conducted by MTV Networks during the summer of 1999 to broaden its understanding of young ethnic consumers. Quantitative and qualitative research with white, African American, and Latino 6 - 17 year olds revealed perceptions of gender and ethnic differences, as well as other important social issues of relevance to them. As the population in the United States becomes more and more ethnically diverse, the television landscape becomes increasingly competitive, and as Nickelodeon and MTV continue to expand their brands into businesses beyond television it is more important than ever to maintain a solid understanding of the target audience.