YouthNation: Building Remarkable Brands in a Youth–Driven Culture

What Big Thinkers Say About YouthNation

"Matt Britton understands the youth market better than anyone on the planet. This book is a gift for anyone trying to understand an emerging generation, you will reference it for years."
Adam Braun, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Pencils of Promise

"YouthNation is an amazing resource for the modern day marketer. The insights dig deep into the how and why of communication with the generation that matters."
Ben Barokas, GM, Marketplace Development, Google

"Kids may indeed be the future of our nation, but they are driving American business today. And no one understands the cult of the young better than Matt Britton, who has made it his mission to connect businesses to the most important buying demographic today."
Michael Lazerow, CMO, SalesForce Marketing Cloud, founder of Buddy Media

"For a country, no, a world, obsessed with youth, this book is a MUST–READ for marketers, and business people everywhere. Two enormous likeable thumbs up!"
Dave Kerpen, New York Times bestselling author, Likeable Social Media, Likeable Business, The Art of People

"Oscar Wilde, said, ′Youth is wasted on the young.′ Matt Britton defies that thinking and pushes marketers to understand that youth culture is not a fad that will pass. Youth culture is defining business today and the best marketers aren′t wasting any time embracing the power of youth to show us what′s possible."
Gayle Troberman, CMO, iHeartMedia

"Matt Britton recognized youth marketing to millennials as important far before all of Madison Avenue became absolutely obsessed with the topic. This has given him quite a head start and YouthNation is a great read for any marketer interested in the group driving current and future purchasing power globally."
Jon Steinberg, CEO, Daily Mail North America, CNBC Contributor

"Matt Britton, a true digital leader, has mastered an understanding of how culture shifts business and how we communicate. Today′s youth are one of the largest workforces, grew up connected to each other, and will change how you approach business. This book tells you why and how you must lead."
Jeremiah Owyang, Founder, Crowd Companies

"Matt′s understanding of the evolution of Youth Culture is unmatched, and invaluable to today′s marketer."
Eric Hadley, Head Of Partnerships, Pinterest

Foreword: By Antonio Lucio ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Disclosures xvii

How to Connect with Me and Learn more about YouthNation xix

Introduction: Forever Young xxi

Chapter 1 From Status Symbol to Status Update 1

Chapter 2 From Things to Thrills 13

Chapter 3 The Rise of Electronic Dance Music 35

Chapter 4 Access over Ownership 45

Chapter 5 The Communal Table 55

Chapter 6 The Peer–to–Peer Economy 67

Chapter 7 The Power of the Crowd 81

Chapter 8 Free Agency 97

Chapter 9 Lifehacking 115

Chapter 10 The Field Guide to Lifehackers 131

Let s Pivot to Brand Building 146

Chapter 11 TV, the NFL, and the End of Demographics 149

Chapter 12 The Game–Changing Science of Media 157

Chapter 13 Big Data 101 173

Chapter 14 People Are Brands 183

Chapter 15 Brands Are People 213

Chapter 16 A StoryWorth Sharing 223

Epilogue 249

Endnotes 259

Index 267

MATT BRITTON is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MRY, (formerly known as Mr Youth) a global marketing services firm which has helped the word′s leading brands use creative technology solutions to reach America′s youth. In 2013, MRY was named Digital Innovator of the Year by Mashable.

Matt also helped spearhead the creation of CrowdTap an advertising technology company named as one of America′s Most Promising Companies by Forbes magazine and one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States by INC magazine.

Matt is continually featured as an expert on youth marketing and social media in leading media outlets around the world including the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Bloomberg, and the New York Times. Matt is also a Fox Business Network ongoing contributor.