Y2m Pioneers ‘Youthsourcing’ Model in Dubai

Sources and trains young ambassadors to empower brands wanting to access youth culture

Y2M - Youth to Marketing LLC  is introducing ‘youthsourcing’ to the UAE, creating a platform that connects brands with the UAE’s youth through insightful and engaging experiences. The youthsourcing model recruits and trains a team of young ambassadors in the 16-25 age range to work closely with brands and facilitate the development of engagement strategies and youth campaigns.

“Market research and anecdotal evidence has consistently shown that brands are consistently on the lookout for opportunities to engage with a young audience. y2m is facilitating this process of two-way engagement. Our youthsourcing model trains young people to work with brands, educating them in a range of disciplines such as marketing research, concept development, project management, brand building and social media management. These young trainees are then ideally positioned to become consultants and ambassadors for brands,” said Tareq AbuIssa, Founder & Managing Director of y2m.

According to Arab News (July 17, 2012), more than half of the GCC population is under the age of 25. An AMRB report released in 2011 indicated that Emirati youth is the highest per capita spender regionally, and second biggest globally, averaging four times the average spend of its global counterparts.

“Young people have evolved into a sophisticated audience regionally and globally. They are no longer susceptible to direct brand messaging and seek brands with cultures that deliver exciting experiences, both online and offline. Conventional marketing strategies will now require replacement with engagement-based experiential campaigns,” AbuIssa noted.

y2m’s youthsourcing model sees the organization recruit young ambassadors from across the UAE to work closely with brands in the development of their strategies and campaigns to connect with the youth community – from research, insight generation and ideation to execution, on-ground activations, online engagement and social marketing.

y2m is creating a network of ambassadors in collaboration with leading UAE universities. The company is also gearing up to conduct a comprehensive nationwide research into UAE youth’s purchasing habits, lifestyle and loyalties to generate information that will empower brands looking to gain access to youth culture.

Boiler Plate

Y2m is a youth engagement agency that was created to target and connect with fresh, trendy and young communities in the Middle East. y2m understands the youth’s wants, needs, ways of communication, likes, dislikes, habits, interests and trends. Brand’s lack of understanding and disengagement with youth resulted in the inception of y2m led by a team of young professionals who firmly believe that the region’s youth is a force to reckon with.  For more information, visit y2m website at www.y2m.ae