Saatchi & Saatchi opens youth insight unit
Saatchi & Saatchi is launching a new division to help clients promote their brands to young people. It aims to give clients greater insight into the youth market, both strategically and creatively.
Saatchi & Saatchi is launching a new division to help clients promote their brands to young people. It aims to give clients greater insight into the youth market, both strategically and creatively.
The launch comes a week after the agency unveiled its new branded entertainment division, Gum.
The youth division, Friends of Jonny, will be led by director Martin Riley and planner Charlie Finnigan. It will comprise 11 staff, all aged under 30, from the agency. Friends of Jonny will work with several current Saatchi & Saatchi clients and has also won a pitch to develop television advertising for De Montfort University, to air later this month.
The agency says the ad will break “traditional category rules” in order to appeal to a new generation of students.
Other Saatchi & Saatchi offices around Europe are developing similar divisions to tap into youth culture.
Saatchi & Saatchi UK chairman and chief executive Lee Daley says he has cherry-picked young stars from the agency’s departments to make up the team.
“This group was put in place to challenge the executive management board and make clients think differently,” he adds. “I have given them licence to break and bend the rules and disrupt the status quo in the pursuit of fresh new thinking.”
Saatchi & Saatchi says “Jonny” represents the opinion leader in each group.
