Target Audience 18-25 year olds

Brief overview 

As a broad group, people in Generation Y are well aware of being inundated with brand and advertising messages, yet there are clear differences in how these messages cut through to different segments of 16 to 34 year olds, depending on age and circumstances.

A 25 year old could be single and studying at university, a co-habiting young professional or a married parent with a mortgage.

What’s more, they could theoretically shift through all of these life stages in less than a year. This has a clear impact on how they make decisions about brands – including those that appeal and the products they actually buy.



All About Me

In this group, young adults don’t yet have any firm responsibilities. They are typically 18 to 21 years old and only need to consider brands for themselves, not having to buy for the home or a partner or children. The key brand types that fared well were snacks (such as Fanta and Maltesers), while alcohol, fashion and digital platforms made up the majority of those that dominated the most liked brands in this stage.




All About Us

This is an interesting stage that feels like first true adult independence. Typically they are 21 to 30 years old and may be moving into their own home for the first time, living with a partner or taking the first rung on the career ladder.

At this stage the most liked brands start to include more alcohol, department stores, and household grocery brands such as Colgate. Credit card brand Visa also makes an appearance.

All About Them

This life stage is about having to be open and accountable to other considerations and influences. Typically this group are 25 to 30 years old and may now have a partner, children and mortgage payments.

It is at this stage that trading off between brands really starts to speed up. This is because the needs and wants of others trump initial personal preferences.

At this stage, young adults are also making decisions about wider categories of products than ever before, and their brand repertoire will have grown considerably. This is evidenced with more family orientated brands such as Johnsons, Warburtons and Kellogg's appearing in their most liked brands list.

Why brands appeal

Regardless of life stage, a series of truths emerged from our questioning about why any brands appeal to young adults. Right across the board, the common denominators in choosing brands are the perceived quality and performance of their products.

Intriguingly, near the top of the list is the brand’s personality - with 60% of people agreeing that a brand has to fit with who they are, what they like and how they do things.

We found that younger audiences were more influenced by whether or not they like the brand's advertising than other groups, while those with children will compromise their own feelings on brand fit for performance and quality of products.

A large amount of consumers within thus bracket are also far more ethical than their predecessors and thus this is also a key factor to consider.