Free Q&A service targets adults who don’t ‘get’ young people
From music, fashion and everyday trivia, to the big issues that impact young people today – a revolutionary new online Q&A service will reveal what young people really think.
The website, backed by O2’s CSR programme to support young people, Think Big, is the brainchild of 22 year old Londoner Sabian Muhammad, will allow adults to quiz youngsters at the click of a mouse and find out anything and everything about young people and what they really think.
The one of a kind service inspired by the generation gap follows a recent survey commissioned by O2 which revealed the extent of the chasm between young and old. The polling, which looked at adults attitudes to young people in the local community, highlighted a trend for adults to typecast young people in the role of the villain:
• Only 20% of adults thought that young people care about their community
• Almost half (46%) of adults believe that, if given the opportunity, young people would squander money earmarked for the local community on themselves
• 19 per cent of adults believed that if a young person was tasked with running a community project, they would fail
The young creator of the celebrity backed Why Do campaign, Sabian, hopes the launch of the innovative free online Q&A service will help explode many of the myths, misconceptions and inaccurate stereotypes which follow young people. Sabian worked closely with creative agency, VCCP in London, to launch the site, as well as an interactive game on Facebook called ‘Street Age’. The game allows adults to test how in touch with young people they are by answering a series of questions and then being assigned their ‘age’. The film was directed by Mat Whitecross who also directed the feature movie Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll.
Sabian hit upon the idea of creating the unique online service while working as a volunteer youth worker in London. With funding and support from O2’s Think Big programme, which is designed to back inspiring young people, Sabian was able to turn his idea into a fully fledged, nationwide service.
Run entirely by young people, the Why Do website will give adults a unique insight into young people today, from music, fashion and everyday trivia, to the big issues that impact young people, adults will be able to log on to whydo.co.uk and quiz young people. VCCP and O2 worked with leading online mentoring network horsesmouth.co.uk to recruit young mentors and to host and moderate the Q&A engine that powers the Why Do campaign.
Once submitted, questions are sent out to the Why Do young advisors – a team of 50 young people aged between 16 and 25 who are ready to help adults understand a little more about young people and what really makes them tick. Within a few short hours responses are posted on whydo.co.uk.
Sabian Muhammad, the young campaigner backed by O2 Think Big, said:
“My experience of working with young people as a volunteer convinced me that something had to be done to bridge the generation gap and challenge inaccurate ‘hoodie’ stereotypes. I knew I wanted to step in and do something to help adults understand young people better, but I didn’t have the resources to bring my Why Do idea to life. It wasn’t until I received backing from Think Big that I could turn my idea into a reality.”
Bill Eyres Head of Sustainability at O2, said: “We believe in young people. Through our Think Big programme we’re committed to backing young people, like Sabian, with funding and support to help them tackle the issues that really matter to them.”
He continued: “It’s often all too easy to buy into stereotypes about young people and write them off. But that’s not the reality. Sabian’s unique Why Do service will combat misunderstandings about young people, promote better understanding between the generations, and hopefully take a big step towards bridging the generation gap.”
The Why Do campaign is being backed by 62 year old former Eastender and star of Gavin and Stacey Larry Lamb and 22 year old N-Dubz singer Tulisa. Each with their own views and opinions about each other’s generations, the unlikely double act have teamed up to champion the launch of Why Do.
O2 Think Big ambassador and actor Larry Lamb, said:
“As you get older, it can be hard to relate to and understand young people and easy to feel out of touch. Why Do allows you to ask questions direct to young people in an anonymous environment – it’s a great way to keep yourself engaged with young people and ultimately will help to bridge the gap between generations.”
O2 Think Big ambassador and hip-hop star Tulisa, said:
“Perceptions of young people are more often than not way off the mark. I saw it as a kid growing up in north London and I still see it today. People take one look at the way young people dress, the way they talk, the music they listen to and they label them in a certain way. When older generations don’t understand young people, I imagine it can all seem quite threatening, Why Do aims to break down those barriers and help build understanding.”
The Think Big programme exists to champion young people and showcase the positive role they play in society. The five million pound scheme, which launched this year, is open to all young people aged 13-25. To find out more and apply online visit www.o2thinkbig.co.uk.Think Big has been developed in conjunction with two of the UK’s leading youth charities, National Youth Agency and UK Youth, and with the support of the Telefónica Foundation.
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Notes to Editors
About Think Big
• The Think Big programme exists to champion young people and showcase the positive role they play in society. The five million pound scheme, which launched this year, is open to all young people aged 13-25. To find out more and apply online visit www.o2thinkbig.co.uk
• The Why Do Q&A service was developed with the support of Horsesmouth, the social network for informal mentoring. For more information go to horsesmouth.co.uk
About O2
• Telefónica O2 UK Limited is a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, with 21.6 million mobile customers and over 700,000 fixed broadband customers as at 30 June 2010.
• Telefónica O2 UK Limited is part of Telefónica Europe plc, a business division of Telefónica S.A. which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has 54.5 million customers across these markets.
• In 2006 Telefónica Europe acquired Be, the UK fixed broadband provider, and in October 2007 O2 launched its broadband service using the Be network.
• O2 is the naming rights partner of The O2, the world-class entertainment venue.
• O2 employs around 13,000 people in the UK and has 490 retail stores.
• O2 was ranked highest in customer satisfaction for both UK mobile and fixed broadband customers according to the J.D. Power and Associates UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Studies 2010.
• O2 Home Broadband came top in 10 out of 11 categories in the uSwitch Broadband Customer Satisfaction Awards 2010.
• O2 was launched on 1 May 2002 and now has more customers than any other UK mobile network.
• O2’s UK mobile network covers 99% of the UK’s population. O2’s 3G network covers over 84% of the UK population and is fully HSDPA-enabled, providing speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps for customers with an HSDPA-enabled device.
• Telefónica Europe also owns 50% of Tesco Mobile, which operates in the UK and Ireland, and 50% of Tchibo Mobilfunk in Germany.
• For further press information about O2 go to www.o2.co.uk/news
About VCCP
VCCP is an integrated communications agency with a well-earned reputation as one of the most innovative agency forces working in the UK. VCCP believes you don’t need to outspend your competition, just outshine them and has a proven way of working to make brands shine brighter. The agency has built a reputation for work that works and has more effectiveness awards than any other agency its age.
Clients include O2, comparethemarket.com the Home Office, Microsoft, Jordans, Hiscox, Texaco and Standard Life.
Recent activities include:
• Winning Marketing Weeks’ Agency of 2010
• Winning Marketing Magazine’s Creative Agency of 2009
• Shortlisted by Campaign for Advertising Agency of the Year and Digital Agency of the year – the first agency ever to make both lists
• Comparethemeerkat.com winning ‘Campaign of the Year’ in Campaign, Marketing and comparethemarket.com being awarded ‘Brand of the Year’ by the Marketing Society.
• Expanding our international offering with a thriving office in Berlin and new offices in Prague and Istanbul
• Helping O2 reach their highest ever levels of consideration - working on brand extensions such as O2 money and O2 family as well as continuing to evolve the phenomenally successful Priority scheme for O2 customers
• Creating the Government’s high profile Alcohol Harm Reduction and Sexual Health campaigns
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For further information please contact Stephanie Brimacombe at VCCP on 020 7592 7478, stephanieb@vccp.com or visit www.vccp.com
