A client is asking questions about the youth Bangladesh. So we sat up and took a good look around, dug up all the researches we have done and started talking to the youth. Who are they? What makes them tick? And, what we found was not too surprising, though still a bit of a disappointment. What we found made them apparently tough nuts to crack (sadly, as it means more work for us, advertising professionals). On the other hand, it is possible that they represent opportunities not explored (good, let's get cracking). One last thing before you venture further, we really didn't check those über-rich who shops in Dubai and holidays in South of France.Here's what we found:
The youth has no role models, not among public personalities, not among the elders, and not even among their friends or acquaintances. They reckon that being influenced by external factors is not probably cool. It is important for them to be presentable, which includes adopting to the latest trends very much. But, they also seek ways of adding their personal touch and making subtle statements of difference in what they wear, how they talk and where they go. Yes, they want people to take notice of them, especially people from the opposite gender and often from their own close peers, but they believe more in making an impression through their personality than their outward appearance (well, outward appearance becomes just a projection of what lies inside).
At that note it becomes difficult for them to make a statement, as the young men and women universally define themselves as - "simple and fun-loving". Only a few describe their own self as "wild" or "compassionate" or "smart" or "focused". Very few. This fact stands in direct contradiction to another universal claim of the youth of Bangladesh - "I want to be myself, not following anyone in anything". When the contradiction is pointed out they admit that there indeed is a bit of incongruity here, and hardly are able to explain beyond that. Cool is hardly defined as a person who stands out loudly, rather cool is an insidious attitude that shows through when you get closer to the person. Who is the coolest person you know of? Most often the answer is a friend, sometimes even a relative, not a person they don't know up close and personal (a celebrity). If they choose a far removed person as role model, strangely enough the name of the Prophet Muhammad comes up most often (hijabs are getting popular, too). However way you talk to them, almost everyone comes out as fiercely individualistic, and very unable to establish their individuality.
Most of the youth indeed are "simple", as they can only define their ambitions as "getting by somehow without suffering" and their aspirations as "not being frowned at or looked down upon". Girls are more about studies and career. Guys not as much. What career? A job, with a decent portfolio and a decent pay (the ambitious lot invariably prefers to work for telcos or MNCs, the wilder lot would prefer something to do with show-biz). Romantic relations? For most, it's got more to do with flirting and short-terms than serious commitments. How did they know already that it's not that serious? Well, they just felt that way (don't tell my boyfriend/girlfriend, please). How about friends? Few they call friends, and they mostly belong to one or two tightly knit friend-circles (much more bent towards mixed gender groups than only a decade back). Facebook and MSN are big with the affluents, cellphones are "it" for the less advantaged. Naturally they believe their entire generation to be cool (they have experienced a lot more wonderful stuff than their elders, didn't they?).
What are their primary interests? Little. Most guys don't watch TV enough (at least when there's no cricket on), and most girls don't watch much beyond popular soaps. No one is really into sports (Where is the playing field? For gods sake there's none around), apart from watching a bit of cricket or soccer on TV (wrestling is also big draw for guys... oh! those muscles and those gals!). Music is mostly about whatever the current trend is (Habib, Arnob, Fuad, whoever), nothing much to explore (there are not too many cool musicians in Bangladesh, you know), and FM radio is getting popular, especially with their nocturnal programs. Politics? Oh please, not that. Hardly reads anything - books or newspapers (the news is better on TV).
Movies? Of course, anything available in DVDs (especially if they feature one of the Bollywood Khans - Shahrukh, Amir, Salman or Saif). The Khans and a number of cricketers, especially Ashraful, are big. But do they impress enough to generate followers? Not really, not much. How about gossips? It's fun, but mostly stays within the group (in case of girls, it also involves celebrities). Who is making pass at whom is a good conversation topic, especially if it featured damaging results. Pretty much conforms to the stereotype here, they do (apart from the sporting bit). The future? May be... well... not much... not really. For younger kids discussing future mostly means if they will be separated by separate schools, for the slightly older it is more about which place they are moving to (London? Dhaka? Uttara? It can be anywhere). With an increasingly large number of population moving locations it makes perfect conversation topics. And, ahem, how about recreational drugs? Booze and ganja on occasions, but venturing beyond that happened to few and happened only once (it's pretty hard to get honest answers anyways).
So where does the fun-loving part come from? Leg pulling, pranks and cranks and a lot of monkey business making fools out of each other. All that is tightly limited to inner circles, mostly. Once they get access to a group, they tend not to flirt out of it too much (some even seemed grateful that they they were accepted in). Not surprisingly most activities center around those inner-circles of people that came together though happenstance (sometimes its the people they grew up with, sometimes the gang found at the hostel, sometimes when they ventured to work for a club or a part-time job). It's important that parents approve of their friends, as staying over at each others place is common (more so among girls). Taking trips out of town is way more popular than before, and exotic locations that include really off-the-beaten-track destinations like Boga Lake Para in the hills are becoming popular (predictably, a lot of them aspire to take a long trip through India and Nepal). This finding, well, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as fun for the most part is indoors. Cafés or friends' homes, gyms or shopping malls - fun always has floors, walls and roofs.
They would hang-out together anytime anywhere, whenever there's an opportunity to do so. Cafés and fast-food joints, little hot tea shops by the school, open spaces, any corridor or stairs at the school, homes and hostels - all that are big draw venues, along with few favorites - GEC point in Chittagong, Saat Mathar Mor point in Bogra, Bibir Pushkuni in Barisal, TSC and the Dhanmondi Lake in Dhaka and so on. The tong, oh don't forget the quintessential tong, the little rundown shop that sells fags and hot tea and always seems to be around colleges and universities. A lot many more girls has picked up smoking (blame it on the company... well, the guys in the company), and universally tea and cola are part of hanging out together (amount of intake varies according to purchase power). Family is a given (yeah, yeah, I'll always be there when they need me, no need to rub it in), but action is where friends are. Most accessed cellphone rights using family and studies as excuses, while most make good use of telecom to get girls or boys and to network with friends (much of it in the deep of the night).
The language is a mish-mash of Bangla and English (weak grasp of both) with kids from lower income groups using more Bangla and their polar opposites using more English. A bit of Hindi is also creeping in (most wouldn't admit when asked). Bangla written in Roman alphabet is appreciated (remember SMS and MSN?), but more appreciated is the use of dialects and street coinage (promoted by Mustafa Sarwar Faruki, Fuad and DJuice). A huge language barrier exists between the income urban youth and the middle or lower income non-urban youth, and we call that barrier English. Hollywood, no matter how glamorous, is intimidating to non-urban youth as English dialogues present a formidable barrier to entertainment.
Deshi is in, very in. Starting from wearing "Amra Bangladesh" wrist bands to wearing beaded bangles and saffron kurtas, it is in for many people. A statement? Decidedly looks like one. Hip-hop and grunge are very in, too. You can tell that by the music blaring from their cellphones and CD players, as well as the Jeans that barely manages not to fall off, and piercing too (amazingly, multiple ear piercing can be found even in the old parts of Dhaka and Chittagong, both among guys and girls). Brands matter very much (valid more for the guys, as girls go more towards customization and experimentation). Increasing homogeneity of the youth may be one big reason (aspirationa rural young women see "parties" and "parlors" as major factors in their lives). It is easy to see that more expensive brands (Diesel, Armani, Mont Blanc, Gucci, Esprit, Davidoff, Rolex, FCUK and more in that line) are popular with more affluent of them, while the less advantaged go for the less expensive brands (Bangabazaar for instance) or counterfeit products carrying big-brand logos. Strange new brands are emerging across affluence levels like T-shirts sold at Aziz Market.
They don't conform to their parents values (naturally, their parents come from before the age of satellite TV, cellphones, DVDs and the Internet), or their teacher's advise (well, it's not the education that makes the man, it's what burns within). But, interestingly they are mighty impressed by the virtues of their parents (though the identified virtues vary wildly), though a bit skeptic about the possibility of adopting those virtues. More interestingly, many of them feel that listening their parents in the past would have done them much good (anyways, what's gone stays gone for them). They also are impressed by the teachers who made them work the hardest. Apparently not too proud of what they are and regretting what they could have become (yes, it's the world that wont allow them to grow in spirit and to show their true colors). Almost everyone is a late riser, and most would readily admit it to be "wrong"..jpg)
They still are happy that their parents don't assert their opinions too much, and often let the youth take decisions about their lives (surprise, surprise). They believe they know way more than their parents about a lot many things (and they are right, too). Often their parents recognize that knowledge as well (cellphones, electronics, grad schools and eateries are some areas of knowledge disparity). Bottled-up, a little low on self-esteem, and lazily optimistic, they really can't tell where they want to be five years from now. But, well, that doesn't bother them either.The youth is still disenfranchised, like ever, but they are not really that restless anymore.
Here's what they found:
Pepsi in the end decided to run a research on their own, and (wow) did they find wonderful facts out! Check.
The Cultural Context
Bangladesh is a poor country with all the problems that plague a poor country: political instability, lack of economic growth, corruption, unemployment etc.
A Patriarchal Society: The father’s word is a line in stone and is not questioned
A male-dominated society: Preference is clearly given to males in terms of education and freedom of movement
Pro-Pakistan. Anti-India: The inflation raise is attributed to lack of aid
Bangla Pride: The aspiration is for economic prosperity but not to break away from the conservative social, cultural and religious system
The Bangladesh Youth
- The Ungeneration: The youth does not see themselves as a collective. Generation automatically refers to the next or the previous generation.
- The Traditionals: “We learn by copying our parents. We don’t experiment on our own. Parents don’t want us to.” They aren’t really open to accepting new things:
- The Unrebels: Parental interference is to the extent of hair-styles and the kind of clothes that they wear. Choices of education, career, and later marriage, are determined by parental influence.
- The Safe-Players: They would prefer stable govt. jobs; entrepreneurship is a ‘no-option’ option. Newer careers are still not available in full gusto though marketing and management are gaining importance. Studying abroad, in the USA, UK and Australia is aspirational.
- The Patriots: “Build yourself. Build your country.” was the most resonant sentiment.
- The Secluded: English hasn’t picked up as a language or influence.
To be socially active (Individual fame & glory and altruism)
“I want to be remembered when I die”
“I’d like to help poor/old people. I don’t like the concept of old homes”
To be something different
“I want to be a designer”
Personal growth
“I want to talk in English”
Meeting the Basics
“I will quit my job and start a business because the salary I am getting doesn’t help to manage my living standard.”
I wrote this in 2008.
