National Research Group: Holly Hewlett (VP of Content Development and Marketing Strategy) and Fergus Navaratnam-Blair (VP of Trends and Futures (Thought Leadership) - will present ‘From Bond to Beckham: The Search for Positive Visions of Masculinity in UK Media’.
How do you capture and hold on to the attention of younger male audiences, especially at a time when you’re competing against so many other sources of entertainment, from gaming and video game streaming to sports and social video?
This challenge currently facing the UK media is set against the backdrop of a much larger “crisis of masculinity.” Many young men report feelings of uncertainty and increasing isolation and, as a result, are turning to controversial “manosphere” influencers for solutions.
Holly and Fergus will explore the root causes behind these prevalent challenges, the types of representation and role models that young men want to see on their screens, and how the media and entertainment industries can seek to create positive change without overcorrection.
Some of our friends at the MRG might be pleased to discover that the UK’s favourite pastime might just hold the answer…
Mediacom: Gemma Dunbar (Director, Research & Insight) & Jessica Williams (Insight Consultant) from Mediacom present 'Ethnicity in Focus'
Census data has revealed that England and Wales are becoming more ethnically diverse, with seismic shifts in the ethnicity breakdown of the population in the last 10 years. A considerable lack of representative sample sizes in media planning tools has meant that the channel preferences of Minority Ethnic audiences have historically been under researched.
There is also a data gap in these industry tools in the representation of community media. The role of our ‘Ethnicity in Focus’ research is to represent Minority Ethnic audiences more accurately when it comes to their attitudes and behaviours towards the advertising world, specifically exploring how and why media behaviours differ by ethnicity and where the opportunities exist for brands to better engage.
C4: Trends & Tensions: Gen Z & Gender
Join Konrad Callao, founder of Craft, and Joe Hall, researcher at Channel 4, as they delve deep into their latest instalment of research into the world of Gen Z & Gender. This session will unpack the socio-economic and cultural trends and tensions that are driving an unprecedented ideological divergence between young men and women in the UK today, as well as spark discussion on how we speak to the concerns of the ‘Lost Boys’ whilst supporting the advances of our empowered young women.
In just a few decades, the ‘rules’ around gender identity have been completely rewritten and it’s shaking up how a generation sees gender relations - and the world around them. While most young men are liberal and pro-feminism, some are struggling to navigate modern masculinity while feeling (and on some case, actually being) increasingly side-lined. At the same time, many young women are embracing empowerment but facing a jarring gap between the power they feel and the power they will truly hold as they come of age.
Grounded in foundational desk research of over 40 years’ worth of trend data, a robust survey of 3000 13- to 65-year-olds, ethnographies and conversations with 33 Gen Z participants across the UK, this study gets to the heart of how young men and women’s experiences are shaping the way they navigate and view the world.