GenDigital

Teenage Golf Phenom Uses Links As National Stage for Cancer Awareness

Dakoda Dowd, an incredibly talented 13 year old golfer from Palm Harbor Florida received a special sponsor's exemption to play in this week's LPGA Tour event near Orlando. What is so special about this story is not just the fact that a 13 year old shot two over par 74 (and her name is not Michelle Wie) to be in the hunt to make the cut so she can play on the weekend, but really the fact that Dakoda's mom has cancer for the second time in two years, and this time doctors aren't optimistic. Through the attention generated at the event, the Dowd family hopes to raise cancer awareness and encourage women to be diligent in getting checked, something Dakoda's mom Kelly Jo acknowledges that she did not do, instead waiting nearly a year before getting the breast lump that turned out to be cancerous examined by doctors. I'm pulling for this kid (how could you not?) to make it to the weekend, and definitely think she can do it.

Are There Race Relations Issues on Campus?

In case you haven't noticed, one subject I have yet to post about is the alleged criminal activity by members of the Duke lacrosse team. Scanning through Columbia University's Daily Spectator, I came across this thoughtfully written piece about race relations on various campuses. Somewhat to my surprise, the student writer highlighted several incidents of racial tension and conflict on some of the most well known and prestigious campuses in the country. Reading through some of these incidents including a racially motivated stabbing earlier this year at Cornell, I thought to myself, are these isolated incidents that are getting more ink because of what is happening in Durham or is this a bigger problem as the college environment (like the rest of the country) becomes more diverse? I don't have an answer yet, but looking at our most recent Lifestyle & Media study, race relations and racial prejudice as a concern among students ranks really low, not even in the top 10. So then I wonder to myself, is it really a bigger issue and something students are not 100% forthcoming telling our interviewers or, again, is this something that is not really widespread? Only six percent of all students said racial prejudice is one of the top three biggest problems on their campus. However, 17% of African American students feel that racial prejudice is one of the three biggest problems on campus, so may be there is something here because there is certainly a sizable percentage difference between the overall student population and African American students. This is certainly issue I'll keep an eye on.

MTV Goes twentyfourseven

Leveraging the success of its unique formula of half reality/half scripted drama, MTV will run eight episodes of twentyfourseven, a new hybrid series later this year. Shot in Los Angeles, the series follows a group on young people chasing the Hollywood dream. Given the recent success of MTV shows like Laguna Beach and 8th & Ocean (two hybrid series) coupled with breakout hits focused around Hollywood like HBO's Entourage (whose new season begins in June), I would expect twentyfourseven to perform pretty well.

Nintendo Wii?

Nintendo announced earlier today that the official name of their next generation video console system is Wii (pronounced like "we"), as opposed to Revolution which pretty much everyone has been calling it instead. Believe it or not, there was some thinking behind the name Wii. Check this out.

Ending a Conspiracy Theory

And then there were five. On American Idol last night, currently the number one show among all college students, 19 year old North Carolina native Kellie Pickler was ousted. There was a buzz on popular Gen Y sites like Facebook and Myspace that there was some sort of conspiracy theory around the aspiring singer known as Carrie Underwood lite. Just to confirm that Idol still rocks, the show received a record 47.5 million (yes, million) votes this week. The drama between Ryan and Paula doesn't hurt either.

100% Original

To follow up last post and to show there are cool and original Gen Y marketing programs out there right now, look no further than the Microsoft SiteBuilder contest running through May 29th. It is very simple, but I believe will prove to be very successful. Using the SiteBuilder software (hmm get the student to use the product to win prizes, now you're thinking) students create personal sites that can include a blog, their resume and photographs, among other goodies. From there, sites getting the most votes (so friends and family better vote) win. Yes, it is that simple. Winners will receive a Dell Notebook computer.

100% Imitation

That old saying about imitation is the sincerest form of flattery is clearly taken to the next level here. In an effort to play catch up to category leader Axe (a Unilever brand), Tag (a Gillette brand) is literally taking a page from the Axe marketing playbook. Of course, I am talking about the body spray category, one of only segments to show substantial growth over the past two years within men's personal care and grooming. The Tag spot plays on the same equities that Axe has been doing for the last two years: pretty girls, sex and games. In Tag spot there are pretty girls, a game of strip poker and major sexual undertones (in case you didn't get it when I said strip poker, not just poker). Well, if that adage holds true, then this is not just flattery, but out right lust on Tag's part. Note to my friends at Gillette: Try to at least differentiate your brand next time around because the current equity will only make the target audience think of Axe, not Tag.

Colleges And Their Full Court Sales Press

This is somewhat contradictory to the last few posts concerning the increasing difficulty in gaining admission to elite and semi-elite U.S. colleges and universities. However, once I saw it was the most emailed story of the day on the NY Times, I took a second read through. Realize, we are just talking about a small percentage of the overall incoming class of freshmen, but is it really any different in the business world when banks or consulting firms compete for the same talent? The story goes on to say, "For a few weeks in April, the ordinary dynamics of college admissions are stood on their head. High school seniors who spent a year or more trying to attract the attention of college admissions officers — and who by early April have been offered admission to a fistful of prestigious institutions — suddenly find themselves being recruited aggressively. The pursuers become the pursued."

How about that for the old switcharoo? Check out what some of the top schools are doing to secure their freshmen class: "Many universities woo seniors with personal e-mail messages from undergraduates and alumni, phone calls and e-mail from professors, even postcards from potential future teammates. Brown reserves three or four cars on an Amtrak train to take students from Washington, Baltimore and other cities to visit Brown in Providence, R.I. Denison University in Granville, Ohio, starts up what it calls "Air Denison" in April, paying up to half the airfare for any admitted student from outside Ohio who wants to visit the campus. Many universities pay airfare for low-income students who cannot afford to visit on their own. Colgate and many others hold a dozen or more receptions in cities around the country, featuring alumni, admissions officers and at least one current undergraduate, for accepted students who cannot go to the campus."

What's next, a private chartered plane with five star dining for kids from New York or New Jersey who are considering attending Stanford?

Britney Is Pregnant With Number Two

Although her stock has fallen among teens and college students over the past year and half, she still remains on the Top 10 List both under the musical artist category (among women) and celebrity category. Actually, the birth of her first son was greeted with a thumbs up from our audience, increasing her standing and jumping ahead of other celebs like Jessica Simpson and Michelle Williams, especially the young women. Well now, it seems (so US Weekly says) number two is on the way for Miss Oops I Did It Again with KFed. May be this will increase her rating again? We'll see...the next Top Ten List report comes out in June, so stay tuned.

Research Links Suicide to Life Transition Among College Students

Something I just learned reading this story in the The Daily Campus: suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and college students ages 15 to 24, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. No doubt all the stress and anxiety related to college entrance (which I've wrote about extensively this month) coupled with the continued pressure to succeed once aboard is having a negative effect on some young people. A recent UCLA survey of college freshmen found students are feeling more overwhelmed and stressed than 15 years ago. More than 30 percent of college freshmen reported feeling overwhelmed a great deal of the time and about 38 percent of college women report feeling frequently overwhelmed, the survey found. What's more, According to a survey by the International Association of Counseling Services, many students are entering college already on antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. Depression, anxiety and eating disorders are some of the threats that can affect a student's mental well-being, according to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). A recent national college health survey found that 10 percent of college students had been diagnosed with depression, including 13 percent of college women.