DUBAI: Publicis Groupe Middle East, in partnership with Snapchat, on Tuesday launched Youth Studio, a hub designed to provide marketers with exclusive insights about young audiences, specifically Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Jennifer Fischer, chief growth and innovation officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East and Turkiye, told Arab News: “Saudi Arabia has the youngest population in the GCC and one of the fastest-moving economies in the region. That combination means brands and government entities can’t afford to rely on outdated assumptions or global reports that don’t account for the cultural nuances here.

“Youth Studio is our answer to that, built for the depth and pace this region requires.”

Fischer described the studio as a “living ecosystem” combining data, research and creativity rather than a “physical space or a static platform.”

Youth Studio consists of four key dimensions: A specific methodology; insights based on real-time data; a community of more than 400 Gen Z professionals from Publicis Groupe, with a smaller group identified as “heroes” who help validate the work; and a modular toolkit.

The modular approach means that Youth Studio is not a “one-size-fits-all program,” but rather a “set of strategic modules, so brands can plug in where they need the most value,” whether that is “understanding culture, fine-tuning an idea or identifying the right partners and moments to activate,” Fischer explained.

Each module is designed to help brands address specific challenges, she added.

For example, the “Code Compass” module helps brands understand how certain themes resonate with youth, such as what “home” means for a furniture brand or “success” for a bank.

“Idea Turner” helps brands refine existing ideas or campaigns to make them more relevant to youth culture by identifying the right tone, language, partnerships and cultural entry points.

And “What’s Hot/What’s Not” is a dedicated module built with Snapchat, focusing on how brands can translate cultural cues into Snapchat-specific campaign ideas.

Youth Studio is supported by Publicis Groupe’s “Youth Uncliched Series,” which is “not a single report but rather a living synthesis of all our ongoing data, research and cultural analysis,” Fischer said.

It combines intelligence from various sources such as BEAT, the group’s proprietary research tool that gathers live weekly data; qualitative research and interviews, conducted with youth aged 9 to 27; digital and social intelligence tools that “track cultural trends, memes and behavioral shifts across the broader online ecosystem”; and Snapchat’s insights that provide a “behavioral and creative layer,” she added.

Snapchat reaches in excess of 75 million daily active users in the GCC, including more than 90 percent of 13-34-year-olds in Saudi Arabia and one in three in the UAE, according to a statement.

The platform “has become the pulse of Saudi creativity, where global trends are remixed with local identity,” and “by pairing that cultural heartbeat with Publicis Groupe’s regional scale, we’re turning these insights into strategies that brands can build on,” Rasha El-Ghoussaini, head of Agency at Snap Inc. MENA, told Arab News.

Youth Studio will be accessible to all Publicis Groupe Middle East clients across agencies. Fischer said that the network is open “to engaging with brands who are keen on connecting with the youth, but our priority is to bring added value to Publicis Groupe clients first.”