New concept for the target group, students and young people

The school market has various age groups and is very contrasted. Therefore, the key to success is the appropriate approach to the target group, especially when talking about shape and color of the products at the POS presence.

In spring 2015 Schneider contracted market research company iconKids&Youth with a study on the target group, young people and students. iconKids&Youth specializes on kids and teenagers, and was asked to develop a general view of how the target group uses writing instruments, and look into which are their favorite brands/colours etc.

Students of different ages and sexes were interviewed. The result showed that fountain pens are still the preferred product for beginning writers, however as students get older the ballpoint pen plays a principal role in school. The students of today love simple and classy products like those of apple and Co. Even younger students prefer solid plain colors with (if at all) subtle color contrast, this means that the whole fancy products are shifted toward a younger target group.

The life and lifestyle of young people between 15 and 18 years is influenced by digital devices like smart phones tablets etc. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are social networks for presenting oneself and for expressing one’s personality. Not everything takes place in the digital world. Scribbling, or “doodling”, is a huge trend at the moment and enables one to express their personality in the analogue world. If you look at the exercise books of young people you will find: cool drawings or sayings, made with their personal favorite writing instrument. The target group is self-confident, creative, cool, playful, but not childish. The young people appreciate attributes like, reliability, stability and handiness. They have high standards of quality and brand awareness and attach importance to excellent writing quality, Made in Germany, durability of the products and an already well-known brand name.

With its broad range Schneider offers an extensive spectrum of products for beginning writers as well as for advanced writers and students. When it comes to ballpoint pens Schneider is the leading brand in Germany. The company has gained in popularity, especially within this young target group because of the slider-campaigns of the past years. The new modern appearance of Schneider helps the company to be noticed as a high-quality brand providing a superior writing experience in the everyday life of young people.

Due to the results of the study Schneider has developed a new “school-outfit”. A perfect brand presentation at the POS is the key to success. The new outfit puts the school products in an attractive context, and attracts more young people and students to the Schneider brand. The new Schneider-Visual “School&Youth” connects creativity and nonchalance with style and character. It takes reference to the school, to the target group and to the products of the manufacturer. The people and the handwriting act as an expression of personality and play the principal role. The characters drawn with ballpoint pens reflect the fashion trend and are attractive to the target group. They remind of the drawings which one can find in students exercise books. It is an eye-catching visual which reaches people’s emotions and does not focus on product properties. School products are not predefined, and can vary according to customer requirements.
The School & Youth campaign integrates the standard displays and packaging. They take over the role of the product explanation. The new School&Youth-visual was presented at the Didacta 2016 in Cologne for the first time and received a good deal of attention and agreement.