My fellow blogger (and Ogilvy exec) Rohit Bhargava just published a book called Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back. He's doing a big blog tour launch thingee today, and I agreed to participate with the caveat that we focus the interview on how his message relates to youth marketing specifically. In addition, we're also giving away books Update: The Personality Not Included books giveaway has now closed. This is the second giveaway we're doing TODAY. If you haven't check out Alli's interview with YA luminary Walter Dean Myers, where you can also win a free book. To win a copy of Rohit's book, be one of the first three commenters to answer the question: What youth oriented brand do you think has the most personality and why? And now, enjoy our interview:

Ypulse: Does personality really matter when marketing to youth (ha ha)?

Rohit Bhargava: How did I know that would be your first question? ;-) You can probably guess my answer here, but I think there are a few reasons why it may be even more important for youth than any other demographic. The first is the premium on authenticity that makes believability a key factor in brands that are able to go beyond a simple purchase and inspire young customers. The premise of my book is that authenticity is tied to personality, and that the brands that are able to use their personalities have employees that talk like real people, brands that people talk about and manage to have a real conversation with those that love their brand.

YP: What youth oriented brand do you think "gets it" personality wise and why?

RB: I am a big fan of some of the work that Converse has done to rebuild their brand. Though not exclusively focused on youth, the largest component of their online and offline activity has been to demonstrate an identity for the brand that youth could connect with. The product lived up to that promise by offering a big level of customization and so far it has been working for the brand.

YP: Coversely is there a youth oriented brand or a bigger brand who tried to reach youth that missed the boat?

RB: I think that some of Coke's work with American Idol has turned into a bit of a joke recently, and probably has been a waste of money longer than that for the brand. The problem is, the integration is artificial and obvious - it doesn't do anything to demonstrate the personality of the brand or anything unique about them. As a result, it is forgettable and will likely one day be a great case study in how NOT to engage youth.

YP: How should a new brand for youth go about developing its personality or "finding itself"?

RB: The first step is just like it is for smart branding ... start listening well to what your customers are saying. This doesn't mean pulling ten teens into a room with a two way mirror and feeding them pizza ... it means actually paying attention to what they are saying to one another by seeking out opinions. From this, you can start to understand what elements of your brand you need to highlight. The second element is to make it ok for your internal employees to talk about what you are doing and become your spokespeople. They are the ones that are interacting with customers and portraying your brand. They are the messengers of personality, and letting them spread the message is a necessity.

YP: Ok, I'm a little worried about this one, but how would you characterize Ypulse's personality as a brand?

RB: Hmmm, tough question! Actually, I think you're doing really well and here's why. The three core elements of personality that I share in the book is that a brand needs to be unique, authentic and talkable. Ypulse brings readers unique content they cannot find anywhere else. Your voice as the leader of the group brings authenticity, and many of your posts are written in that same voice of a real person as opposed to a neutral and robotic journalist. Finally, when it comes to talkability ... I can't count the number of people that I have told about YPulse as the go to resource for everything you would ever need to know about marketing to youth. You have built ownership in that space, and people can't help sharing that. Plus, you have an easy URL to remember ...

Posted by anastasia