Today's Ypulse Interview is with Aria Finger, the CMO of Do Something. Several months ago I posted looking for someone to organize and host our Building A Youth Movement pre-conference at the Ypulse Mashup in July. Aria virtually raised her hand. I met her at another conference this spring and am really excited about the program she has put together. The Mashup is filling up so register online today!

Ypulse: What is Do Something's philosophy about activating youth?

Aria Finger: Our philosophy is that you have to understand teenagers and believe in their ability to make a difference. Let them lead. Let them take action about causes that they're passionate about. We have 3 basic rules to live by: No money, no cars, no adults. We don't want teenagers' money (there are plenty of great orgs out there doing great fundraising campaigns), we want their ideas, their action, their time, their passion, etc. We know that only 30% of 16-year olds have a license, so requiring a car would be crazy. Lastly, we don't require adult signatures or teacher involvement - we know that teens can lead these programs themselves. If they want to work with a teacher, great. If not, that's cool too.

YP: Why should marketers and media professionals care about youth activism?

AF: Marketing professionals should care about youth activism because it's what young people care about. Ask any teen today and they will have a laundry list of things that they care about (to get it out of them you might have to ask them "what pisses them off", but believe me, its there). They may change their minds from month to month or even day to day, but there's always something out there that they want to change. Just look at the Obama campaign, it's a no-brainer that the theme of change resonated with young people. Everyone is saying that millennials are tech-savvy, empowered, and think they should be in charge - well that's a perfect combination to make them want to stand up and do something about what they think is important. We also know that they're huge consumers. These teens believe in youth activism, but they want to make a statement with what they buy as well as with what they do.

YP: What do you think the big takeaways will be for pre-conference attendees?

AF: I really think one of the big takeaways will be that when you're dealing with young people, you need to have a pro-social strategy to succeed. It's that way with celebrity brands as well. Now, not only do they need their stylist and their publicist, but they also need a cause that they're passionate about. And of course, the one word that we always come back to when dealing with youth is authenticity. It's not good enough just to have a "cause strategy" or a "Facebook strategy", these things have to be central to what you do and relevant to the audience you're serving. Young people are smart and they will see right through a lame campaign, and on the flip-side, they will be an ambassador for a company or not-for-profit that's doing things right.

YP: Who are you most excited to hear from at the pre-conference?

AF: Well, because I'm really fired up for November, I'm probably most excited for the session on youth civic engagement with Heather Smith, Jaime Contreras, and Ben Rigby. They're coming from three different approaches and will be able to offer a diverse perspective. Plus, even though I mentioned Obama above, it's a fact that there are thousands (ok, probably millions) of young people who are going to for McCain, I'd be interested to hear the best ways to reach that group, and if you can even consider them a cohesive group.

YP: Is there a pro-social corporate campaign you think really gets it - which one and why?

AF: The one company that keeps coming up again and again from our teens (and that's the most important thing, right?) is Tom's Shoes. For every pair of Tom's shoes you buy, Toms will deliver a pair of shoes to a child in need. They have pictures all over their website about their shoe donations in Argentina and South Africa. It's effective because it's not just a one-off campaign; it's integrated into every thing they do from their website to their mailing list to their retail presence. Secondly, it's incredibly simple. You easily know who you're helping and how. They're launching a new website soon and I'll be interested to see how they take their pro-social positioning to the next level.

More about Aria:
Aria oversees all marketing and business development activities at Do Something, the national not-for-profit that enables teens to convert their energy and ideas into positive action. With her extensive experience in the field of cause-related marketing, Aria oversees initiatives with the Take Action Tour, Aeropostale, JPMorganChase, Sprint and other top teen brands. Her expertise also lies in baking brownies and blondies, but she has a serious weakness for vanilla cupcakes from her favorite New York City bakery. Aria holds a BA in economics and political science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Posted by anastasia