Young people are far more vulnerable to being scammed than their grandparents, despite the archetypal image of a scam victim is someone who is elderly and isolated, according to new research.

The shock revelation that 18 to 24-year-olds are actually six times more vulnerable to being scammed than the 65+ age group comes from a survey conducted for prize sourcing and management agency Prizeology.

Publication of the research on young people and prize draw scams has been timed to coincide with Scams Awareness Month, a national Trading Standards campaign which runs throughout June.

Sarah Burns, Managing Director of Prizeology and a SCAMbassador for the National Trading Standards Scams Team, says “As we know, prize draw scams are very prevalent, particularly online, and because young people are expert at using social media we assume they’re expert at identifying prize draw scams on social media, but they’re not, and that’s concerning – for them and for the promotional marketing industry. Once they’ve been scammed, young people are going to be far less likely to engage with genuine prize promotions, so it’s in the industry’s interests to do all it can do raise awareness of prize draw scams.”

Young people appear to be supremely confident online, but that confidence seems to significantly increase their susceptibility to prize draw scams. The research found that over four-fifths of 18 to 24-year olds with experience of scams had given away, or knew someone who had given away, personal information which was then used to scam them. Just under a third had revealed, or knew someone who had revealed, their bank account details to scammers.

The research also identified that young people are not sufficiently discriminating about the provenance of the content they interact with online. Around one in six 18 to 24-year-olds were likely to enter a prize draw if it was shared by ‘anyone on social media’. They didn’t tend to read terms and conditions thoroughly, check promoters’ details or confirm that the creator of the content was verified. In fact, almost one in ten young people admitted they take no action to confirm whether a prize draw is genuine or not.

Prizeology has produced a short guide called ‘Scam Savvy: How Not To Fall For A Prize Draw Scam’. This is primarily aimed at young people and those who work with them, but is relevant to any age group. The guide and ‘Not So Savvy: Young People At Risk From Prize Draw Scams’, a detailed report on the research, can both be downloaded from the Prizeology website.

The Prizeology research was based on 2015 interviews conducted between 30 January and 2 February 2018 with a nationally representative UK audience using an online methodology. Respondents were a minimum of 18 years old and quotas were placed on age, gender and region to ensure an accurate representation of the UK public demographic. The research was carried out by Vitreous World.

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“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” should be the mantra for travel marketers targeting Millennials, says Lucy Gillions of Jackanory

We often reference this quote – which has been attributed to a range of people, including Benjamin Franklin and a Chinese Confucian scholar writing 2,500 years ago – when discussing the importance and value of experiential marketing with clients.

That’s because, even today, it has huge relevance – arguably, even greater relevance as a “Millennial mantra”, a quote that underscores Millennials’ desire to be involved in hand-picked authentic experiences, using social media to validate their choice.

It’s no longer a surprise that this emphasis on being unique and growing their identity through culturally-rich experiences and the exploration of the unknown has led to travel being of the utmost importance for Millennials – more important than escaping from their student loans, buying a big-ticket item or even improving their relationships with family and friends.

Savvy travel companies have been quick to catch on to the fact that Millennial travel experiences aren’t the same as those of their predecessors, but rather involve more adventure and the desire for more customisation.

Millennials don’t want to be told by travel brands where they should be visiting and what they should be doing when they get there. They want to be involved in the decision-making, empowered to seek out unique activities and experiences that can be validated on social platforms through a mixture of likes, shares and comments. In fact, 43% of Millennials said that the comments and likes they receive from social media are as important or more important than the trip itself.*

So how can travel bodies, businesses and brands continue to connect with Millennials and benefit from their favourable attitudes towards travel and travel-related spending?

Understanding the motivations of this powerful group of travellers should be the first step. All travel brands should by now be aware of the tensions that exist for Millennials in the travel space: **

• Comfortable vs experiential – what am I expected to do vs how can I explore outside of my comfort zone?
• Digital vs in real life – is this an experience I want to share with my social networks vs how can I live in the moment and not be distracted by daily technologies?
• Realistic vs aspirational – what can I afford vs what do I want?
• Planned vs spontaneous – can I fit everything I want to do in my itinerary vs how do I take advantage of in-the-moment opportunities?
• Informed vs inspired – what brands can I rely on for accuracy and transparency vs what brands can I rely on to inspire my next adventure?

With these tensions in mind, it goes without saying that Millennials are less interested in packaged travel options and instead want to engage in immersive, interactive and hands-on opportunities. Millennials view travelling as vital to the development of their personal narrative and identity which is why the “involve me and I’ll learn” element of the quote resonates so deeply.

They are also reintroducing the trend of food tourism by planning trips with local cultural cuisine in mind. In fact, nearly three-quarters of Millennials seek unique restaurants and dining experiences when deciding where to travel.

If authentic travel experiences are vital to growing Millennials’ personal narratives, then surely one way of connecting with them is for travel bodies, businesses and brands to tap into their own narrative, share their own stories and tease them with authentic experiences on their doorstep?

The Hamburg Convention Bureau did exactly this in order to encourage Millennials to put Hamburg at the top of their city break wish list. By creating Hamburg on Tour, an interactive, socially-shareable, free experience at a venue in Shoreditch, Millennials could immerse themselves in the story of Hamburg, get a taste of the art, culture, food and music and gain some social currency to boot.

Of course, the experience needed to be bite-sized, so as not to replace the city break itself, but also had to be exciting enough to motivate the booking.

Travel Portland took a similar approach, bringing some of the city’s most inspired offerings to The Old Truman Brewery with its You Can, In Portland pop up. From April 19^th to May 7^th, 2018, they offered free vegan tattoos, intimate DJ sets, wine tastings, artists, fashion, comedians, craft beers, coffee and more – giving visitors a taste of what Portland has to offer.

It’s clear that travel bodies, businesses and brands could do worse than keeping “involve me and I learn” as their mantra when looking to engage with Millennials.

If you tell Millennials to do something, it’s unlikely they will. If you preach at them, they won’t listen. But if you work hard to involve them in the decision-making, and offer them unique, immersive and authentic experiences, sharing the story of the destination to motivate bookings, they’ll happily use and share these experiences to grow their personal narrative and identity.

*according to Iconoculture

**taken from FutureCast Millennial Brief on Travel and Lodging 2016

Lucy Gillions is co-founder of Jackanory, an experiential and events agency which believes in using the power of stories to create unique and memorable events and experiences.

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Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has extended its use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology to cover its Lindeman’s Gentleman’s Collection brand.

Following the success of the 19 Crimes Augmented Reality app, Gentleman’s Collection, which launched in 2015 and is widely stocked across UK grocery and convenience, has now been equipped with the same innovative AR technology.

Scanning the front label of the Gentleman’s Collection bottle with a smartphone or tablet will load a ‘Gentleman’s Guide to Augmented Reality’, as told by Dr Henry Lindeman himself, the founder of the Lindeman’s winery.

And with a nod to this new innovation and the success of the 19 Crimes AR experience, TWE has now launched a new app which will bring all of its AR technology “under one roof”. The ‘Living Wine Labels’ app, which is now available in the app store, will host all brand experiences for Gentleman’s Collection and 19 Crimes.

The 19 Crimes app has enjoyed significant success since it launched in October 2017, with over 20,000 people downloading the app in the UK alone and it being used by over 150,000 people.

The launch of the technology for the Gentleman’s Collection range will be supported by on-pack communication – all bottles will have an on-pack sticker, while the back label copy will inform consumers at the point of purchase about the AR and app. And, of course, Gentleman’s Collection will now visible on the new Living Wine Labels app

UK shopper marketing support will focus on promoting the AR technology in Father’s Day activation. For example, Nisa will be supporting it with an online campaign and in-store gift bags, while across Asda there will a sampling campaign as well as in-store gift bags.

From a consumer perspective, the brand will use lifestyle influencers in the UK to leverage its reach and introduce Gentleman’s Collection and its AR technology to a new audience; this will be further supported by a series of paid social media posts.

Kirstie McCosh, Marketing Director, Europe, says: “Following the huge success of the same activity with our 19 Crimes brand we are very excited to unveil the addition of Augmented Reality to Gentleman’s Collection. It brings another dimension to the shopper experience with Gentleman’s Collection – becoming a further talking point to share and enjoy with friends. From an in-store perspective, Augmented Reality elevates Gentleman’s Collection’s presence, appealing to and engaging consumers with an interactive opportunity.”

The ‘Living Wine Labels’ app is globally available and will host the relevant brands in specific markets. In Europe, the focus will be 19 Crimes and Gentleman’s Collection.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies, with a portfolio which includes Penfolds, Lindemann’s, Wolf Blass, Beringer, Gabbiano and Greg Norman Estates. TWE is focused on portfolio premiumisation and brand-led marketing and its wine is sold in more than 70 countries around the world.

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VOXI, which positions itself as the UK’s first dedicated youth mobile phone offering, has launched a student ambassador programme to establish brand awareness among the UK’s university communities.

Kicking off on September 25^th, 2017, at Manchester Metropolitan University and running across the length and breadth of the UK until the end of October, the programme, devised and delivered by specialist student engagement agency Seed, builds awareness and drives sales through a range of activities, experiential as well as digital.

Bringing to life VOXI’s ‘Endless Possibilities’ proposition, which is based on the brand’s endless social data offer, the first term’s activity focuses on the VOXI Pick Me Up Truck. The Truck will offer freshers free barista-style coffees served in cups with attached VOXI SIMs, which can be unlocked to unleash endless possibilities. The coffees will be personalised to feature stencils of each student’s favourite emoji.

The second term sees the launch of the VOXI Shorts platform, a digital hub that allows students to film what the brand’s proposition of ‘Endless Possibilities’ means to them. The platform’s content will be amplified through a voting system that ensures contender films are pushed out via entrants’ peer-to peer-networks.

Prizes include creative bursaries of up to £5,000 and a chance to spend a day with one of VOXI’s 60 creators, who make up a community of young artists, filmmakers and designers from across the UK.

These high-impact VOXI activities are supported by a year-round student ambassador programme: always-on campus promoters will spearhead exclusive referrals designed to drive excitement and conversion across major UK universities.

In addition to devising VOXI’s student ambassador programme, Seed has also been tasked with establishing a similar programme for staff aged 25 and under within Vodafone.

Daniel Lambrou, Head of VOXI, said: “We created VOXI, a transparent new mobile service that gives our audience a platform to connect to the things that matter to them, whatever they’re into. Seed has created a unique ambassador programme that will bring VOXI to life on campus and engage with students in an authentic way.”

Seed’s Founder and CEO, Celia Forshew, added: “As a completely new brand, we needed to establish awareness quickly but authentically. Fortunately, VOXI’s brand and proposition is spot-on for this market and the team at VOXI have really allowed us to design the perfect programme for helping them reach their ambitions.”

Seed specialises in engaging students with brands in the UK and across most major territories. It works with major brands including Spotify, Budweiser, Nike, Amazon and ASOS to create authentic campaigns and experiences that a student audience will connect with and has a network of influential students as brand ambassadors in almost every University in the UK.

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Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has unveiled the latest product in its Male Millennial wine range, “The Banished”, and added an Augmented Reality app for its 19 Crimes range as it looks to drive popularity with males aged 18 to 34.

“The Banished” is a dark red blend, produced using extra tannin extract, which TWE says leaves a taste with enhanced darker fruits and dark chocolate notes on the finish. It is the latest addition to TWE’s 19 Crimes portfolio – the 19 crimes referring to the various offences which could lead to people being transported for life to Australia during Victorian times.

Each of the wines in the range features a different real Victorian who suffered transportation for life on its label. “The Banished” features James Wilson, a convict who was found guilty of treason in the 19th Century for involvement with the Irish Fenian movement and sent to Australia, although he later escaped to America.

With the launch of “The Banished”, TWE is now making a big push in the run up to Hallowe’en. 19 Crimes will be supported in retail over the coming weeks with a neck collar promotion which features a new 19 Crimes app, which uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology. The app brings to life two of 19 Crimes’ criminals-turned-colonists. Hovering a mobile hand-held device (e.g. mobile phone or tablet) over the bottles will bring the character on the label to life, sharing their stories of rule-breaking that sent them across the ocean to Australia.

TWE says Male Millennial wines are one of the growing success stories in the wine sector. Kantar recently outlined a significant gap in wine consumption amongst men aged between 18-34, with their insights showing that only 34.4% of Male Millennials drank wine purchased in the off-trade each month, the lowest of any demographic group.

In the 12 months leading up to July 15^th this year, the Male Millennial segment has shown 95% value growth, and TWE claims that 19 Crimes is performing extremely well.

Since its launch in the UK in 2015, the brand has grown significantly with latest figures showing the brand enjoying a 86% year on year value growth in total off-trade in the 12 months up to July 15^th, while in grocery it has a rate of sale over four time higher that of its nearest competitor. At the same time, it has added significant value to the overall wine category, with an average price of over £7 a bottle.

Tom King, Managing Director, TWE Europe, says: “This is a very exciting time for the 19 Crimes brand. The latest market insights show that there is strong demand for our wines amongst this very important market segment. So it is a perfect time to launch “The Banished” in the UK, a wine that perfectly targets our core consumers.”

King adds: “We are also hugely excited by the launch of our Augmented Reality app across the whole 19 Crimes range. Our insight clearly shows that millennials like brands with real and authentic stories and our AR innovation brings the 19 Crimes story to life. There is nothing else like it out there in the market and you really have to try it to see how good it is. It speaks directly to our target consumer and is yet another string to the bow of this fantastic brand.”

19 Crimes is currently the wine sponsor of the London Craft Beer Festival – a series of three consumer Craft Beer events that are taking place across the UK this summer – namely in Edinburgh, London and Bristol. At each event, the brand has an active presence with both the Red Blend and “The Banished” served at the “Barrel and Wheel”, a bespoke wine bar, which matches the wines with a selection of cheeses.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies, with a portfolio which includes Penfolds, Lindemann’s, Wolf Blass, Beringer, Gabbiano and Greg Norman Estates. TWE is focused on portfolio premiumisation and brand-led marketing and its wine is sold in more than 70 countries around the world.

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