Amanda Windus, former Managing Director QLD at The Lab Insights & Strategy, has launched a new youth insights and marketing strategy agency, Youngkind.

The agency is set to focus on the 10-18 years old demographic, aiming to conduct Australia's first ongoing qualitative studies with young people.

Youngkind was inspired by Windus' children and the realisation that adults' perspectives are not always the best for understanding young people's needs and challenges. The agency aims to empower brands and organisations with strategies to deliver more inclusive and innovative solutions that resonate with young people.

"There’s a tendency to obsess over hard numbers, but miss the mark on real understanding. Surveys can lead to forced opinions and overlook ‘the why’. We need to dig deeper to address the challenges and opportunities young people face today, which is why Youngkind was conceived. Rethinking how we connect, getting to the heart of matters. Not just identifying problems, but gaining the insight to solve them," said Windus.

The agency plans to conduct an extensive investigation into youth culture in Australia, focusing on the intergenerational cusp of Gen Alpha and younger Gen Zs. The idea is to provide a more nuanced view of their lives and how they’re both shaping and being shaped by Australia’s unique culture. Youngkind is embracing AI and industry innovations and reimagining traditional methods to engage with digitally native generations.

The team includes Sarah Lorimer, an Innovation & Futures specialist and founder of Futurely, and Nicki Karet, a UK-based expert in youth insights and founder of Sherbert.

"We’ve been slow to engage young people in the decision-making that shapes their world. We’ve boxed them into labels and underestimated their power. With Gen-Alpha set to become the largest generation in the history of the world, we can’t afford to be late to the game like we were with Gen-Z," Windus said.