Illustration for Marketing Maven Column at Enterprise Magazine

Desjardins Group seems to have mastered the tricky question of “what do youth want?”

Let’s face it, financial information doesn’t top the interest list of teens and young adults.
Yet Desjardins Group is managing to grab the attention of this elusive market with several comprehensive youth-oriented web sites emphasizing fun contests, entertainment and

“Desjardins is committed to the social, professional and financial development of young people,” says Patsy Desbiens-Pineault, manager, business products and strategies at Desjardins.com. “We want to coach them on sound personal financial management strategies and we have to go where they are -- on the Web.”

Desjardins engages young people with topics that interest them. Their award-winning teen portal offers “cool information and entertainment” including resources to help with issues in teens’s personal, family and social lives, job-search tips, contests, animated e-cards to send to friends as well as information on how to manage their finances and plan projects.
by Diane Luckow