
Next Generation II
(June 04, 2003) - Consumers
in their early teens through their mid 30's are on the leading edge of a
demographic wave that will wash over the world during the next two decades,
transforming the culture and economy. This group
was molded by the social revolutions of the past two decades and is far
different from the post-World War II generations of the Baby Boom and the Baby
Bust. At
the same time it is hard to capture their attention and most companies are using
the same tired methods and failing miserably at their tasks. The key
to marketing to this generation is to build brand awareness
while understanding that brand relationships require constant revitalization.
While the idea of Employment Branding has begun
to take a modest foothold, it will become powerfully important as the members of
Generation Y (don't ever call them that) begin to take their place in the
workforce. Although they represent a very large group of people, there are not
enough of them to fill the seats in the workforce (as their elders retire and
die). Competition for their attention and loyalty will make the efforts
associated with bulk baby boom marketing seem trivial by comparison. This group
will force HCM into a proactive market driven stance.
Here are a few resources to help you understand
the group and its dynamics. We'll tell you right off that the information is
primitive and far too general. We understand little about how this "baby
bulge" will impact the next five to ten years. The one thing that is
certain is that they are in short supply.
- Good General
Bullet Points On Gen Y from a presentation called "Tested
Strategies for Reaching the Headphone-Wearing, Itchy Mouse-Fingered, and
Frequently Paged"
- The Sociology
Section of The Word Spy contains key definitions of demographics
notions like huppie (Hispanic Urban Professionals), Generation D (the
all-digital group) and cablinasian (The word Tiger Woods uses to describe
his mixed ancestry, which includes Caucasian, black, American Indian,
and Asian)
- Meet
Gen Y