Generation Y makes up a significant percentage of spending power in the United States. We spend up to $150 billion per year as a group. It is understandable that this number is so high. Gen Y is the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, and since the majority of us are still financially supported by our parents (either partially or entirely,) we have a lot of disposable income. Since we have such an impact on the economy, we are the main target for almost every company out there.
One main difference between the Baby Boomers and Gen Y is the amount of advertising we grew up with. Since preschool we have watched commercials on every channel telling us to buy things. We fell for the false promises in grade school, but those years of experience have made us more media savvy than previous generations. Some of us even took classes in high school to learn the major components of advertising. This has produced a generation that is more mistrustful of the ads on T.V. We no longer care about celebrity endorsements, flashy commercials, or other old tricks. This is causing a bit of a panic in some major companies such as Nike, Pepsi, and Levi’s Jeans who are loosing a lot of their younger customers. All of them are currently adjusting their sales methods to reconnect with their target audience.
Gen Y is plugged into the internet. Most of us spend our free time chatting online or exploring each other’s pages on Facebook. Companies that wish to connect with teens need to log in as well. Flashy pop-up ads, however, will not get our attention. Pop-up blockers make sure we don’t have too look at them, and those that do seep through will only be greeted with a scowl or an eye-roll before being closed. Get a domain name and hire some web designers. Gen Y likes a company with a good website and one that accepts feedback from its customers is even better. It shows us that the company is more interested in customer satisfaction; not just making money.
Gen Y has a heart. Studies show that teens are more likely to buy products if the company donates some of the proceeds to a charitable cause. A study from 2000 found that 91% of teens valued companies and products that supported a good cause, and 89% of them would switch to brands associated with a good cause. The recent popularity of Green products shows that today’s teens are still enthusiastic about making the world a better place.
Getting support from Gen Y requires more than a T.V. ad. Waiting for us to come buy your product is not the road to take anymore. If you want our attention, you have to come to us. Go to malls, skate parks, concerts, and college campuses and use contests and promotions to get attention. A lot of companies are even using “street teams” to gain Gen Y loyalty. “Street teams” are young employees who to go popular teen hang-outs to promote products, and get feedback on what is popular and what teens want in a product.
T.V. commercials aren’t dead yet. Teens will still pay attention to certain ads. Serious commercials that use celebrities or cool images to promote their products are ignored. Gen Y responds to humor and parodies. Sprite and Arizona Jeans actually parody the traditional serious or gimmicky ads in some of their commercials which has actually boosted sales from Gen Y customers. Commercials that make us laugh stick with us. We’ll even watch an hour’s worth of funny ads on TBS’s annual World’s Funniest Commercials.
Gen Y may be harder to reach with our general distrust of major companies, but we’re still reachable. We know all the old tricks of the ad agencies, but trying some new methods is sure to get our attention.
One main difference between the Baby Boomers and Gen Y is the amount of advertising we grew up with. Since preschool we have watched commercials on every channel telling us to buy things. We fell for the false promises in grade school, but those years of experience have made us more media savvy than previous generations. Some of us even took classes in high school to learn the major components of advertising. This has produced a generation that is more mistrustful of the ads on T.V. We no longer care about celebrity endorsements, flashy commercials, or other old tricks. This is causing a bit of a panic in some major companies such as Nike, Pepsi, and Levi’s Jeans who are loosing a lot of their younger customers. All of them are currently adjusting their sales methods to reconnect with their target audience.
Gen Y is plugged into the internet. Most of us spend our free time chatting online or exploring each other’s pages on Facebook. Companies that wish to connect with teens need to log in as well. Flashy pop-up ads, however, will not get our attention. Pop-up blockers make sure we don’t have too look at them, and those that do seep through will only be greeted with a scowl or an eye-roll before being closed. Get a domain name and hire some web designers. Gen Y likes a company with a good website and one that accepts feedback from its customers is even better. It shows us that the company is more interested in customer satisfaction; not just making money.
Gen Y has a heart. Studies show that teens are more likely to buy products if the company donates some of the proceeds to a charitable cause. A study from 2000 found that 91% of teens valued companies and products that supported a good cause, and 89% of them would switch to brands associated with a good cause. The recent popularity of Green products shows that today’s teens are still enthusiastic about making the world a better place.
Getting support from Gen Y requires more than a T.V. ad. Waiting for us to come buy your product is not the road to take anymore. If you want our attention, you have to come to us. Go to malls, skate parks, concerts, and college campuses and use contests and promotions to get attention. A lot of companies are even using “street teams” to gain Gen Y loyalty. “Street teams” are young employees who to go popular teen hang-outs to promote products, and get feedback on what is popular and what teens want in a product.
T.V. commercials aren’t dead yet. Teens will still pay attention to certain ads. Serious commercials that use celebrities or cool images to promote their products are ignored. Gen Y responds to humor and parodies. Sprite and Arizona Jeans actually parody the traditional serious or gimmicky ads in some of their commercials which has actually boosted sales from Gen Y customers. Commercials that make us laugh stick with us. We’ll even watch an hour’s worth of funny ads on TBS’s annual World’s Funniest Commercials.
Gen Y may be harder to reach with our general distrust of major companies, but we’re still reachable. We know all the old tricks of the ad agencies, but trying some new methods is sure to get our attention.
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I agree with "Gen Y has a heart." we want to feel "a part of society" by contributing even though we do it through the Internet.
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