Generation Z Predictions

I have written a lot about GEN Z, so it is great to see that is going mainstream. I found this post on Media Post, so I thought I would give my thoughts here.

Three Predictions About Generation Z -Frank O’Brien

1. Sorry Kindle, Gen Zs are iPad enthusiasts.

The iPad has been the breakthrough device of the year. One could argue that the iPhone 4 or other mobile technologies should take that crown. But the iPad has created an entirely different way of receiving and absorbing information in 2010. Has anyone seen that cool new Popular Mechanics application?
Increasingly, parents are turning to bite-sized devices to entertain and educate their children. The iPad will outpace the iPhone for the chosen “keep the kids entertained device” for Gen Z parents as there is more room for security, limited need for a data plan, and the device will allow parents to hold onto their cell phones versus giving them to the kids to stay occupied. Not to mention the price point of an iPad makes it the perfect, dare I say, in-between device that’s not quite a computer.

I have to agree, Gen Z love the iPad, and while I don’t think it will take over the Kindle (they were never big in the UK) I think it could take over the need for a mobile. Gen Z love the intuitivity of the iPad and for them they just think that the iPad gets them. So I would say move over mobile, the iPad has it!

2. They won’t take criticism well. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Generation Y, it’s that they’re not to be messed with. One slip of the tongue with a teenager and they’re likely to stomp on your foot, leave the room, and start an empire quicker than you can say Facebook. The generation of entitlement is only going to continue to grow, so be prepared to speak to your youngsters the right way.
Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Don’t ignore it because, from a marketing perspective, it’s very important. A group of Gen Zs will be able to sabotage a brand, kill a campaign, and destroy the bottom line of a company with just a few keystrokes on a status update or Twitter. Qualified responses don’t matter, perception is reality, and this group is going to have a big opportunity to shift brand perception in an unprecedented way.

I would like to rephrase this one and say that Gen Z will demand authenticity and won’t be afraid to speak out. Yes, they are likely to be something like Gen Y, but in a different way, while Gen Y can be quite fickle and their campaigns pretty shallow (sometimes) Gen Z will be much more organised and strategic. They are less about shouting and more about bang. What I mean is, they will speak out with less noise and more action. So yes, they may be young, but treat them with respect because they have a voice and they are not scared to use it. Above all they have the staying power that perhaps Gen Y didn’t have.

3. They will continue to find loopholes. 

this is probably the most important prediction as it will affect everything in a marketer’s toolbox – creative, media and loyalty programs included. As information continues to be more accessible and advertisers look to find a way to reinvent media spaces, such as the 30 second spots, banner placements, etc., Generation Z will continue to find ways to access their information more quickly.
Loyalty programs will become “what have you done for me lately” programs, as the marketplace becomes more competitive, social and referral based. The days of using one brand of toothpaste for years is nearing its end! Creative will need to be more compelling to not just cut through the clutter but to engage this audience in something interactive. Overall, a very interesting game of cat and mouse is about to ensue, and marketers will need to be even more on their toes in choosing the right strategy, creative, and media to engage this audience.
The moral of the story? Engage teens, but prepare for the “über teen.” Generation Z is on the rise, and it may just be the most agile, fickle and trickiest to engage generation yet!

Most of what I see shows that this generation coming up will be less fickle and the decisions they make are more likely to be based on conversations they have with their families. They are much more likely to be traditionalist in their outlook and may be the most loyal generation we have seen since the 70’s. Early indications are that they are very brand loyal and much more likely to choose based on feeling rather than price. They want the brand to make them feel social. One thing I will say though is that this generation cannot and will not be marketed to. They want to go beyond engagement, they want conversations and they will expect more from their brands then ever before.

Government on a “lets fix the parents” gig again

MP thinks parenting GCSE could tackle ‘toe rag parents’

Apparently the answer to all our problems now lies in a GCSE in parenting !

Frank Field (the government poverty tsar) believes Parenting skills should be taught in schools to address a “vicious downward spiral” of broken families in the UK.

The Labour MP for Birkenhead, fears many children are being dragged down by what he calls “toe rag parents”. His solution, outlined in his first report to the Prime Minister, is to place parenting at the heart of the national school curriculum.

Writing in the Daily Mail on Tuesday, the MP said Britain was facing a social crisis because of the huge number of families who “live in a state of permanent squalor, chaos and hostility”.

Read more MP thinks parenting GCSE could tackle ‘toe rag parents’

What youth think

Youth in the uk. -what do they think.

What are youth thoughts on different subjects?

Facebook’s panic button

Facebook and child protection

Woo hoo! Let’s all rejoice, Facebook launches its panic button… an innovation! Now I know you can detect the slight irony in my voice here and let me say, it is not because I don’t take on-line security seriously, but I just don’t think that this will not make much difference and I feel that it is media hype.

For all those of us in the UK I am sure we can recall recent newspaper articles regarding a journalist posing as a 14-year-old girl on line and being swamped by inappropriate suggestions. The implication in this article was that it was Facebook that the journalist joined; we later learnt it was not, it was a site that most teens wouldn’t join. I even posed as a 14-year-old girl for two weeks on Facebook and nothing happened at all.
I think that this is the adults trying to solve, pretty ineffectively, what is essentially a teen problem. I have spoken to many teens about this as well as an expert on these matters in the UK and they all agree that they don’t need it. Most will just ignore, delete and take inappropriate people out their stream. As for cyber bullying most I spoke to said they would get help elsewhere. Teens are for the most very effective at managing their on-line presence. I feel it is there to help the adults more than the teens. And lets no forget it is an application they need to put on face book – can’t see them doing that!

Read more

Social TV

The socialization of TV

I have long been banging on about social TV and how the future of viewing is changing. Last year’s X Factor in the UK saw the audeince really voicing their opinions on certain things, causing some of the celebrity judges to apologise in real time, which quite an unprecedented thing.

And it seems that people are finally catching up with Google launching its Lean Back service (which, while maybe not mainstream, does give us an insight into how future viewing may be), but the most exciting development is that of Starling, a social platform that will allow TV viewers to share and talk about things in real time. While I cannot really find the ins and outs, it does have some media heavyweights behind it (Fremantle TV’s Declan Caulfield and Kevin Slavin, a leader in the New York technology scene), so you can gauarantee it will get the industry’s attention.

“Another startup has launched around the amorphous social TV space, but this time it’s steered by industry heavyweights and has initial clients, a predecessor and a slick interface, along with a business plan.” April 12th 2010 – Contagious Magazine

Kevin Slavin states that the great thing about social media is that it is adhoc and when it comes to discussing TV shows, this strength is the problem in that, for example, in the World Cup, what hashtag do you use?

While I agree and am looking forward to this product, I also wonder if trying to put a box around it and telling people how to do it will work. Will that lure us away from Facebook and Twitter, or are they so ingrained that it will not budge us?

However, what is clear is that this generation is making TV more personal, more customisable and most importantly, more accountable and for that, I am truly happy.

Youth and technology

Finally we stop ragging on the future of technology

It seems that the tide is beginning to turn when it comes to internet use and social media. For many years now, the mass media has been saying that social media is destroying us all, something most of us know to be untrue, and it looks as if current research may show just that.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has released its report on Internet-based socialization. The conclusions in The Future of Online Socialization segment of the survey are positive.

The online world, according to most of the Internet specialists surveyed, is going to add to the texture and mood of social interactions, not detract from them.

“The social benefits of Internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts. They say this is because email, social networks, and other online tools offer ‘low friction’ opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together.”

It is a pleasant surprise to see information like this beginning to hit main stream and as social media becomes much more localised and useful to us, things can only get better!

Read more The Future is Bright for Online Socialization

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