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.

Why does the i-pad have it so right?

Now I have to say that I have become suddenly obsessed with wanting an i-pad, mainly due to my dreams of lazing with the kids on summer days, writing the many books that I have in my head. Whether I get one has yet to be seen. But what I have noticed in my children and their friends is their different thoughts and approaches to the I-pad, which I thought was very interesting.

My 13-year-old and her friends said, “What’s all the fuss about, it’s just a big i-phone!” They recognised the coolness of it, but that was it. Meanwhile, the little Gen Z, my 9-year-old, had a different take entirely.

I was watching TV with her the other day and chatting and she suddenly stopped all she was doing, moved closer to the telly and told me to be quiet. Knowing it was just the adverts, I was left wondering what food advert she was obsessed with now. When I came back she was still there, her eyes wide, looking with glee at the telly. It was not a food advert; it was the advert for the i-pad. She had the biggest smile on her face and she looked at me and told me that she had to get an i-pad!

An i-pad at 9, I thought, what is going on here? Why not a laptop? No, she needed an i-pad; just think how much it would change her life! As we began to talk about this,the more it became clear that she just thought the i-pad got how she lives. As someone who has always known technology, has her own web show and is using Skype for all communication, the mobile phone plays a less important role in her life than the ability to get information when she wants it. It was clear that she thought that this piece of technology understood how she worked and with it, she could do all the things she wanted!

As I thought about it, I realise that she was right. There has been lots of criticism for the i-pad, with people asking why anyone would want it when it only does the same as your phone, computer, etc. But to the children who have know nothing else, it is right and as Apple say, “I don’t have to change myself, the product fits with me.”

I think that the i-pad is a glimpse of the word to come and from what I am seeing in my little one and her friends, it could mean that the connected word used to describe youth could become intuitive. Maybe it’s not all about connection, maybe mobile phones will have to change a lot. Maybe it’s more about a piece of technology that lets them live the way they want and maybe the i-pad is it.

Marketing to Youth

We all know that Gen Y like to customise and, as their buying power grows, it looks like some companies are catching up and changing their offerings. Chocri is a great example and will no doubt appeal to youth on many levels (minus the price).

Firstly, it has a social cause element. Clearly shown on their website is current donations, although reading it I think that Gen Y may demand more.

DIV-Kinder (which stands for Deutsch-Ivorische-Verein and means German-Ivory Association) is a Christian organization that cares for the needs of homeless and orphaned children of the Ivory Coast. Their primary interest is to provide the children with shelter and supervision. The organization’s employees work directly in these countries and make sure that donations and supplies from Germany are transferred to the homes for children.

1% of every chocolate bar purchased goes directly to the children of the Ivory Coast. So far, the first major donation project we financed was very successful and you are welcome to read more about this project and future ones on our blog.

They also tick the boxes on blogging and offering free bars but this is all a bit old hat, right?

Where they really excell is in their customisations, allowing customers to make their own bar. You pick what choclate it is made from, what you put in it, from which the range is huge, and then you get to name it. Now, while on the surface this may not appear huge, to me it shows that we are getting our youth more and more and are willing to make changes.

Marketing to Youth- How could Pepsi get it so wrong?

The latest Pepsi Max advert has caused a lot of debate among the youth and has brought up some interesting questions for me.

Is the tide turning when it comes to using sex in adverts?
Has the message of respect for women finally got through?
Are youth demanding a new way of thinking from advertising?

My answer to all these is yes.

This Pepsi Max advert sees a man trick a women into having sex with him by making her think that the world is about to end. As a 40-something-year-old I have to say that I watched the advert, chuckled a bit and thought nothing of it, but it appears that the youth saw it another way, calling it a little bit rapey. Wow, was I so used to seeing this sort of thing on TV and adverts that I did not even bat a eyelid? Or perhaps, my police background knows that this would never stand as a rape charge. Whatever it was, it did not affect me as it did the female youth who were up in arms about it. As I started to think about it, I saw that although I have been conditioned by years and years of mistreatment of women in the media, which intially made me see the funny side, it is not really funny at all. These young females are right; it is unacceptable and it has made me so thankful that the conditioning is finally changing and these topics are been openly discussed. Well done…..

Here are some of the comments of a thread of over 140 about the advert.

I am not lacking a sense of humour. I am not known for political correctness. But hello? If you make a woman think she is about to die in order to have sex with her, that is a bit rapey. Would she have had sex with you otherwise? No – we clearly see her turn the guy down. Was she under extreme emotional duress? Yes – she thinks she and everyone she loves are about to die horribly. Does this make me want to buy Pepsi Max? No, it makes me want to pretend to kidnap the children of the ad execs who came up with this ad in order to get them to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do (like show some semblance of intelligence). Disclaimer: it makes me want to do it, but I wouldn’t, because I am not a jerk, unlike the Pepsi Max-drinking jerk in the ad.

ETA: @mjrobbins on Twitter just pointed out the dance they do at the end, which we have now dubbed the pack hunt Dance of Rape.
Pepsi Max – when you’re too gentlemanly to threaten her with a weapon
Pepsi Max, the drink of men who are you to trick you in to having sex with them. Nice strategy there guys, well done

Also take a look at Pepsi Advert – “A Little Bit Rapey” and Pepsi Max – A Bit Rapey

Or make your own mind up and see the advert for yourself.

Why you need to use social media

I love this video I found on http://www.yumu42.com/

Gods, Gays and Girls

Lisa of Fink cards and I have recently taken on some Gen Y Buzz Agents to help us hit the ground running (basically young people who will help us get the message out). We wanted innovative ways to get our products out to the people and figured that we needed youth and energy and that we need to butt out and leave them to it. Obviously, they have some guidelines, but that is it. Now they are not marketers, nor do they have any special powers, they are two amazing young adults who love what we do and have drive and determination. We wanted it like this.

So as Lisa and I talked about adult stuff, namely product development, they excitedly planned their strategy, which did to us seem chaotic but we left them to it and tried so hard not to listen.

However, one thing caught my attention, merely because I had not heard it before. They were talking about flash-mobbing, a term that made Lisa very nervous until I explained it just really meant mobilizing youth to do something all at the same time.

So the conversation when something like this…

“Easy, Facebook page, then Gods, Gays and Girls.”

“Yeah, that makes sense, easy. OK lets do it”

It was so simple – they had a three step process.

1. Get the Gods on board – these were two people they were thought highly of in the community – they had decided they were the Gods.

2. The Gays – to them, the gay community were the trendsetters, the underground movement that was supportive and got things moving.

3. Then when they had that community on board they would reach out to the girls. Most girls had gay friends so they figured this was easy.

Simple! These were the only people who they thought had any influence in supporting them to get done what they wanted to do.

Now only time will tell if their strategy works, but what an interesting and simple way to look at things.