Gen Y Unmasked: In-Depth Interview with Josh Weil of GenDigital & Youth-Trends Which Demystifies these Casual, Tech Savvy, Gadget Loving, Text Message Enthusiasts. FASHIONTRIBES POP CULTURE BLOG & PODCAST
"Every month to 6 weeks, cable, or a big newspaper such as USA Today, says something generic about Gen Y, that 'tweens are ultra casual & lost in a technology oblivion. Well we put some context behind that," explains Josh Weil, the blogger behind GenDigital & CEO of Youth-Trends, which researches and analyzes the behavior of 'Tweens (8-12 years old) to the college crowd (18-24 years old) - collectively known as Generation Y - and decodes this casual, tech savvy, iPod & gadget-obsessed, text message-happy, elusive group for the Fortune 500 set.
IF YOU'RE SPOILED & YOU KNOW IT One of the most important attributes of Gen Y is how pampered - spoiled even - they are. "It stems from home environment - 1 in 3 members of Gen Y are from single-family households. Say it's a mom, she's going to indulge her child whenever she's able. Many people ask why the percentage of college students working is down; they're getting money from mom and dad. There's so much pressure at school, that when they come home from their freshman year at Columbia, they tell mom or dad they need to relax, and the answer is 'yes' - by all means." To some degree, their parents are enablers, which translates into certain actions & behaviors. "It's not that they're rude, they are incredibly indulged at home and used to interacting this way. They actually care about others, volunteering, the environment."
THERE'S CASUAL & THEN THERE'S GEN Y The younger end of the Gen Y group takes casual to new levels. "They don't feel limits to being casual, whether talking to friends or strangers, there is no difference of respect," says Weil, explaining that it often means hanging out online on social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace - from countries all around the world. "In talking to employers who employ interns, the heads of Human Resources tell us stories of these young people coming in in flip flops, and asking to leave at 2 pm to go to a baseball game. This is an audience which is vastly different when it comes to the work/life balance."
CELEB MANIA While society in general is celeb-obsessed, Gen Y is especially so. "There seems to be a fascination with celebrity." From the teeny tee on Angelina Jolie's baby to copying Lauren Conrad and her internship at Teen Vogue, they see - and obey - in hoardes.
PRODUCT LUST The premium denim market, in which a pair of jeans can go for up to $300 a pair, is suddenly much more present on college campuses. "Brands like Seven or True Religion didn't show up before. Now, 15-17% all college females report purchasing these brands; it's up from 2% in 2 years." When Youth-Trends compiles their annual holiday gift wishlist of what kids want from friends and family, Weil notes that the list used to include the usual suspects: computers, ipods, and gadgets, however "now, it's 'I want a Louis Vuitton bag, a Coach bag, Seven jeans...things that 28-34 year old women would aspire to. And if they're not enabled to go get it, they get their own credit card and do it themselves."
HEALTHY LIVING An extension of their life/work balance is that Gen Y'ers aspire to live an active, healthy lifestyle. "Many are making a concerted effort to buy healthier foods and beverages. More teens and college students report working out on weekly basis, and many more teens are going out and joining gyms and health clubs. On big campuses, chain gyms always have ongoing specials for students, and the fastest growing segment of new gym memberships are for under 21s."
A FICKLE BUNCH Weil points out that many marketers are mistaken if they take the loyalties of Gen Y for granted. "They have their planning & power point slides, and think, 'we have this deodorant, and we'll get this kid when he's 12, and then we've got him for the rest of his life.' Brand loyalty for life is overdone - we don't see it. This audience is fickle." From grooming products to cars, marketers need to earn, and re-earn, Gen Y business.
A SURPRISING FLOP Falling squarely into the overhyped next-big-thing category, portable gaming sank with a loud thunk. "Especially among teen boys and college men, the actual number purchasing them was less than projected." Although watching portable movies is popular, portable gaming - not so much. Console gaming is the name of the, er, game. "The xbox 360, 20 % of all college guys say they want one. Console gaming still huge among this audience."
AXE SURPRISED, WHY DONTCHA Over the last few years, Unilever's Axe has managed to singlehandedly inject major excitement into an otherwise stodgy category. "The product is pretty cool & works. Most marketers pay attention to women, and then along comes Unilever with Axe." From a beefy ad budget, to placing ads where their target 18-24 year olds hang out - including online & TV - they created cool packaging, a snazzy logo & a great website. "And good execution. Much to their credit, they did lots of research, investing time and money. They did a brilliant job. You know you're doing a good job when competitors copy everything - down to the short name."
SOCIAL NETWORK FRAGMENTATION Weil predicts that over the next year to 18 months, the huge social networking space dominated by MySpace and Facebook will probably start to fragment into niche networks that are less general - and more relevant - to users. "For instance, 'tweens who play soccer, but not so narrow that you're limiting your audience; rather, you're creating a community within a community."
KEEPING YOUR GEN Y SKILLS SHARP To keep abreast of the latest doings of the Gen Y set, Weil advises hanging out where they do - such as MySpace. Also, for older Gen Ys, college newspapers are a great source of what's important on the 1,800 or so college campuses in the US.
- Lesley Scott
(illustration from pageup.com.au) Fashiontribes Josh Weil Gen Y Fashion Pop Culture Podcast GenDigital Youth-Trends Fashion Expert
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