Technology
Is A Fundamental Part of Gen Y's Existence.
Gen Y was born wired. It's embedded in our psychology, so much so that it's our third hand and second brain. We are connected through words, voices and images. Remember when being sent to your bedroom used to be a punishment? Now it's a teen dream. Through personal computers, mobile phones and gaming consoles, teenagers are spurning antisocial angst for a culture of "connected cocooning." This limitless communication is having a revolutionary impact on the way young people interact, socialize, work and play. We are perpetually connected.
We are text addicts - out of all the ways to communicate, texting is our favorite go-to. Many of us text over 100 messages a week. But teens? Nielsen Co. reported that they average 2,272 text messages a month.
We love our social networks - it's the place we can create, express, share, and promote who we are and who we want to be. According to the Pew Research Center, 73% of teens use social networks, with Facebook coming in first place.
We are content creators - according to the Pew Research Center, 64% of teens have dabbled in content creation - whether that means blogging, creating/sharing videos, mixing music online, creating content for an online campaign.
Technology and the Internet have made customization more possible than ever before. More often, young consumers are demanding that the products we order be suited specifically to our needs, rather than settling for the standard alternative. We are accustomed to personalizing our own experiences, from the Internet to mobile phones. We are customizing our sneakers, computers, games and even cars. This generation of young consumers is accustomed to and demand the gamut from personalization to mass customization from our brands.
In a previous ABCs of Y and Z post, We're All In This Together, we spoke about how friending on social networks determines social value and worth Well there are other aspects of technology that play a part in Gen Y popularity. Having the latest tech gadget will not only get you major attention at school but it determines your cool factor - and where you rank socially. The latest cell phones, digital cameras, video game consoles or MP3s establish who and what is cool in high school. In college it's more about what type of computer you have - Mac rules cool on college campuses.
For your company or brand to resonate with Gen Y it needs to be wired. It needs to be cool. And if your product can be customizable? Bonus! Gen Y doesn't need billboard advertisements and commercials on television. You should not solely advertise to us using the same methods you woudl use for our parents and grandparents. Interact with us online, through social media, on our cell phones.
The "Y Award"
Each week the Premise team will be giving out our coveted (hey, we think it's pretty cool) "Y Award" to a brand that has successfully captured the attention of these youngsters. This week's award goes to:
JetBlue!
Ok, I may be partial to JetBlue because of their nonstop flights from San Diego to Boston and New York. Only helping that is that they are based in New York and want "to become the airline of Boston." However, I am not the only Gen Y'er Jet BLue has won over. They have won many of us over for a variety of reasons.
Like Trader Joe's, JetBlue is known for being quirky and unique. Each JetBlue passenger has a TV complete with DirecTV and movies - a huge bonus for tech-savvy Gen Y. And once you've been stuck sitting on a runway due to inclement weather for a few hours - you'll probably never want to go back to flying without your own personal TV. There are many other reasons Jet Blue has been so successful at engaging Gen Y:
- They promise "Happy Jetting" and keep that promise
- They have a big social media presence - over a million followers on Twitter and 100,000 fans on Facebook
- On the 10th of March they hosted a Tiwtter Hunt in celebration of their 10th Anniversary. If you were in NYC and lucky enough to catch them at the right place at the right time (by following them on Twitter and then running around the ctiy) you could score free Jet Blue tickets. Stay tuned - they will be featuring great offers and promotions on the 10th of every month of 2010.
- In the summer of 2010 they will be launching a guerilla marketing program in the Boston area. Click here to read more.
- And of course, technology. Each passenger has their own TV with DirecTV and movies on demand.
If you've never flown JetBlue before, you should check them out on your next trip. But beware, you may never want to go back to the airlines you've been accustomed to flying! Looking forward to my next flight with them in June!
Links
JetBlue on Twitter
JetBlue on Facebook
JetBlue March Promotion
Make life easy and bookmark this page - so you can follow along for all 10 weeks!
The ABC's of Y and Z
-Jocelyn Fielding, Account Coordinator/Gen Y Contributor
Lunch Today: Delicious pizza and salad from Basic
