We Are Family
For Gen Y, friends are just as important as their family.
When you ask Gen Y who are the most important people in our lives it's not uncommon to hear family and friends in the same sentence. With broken homes and dysfunctional family units, my generation turns to our friends for advice, support and personal therapy. I have always had very close friends, but once I moved away to college, and especially when I moved across the country from the family I was born to, my friends became my family. Friends are the family we choose.
Mobile companies have taken notice with their 'Friends and Family' plans. Marketers need to take notice that friends are now as much of a part in the decision making process as family.
It used to be that people looked to industry experts for advice on everything. Times have changed. Friends and peers are the new experts. As Gen Y turns to friends for advice on life, they do the same when it comes to products and services. This hyper-connected, viral generation spreads the word on all that's good and bad. One Gen Y'er told us:
"I just got an iPhone but instead of going to the Mac store and listening to the Mac staff wax poetic about the product, I turned to my friends for the pros and cons. They tell me the truth and have nothing invested in the sale."
Our parents have come to realize this and parents today are blurring the lines between parenting and "friending" their kids, resulting in peerenting. It's a form of collaborative parenting. They're treating their kids as peers. The lines of authority are blurred. Not only are they treating their kids as equals, they are also acting, dressing and living like them. Parents are buying their clothes at teen retailers, they are communicating more through text and Facebook than in person, and even their vocabulary has begun to match their kids. A great example of this is the following clip from this new, hilarious show, Modern Family:
Both from peerenting and the new family dynamics - kids have more of a voice and active role in household decisions. For instance, kids play an active role in deciding on all tech equipment, family vacations, cars, food and home decor. Household decisions are now collaborative.
Markteters be aware, it isnt all about tech savvy items, it's about every product and service you can imagine. Thinking back to when I moved to San Diego, I didn't know what cable company to use, what grocery store to shop at (although I can always count on trusty Trader Joe's), what mechanic would give me the best price for the best work. Every marketer needs to understand that we ask our friends about every product and service you can think of. And if our friends don't know, we search for reviews on websites like Yelp.com and listen to our peers there.
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:
In-N-Out
Okay, I may have chosen In-N-Out this week because it's almost lunch time and I'm quite hungry, but they are a great example of a company who knows how to market to Gen Y. They are also a great example of a company who doesn't use tech savvy initiatives to reel in their consumers.
- Their employees' starting salary is above minimum wage, making the employees happier to work there and more pleasant to customers.
- Instead of spending millions on marketing, In-N-Out relies on it's carefully located stores, billboards, bumper stickers, T-shirts, and word of mouth marketing from it's loyal customer and fan base.
- They stay simple and focused on its core values.
- Exclusivity - first, the only In-N-Outs you'll find are in California and Arizona. And when you do get to one, if you don't know the "secret" code words for ordering something different than just a plain old hamburger, well, you're just not part of the In-N-Out club.
- They have a foundation focused on abused and neglected children (Gen Y likes brands that help!).
- Their mission statement: "Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment." They still keep good on their promises.
- They use natural, fresh, local ingredients - people are becoming more health concious and although In-N-Out is fast food, many still refer to it as a top restaurant.
When I have visitors come to town (which happens quite often when you live in sunny San Diego) In-N-Out is sometimes the first thing they request. And if not the first, I always make sure to get them there during their stay. If you've never had In-N-Out, I recommend a trip to California as soon as possible. And if you're not sure what to order, my favorite thing is a double double animal style with a vanilla milkshake. Hungry Yet? Enjoy!
Links
In-N-Out Website
Modern Family Peerenting Clip #2
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: Kung Pao Combo from City Wok....yummm
