Captivating Connections.

Gen Buy!

It looks like there ARE consumers still spending...the youngn's!

"Doing their parts this year, Generations X and Y -- consumers age 18-44 -- assisted in the economic recovery of the nation by continuing to splurge on certain types of purchases, according to new data from Publicis Groupe's search engine marketing services provider Performics.

Indeed, Generations X and Y splurged more than any other age group in 2009, despite one of the worst economic years in decades, according to the study conducted by ROI Research.

While three out of four -- 76% -- of consumers said they still splurged in 2009, consumers between the ages of 18 and 44 splurged more than those ages 45 and up across 11 separate categories.

Categories that topped the list of splurges for the younger generation were apparel, travel/vacation, shoes and movies at the theatre.

Across all age groups, the Web continued to distinguish itself as a key commerce engine, according to Michael Kahn, SVP of marketing at Performics.

'Regardless of who spent money offline or online, consumers were emphatic about the Web's role in helping them make smarter purchase decisions in 2009,' said Kahn. 'Consumers have long turned to the Internet to check prices and identify the best products to buy and merchants to patronize, but this year's economic situation pushed this practice front and center.'"

In particular, online price checking can reduce the likelihood of buyer's remorse for a consumer either by confirming a good deal or identifying a better one."

facebook still in the minds (and clicks) of college students.

Many people think that Facebook has become unpopular among college students, especially now that it's open to people of all ages. However, this isn't the case.

According to the “American College Students Survey,” "not only do the vast majority of US college student Internet users find Facebook cool, more than one-quarter of them rate it their favorite Website of all. That was nearly a 12-point increase over last year, and put Facebook more than 20 points ahead of second-most-popular Google.

How students use social networks is just important to marketers as they face that they do visit the sites, and the outlook is positive. Nearly six in 10 female college students learn about products on social networks, along with 44% of males. In addition, 80% of females and 76% of males get product information from Websites they visit regularly."

how gen y ladies shop.

"'Winning With Millennial Women Shoppers' outlines this growing consumer demographic’s key behaviors. Compared to the preceding generation, women born between 1979 and 1989 tend to shop less, buy more during each trip, and frequent supercenters and Walmart more. The economy has also forced these shoppers to cut back on indulgent food categories like frozen poultry, chewing gum, salty snacks and frozen pizza, the report said.

The findings are inline with marketers’ latest attempts to understand this age group, which, in the next few years, are expected to surpass baby boomers in consumer packaged goods spending. Women in their 20s and 30s are just now buying homes, thinking about marriage, parenthood and career development. All these factors spell plenty more marketing opportunities for food and non-food manufacturers going forward, per IRI.

The study also found that:

• Though Millennial women may mirror Generation X households in their purchase of non-food items (hair care, suntan products, household cleaners, for instance), their acceptance of private label is much higher. Seventy percent of Millennials perceive store brands to be of “excellent quality,” IRI said, challenging the general belief that private label acceptance evolves over time. This suggests that traditional advertising media, such as TV and print, may not be as effective as they once were in reaching younger consumers, and marketers should turn to more nontraditional means, said Sean Seitzinger, IRI’s svp of thought leadership.

• Millennial women are seeking retailers that can provide better-for-you and healthy options, though the health factor becomes less important when purchasing beverages.

• Compared to their elders, Millennials tend to use less coupons and circulars. They are also more likely to shop without a budget and make impulse grocery purchases. Due to their quick purchasing decisions, these women are also less likely to stock up while deals and bargains last. Marketers, Seitzinger said, have better luck reaching these women via the right in-store messaging and packaging size. Such behaviors derive from the fact that these shoppers are both time strapped and aren’t as savvy as older shoppers when it comes to looking for deals."

young ladies heart social media.

"Generation Y females have redefined the idea of 'peer group' to encompass online friends, bloggers and anonymous reviewers, according to the 'Why Y Women?' report from PopSugar and Radar Research.

Looking to this expansive group of peers, rather than experts or celebrities, Gen Y women are particularly influenced by social media.

Younger women are nearly twice as likely as their Gen X counterparts to say they had discovered a new brand or product when a friend mentioned it in an online status update. They are also significantly more influenced by blogs, by both professionals and especially by 'someone like me.'

Telling friends in person or on the phone is still by far the most common way for Gen Y women to spread the word about products or brands they love. But they post about products and brands on social networking sites or online forums nearly twice as much as older women. Gen X women, on the other hand, are more likely than younger females to share information via e-mail."

email still relevant to gen y.

According to new research, "college students still see e-mail as a critical medium for messages.

More than one-quarter of college students told the Participatory Marketing Network and Pace University’s Lubin School of Business’ IDM Lab that e-mail was the activity they were least likely to give up for a week—far ahead of the 9% who said they couldn’t live without social networks.

'These results may be surprising to some, but not if you consider the role email continues to play in the day-to-day lives of Gen Y,' said Michael Della Penna, PMN co-founder and executive chairman, in a statement. 'As long as email remains the collection point for social networking updates, including alerts around new followers, discussion updates and friend requests, it will remain a powerful force in marketing and our lives.'

On average, respondents spend 33 hours per month on social networking sites, compared with 31 hours with e-mail, a small difference considering the hype around social networking.

Text messaging was tied with e-mail as the most 'need to have' activity for college kids, nearly one-half of whom sent and received more than 500 messages a month."

twitter (finally) aging down.

"More evidence of Twitter uptake among young people comes from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. According to a September 2009 survey, 33% of online adults ages 18 to 29 use a status update service, a significant difference from the research firm’s previous poll on the subject.

This meant young adults were more likely to tweet than users ages 30 to 49, who had previously been considered the core group for Twitter.

Overall, Pew found that 19% of online adults used Twitter or another status updating service. This is higher than eMarketer’s estimate of 11.1% of adult Internet users; however, eMarketer does not include the use of other status updating sites in that figure.

Status updaters were more likely to belong to other social networks in addition to Twitter, and users with multiple Internet-connected devices participated in services such as Twitter at a higher rate."

in-store vs. traditional.

"In-store marketing is more effective than traditional ads, according to 'The Elements Report' released today (Tuesday). Nearly a third (32 percent) of the 999 shoppers polled online in March said that in-store marketing is 'very effective.' Only 27 percent said the same about ads living outside of the store. 

The report, which is part three of the 'Gone in 2.3 Seconds: Capturing Shoppers with Effective In-Store Triggers Series,' found that the shopping experience is crucial for marketers. Sixty-nine percent of those polled called the in-store experience a “make or break” scenario. While 65 percent of shoppers are making lists, brand decisions are still being made at the store, according to 60 percent of respondents.

End-aisle displays are the most engaging according to 70 percent of those polled, followed by merchandising displays (62 percent), and department signage (58 percent). Ceiling banners and overhead mobiles have the least impact. 

Shelf strips (55 percent) and shelf blades (50 percent) have become more important, especially among the Gen X and Gen Y crowds, who feel the more information the better, per the report. Overall, women and Gen Y consumers were most influenced by in-store marketing efforts. 

'Understanding high potential shopper strike zones has become increasingly critical given the intensified battle for consumer loyalty and share of mind in-store,' said D’Anna Hawthorne, strategy director at Miller Zell, a retail consultancy. The report was conducted by the National Research Network on Miller Zell’s behalf."

feel motivated (or like a total slacker).

Looking for some inspiration?

Check out TechCrunch's list of 'Ten Teen Entrepreneurs To Watch', including Ashley Qualls (WhateverLife) and Patrick DeVivo (Youth Bloggers Network).

Thanks, Kimberly, for sending this!

what's up with those college kids online?

"College students are the most connected demographic group in the US. They own multiple electronic devices and are a prime audience for online video.

eMarketer estimates 18.2 million college students, 95.7% of the total, will go online at least once a month in 2009. As Internet usage becomes ubiquitous, the percentage of students online is growing more slowly, rising to an estimated 96.8% in 2013.

'Not only is Internet access widely prevalent, but so is technology ownership in general,' said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, 'College Students: Connecting with the Connected Crowd.' 'Since students own multiple devices, they want to use those devices to interact with friends and information in multiple ways. They care less about what method they use for their interactions and more about how easy and seamless those interactions are.'

Students are heavy consumers of online video—but also regular TV. They use social networking Websites to stay in touch with their friends—but rely on text messaging as well. And smartphones, which are becoming more and more common on campus, give students the ability to do many activities without touching a computer at all.

Despite the fears of some industry-watchers, college students are not abandoning social networks now that the sites have caught on among their elders."

is gen y going dark?

"If you are what you watch, a look at cable ratings suggests that today’s younger adults are a very cynical bunch.

The shows that score particularly high among adults 18-34 on ad-supported cable tend to be dark comedies or back-stabbing reality shows. In general, the characters are either actively vicious or too stupid to survive the challenges of life.

Are our 18-34s laughing at or with the jerks who populate these shows?

Who knows. But it’s hard to imagine they’re forming the kind of comfortable emotional bonds that older adults form with the characters on  'Monk' or 'NCIS.'

What it does suggest is that the future of TV will look at lot more like 'Sons of Anarchy' and 'Family Guy' than 'Law & Order' and 'Army Wives.'"

Is it dark or is it more realistic?