#9 Will ‘independent’ Generation C be as entrepreneurial when they have ‘grown up’?
April 27, 2009 by Jake Pearce
True or False?
Will ‘independent’ Generation C be as entrepreneurial when they have ‘grown up’?
The key question that generational researchers get wrong is extrapolation. For example – if you took the Woodstock generation in the 1960’s, then the world would have been a music loving, sharing, free spirited paradise long ago.
So what happened? Did the Woodstock generation, better known as the ‘Boomers’ sell out completely? Did their values change or did their values remain the same?
This is a key issues for generational predictions.
Ben Young is what we would call ‘born Gen C’. In his video, Ben makes these key points:
• On average IQ increases each generation
• As a result Generations are genuinely different – it’s not a case of the young are the young or the old are the old
• It is more ‘normative’ or usual for Generation C to be expected to self help in relation to life in general
• In relation to business – Generation C like solving their own problems
• As a result Ben says to corporate – make what GenC want or they will do it for themselves.
This great talk heated up a lot of discussion.
Here are some comments made by people attending the conference – Ben’s talk was thought provoking and polarising for the audience:
• All young people go through a phase of being entrepreneurial – it’s a right of passage – Gen C are no different
• All ‘young’ generations see themselves as special as they get older they see they are more alike than different
• DIY is what Gen C is all about – Ben has hit it on the head when he says Gen C will sort things out themselves
• Every generation has stand out stars – to generalise from a few is not realistic
• It’s not Gen C that are into DIY – it’s just the tools are there (the internet to make it easy) to allow people to do things themselves.
For next week:
In my view the issue is about being normative. Not everyone in the 60’s was musical and into drugs – yet the stand out icons for Boomers – like Bob Dylan reflected those iconic values. In the same way – stand out icons for Generation C are born Generation C doing things for themselves.
Much of marketing is all about the person you’d like to be – the person you aspire to be. With this in mind, we need to explore further how Generation C’s aspirations will evolve.
#8 Video – Gen C talk more than they type – Digital Conference
April 9, 2009 by Jake Pearce
Gen C talk more than they type.
This is one of 3 myths I bust about Gen C during this video (7 mins 50 seconds long) of my chairing a panel at a Digital Conference in March 09. The panel explored Generation C: Who are they and what do they need?
Enjoy and I look forward to your comments!
#7 Generation C steals share from other Generations – but they still talk more than they type…
April 6, 2009 by Jake Pearce
Generation C is a growth Generation stealing share from Generation X, Y, Z and Boomers.
Why?
Well that’s because more and more people use a range of digital media and become ‘adopted GenC’. The Pew research shows that effectively a wide range of demographic generations are ‘converting’ and debunks the myths that Generation C is all about the ‘young’. For example….
• Gen X – are most likely to bank, shop on line
• Boomers are most likely to book travel on line
• Silent Generation (64-72 years old) are up there with Gen Y on e-mail
• The biggest increase in internet use since 2005 is in the 70-75 age group
Check out Pew Research on generations online – it’s great info.
In effect – Generation C started out being those who were really into matters digital and were young but that’s rapidly changing. For example Mitch Olson co-founder of
Small Worlds – told us the average age of those in Second Life is 35. The net result is that those who were the digital influencers are becoming cross generational influencers – and ironically influencers used to be hard to find and now are often openly accessible on digital mediums like twitter.
So what are the implications? Well I feel one will come – a digital backlash because of the demographic blurring inherent in Generation C. One key point that seems to be forgotten is that 80% of all ‘Word-of-Mouth’ comes from the gob not the keyboard.
In short the importance of ‘matters digital’ for marketing people is growing but right now may be overhyped. Generation C talk more than they type and that’s a fact that has been lost on many people.
Watch this space for video footage exploring this fascinating ‘non-demographic’ generation.