spreading jam

This week, Engine has the pleasure of welcoming Noah Kerner, CEO of Noise to our London offices. Noise are the newest addition to the Engine group and are a US agency famous for their work with helping brands to connect with young adults (18-34) – Generation Y.

Having worked with brands such as Amazon, EA, Coca Cola, Chevrolet, Yahoo and Panasonic, the agency has vast experience of engaging with this demographic and their “code”. Noise were one of the first agencies to really believe in Facebook launching the first Facebook app and Facebook Connect before anybody else, testament to their understanding of Generation Y.

For any brand to successfully connect with this generation, they must first understand, respect and create for that code – simply pushing marketing messages will no longer work. So let’s first explore what the code is…

ALWAYS ON – This generation of youngsters are constantly on, heightened by the advancement in technology with smartphones and tablets. It’s reported that a staggering 65% disconnect for one hour or less each day.

DISCERNING – We’re living with sceptics; a generation that are immune to faceless advertising campaigns. Trust is a really big issue for this generation with only 28% feeling that most people can be trusted. A bad experience is likely to have a long-term effect on their feelings towards a brand.

SMART – Age no longer matters. It’s cool to be smart and 68% of Gen Y say that “nerds are the new jocks”. With more people graduating than ever before, we’re living in a smart community. This is the generation of ’19 year old CEOs’ – 36% are ‘sidepreneurs’ establishing businesses in addition to studying for their degrees.

GOOD – Making money isn’t always key for this generation – they believe that they’re doing well by doing good. 84% of Gen Y believe that their generation has a duty to change the world. With hipster chic becoming the new “cool”, public transport, second hand goods and environmentally friendly companies are becoming their first choice.

EMPOWERED – Whilst 84% of Gen Y believe they have a duty to change the world, 82% are convinced they have the power to do it.

COLLABORATIVE – Competition is so last season! Collaboration is here to stay it would appear with 61% of Gen Y believing that social media is the “new power of youth” and 70% considering it a force for change.

So what does this tell us? Through understanding Gen Y’s drivers and motivations, brands can start to engage with them on a level that they understand and respect.

Expectations from this generation are higher than ever before. They expect live and interactive customer support – this needs to tap into all of the channels that they’re currently using – be that Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Apps, Text etc.

Product and marketing offerings need to empower this youth group – allowing them an immersive experience and personalisation, enabling expression of individuality. No better way can this be communicated than this ancient Chinese proverb…

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand”