How to communicate with

Gen Y?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

POLA PACZKOWSKA

Agenda
Generation Y characteristics
CRUSH model
Conclusions and recommendations

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Generation Y
characterictics
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Digital Natives
As many as three quarters of Gen Y people, before coming out of bed in
the morning, reads text messages, checks e-mail and news in social
networks. Moreover, 90 % of respondents, while preparing to go out,
uses smartphones, of which 60 % does it unconsciously. Four out of five
respondents send emails and SMS in bed, more than one-third use
smartphones even in the bathroom. Furthermore, almost half of
respondents uses smartphones during family meals and meetings with
friends.

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Withdrawal syndrome is a situation in which a person is experiencing

unpleasant feelings such as anxiety and impatience due to the fact of not
having an access to his phone. Approximately 40 % of Millennials, have
experienced this situation and said that they felt like the part of them
was missing. With smartphones they feel more resourceful. Awareness
of its unavailability causes nervousness or even panic caused by the lack
of contact with reality. Tormented thoughts come as someone
accidentally did not call, he did not write, or even worse, that happen to
them in case of emergency situation, in which the phone would happen to
be a neccesity. This all means that mobile devices have become an
integral part of the lives of contemporary youth.
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Facebook obsession
People belonging to Generation Y are often called Generation Me due to
their tendency to narcissism. This generation is self-centred, like no other so far.
Millennials tend to create the stories of their perfect life in minds and are willing to
show it on social networks. Looking through photos they unwittingly begin to
wonder if any, by chance, is suitable for the profile picture. Young people are afraid
of failure and constantly worried about their social status, bearing in mind the
number of friends, likes and comments on Facebook. The more is going on in their
lives, the more they can show on social networks. Therefore, the problems
associated with adolescence, such as alcohol abuse, smoking cigarettes or
marijuana are often neglected by the Generation Y. This is because if their misdeeds
are published on the Web, they themselves, may become the topic of conversation
of friends and their friends and thus become more popular.
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Rebels
Representatives of Gen Y are considered to be selfish. Almost 50 % is hedonistic
and materialistic . Approximately 19 % is shopping addicted. Their selfish nature
has a big impact on their faith - only 7 % go to church more than once a week,
and up to 40 percent do not go at all. Representatives of generation Y are forever
busy and they think they have better things to do. In addition, only 7 % count on
authority and acknowledges that it has any impact on their quality of life.
Representatives of Generation Y put his friends and acquaintances in the first place.
They do not think about setting up a family or a permanent job for life. Only 19 %
lives in marriage, and 18 % has at least one child, while in the case of Generation X
it was 35 %. Both in case of marriage and having a child. Representatives of Gen Y
take spontaneous decisions, do not care about the consequences and do not think
about the future. What is importantis here and now.
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Millennials as consumers
Representatives of Gen Y are people who like to be original and stand
out from the crowd, which is associated with what brands they choose
every day. Nevertheless, this does not mean they are not interested in
large corporations offer. The best examples are brands like Coca -Cola,
Apple, Levi's or Nike brands adored by Gen Y. These brands are
always one step ahead of the competition virtually, every day
something new is served to its loyal customers. In such companies, even
the most demanding representative Gen Y can not get bored.

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Representatives of Generation Y particularly like ads that arouse controversy, are

fun, are not complicated, show warmth, closeness and above all reliable ads,
demonstrating the principles brand sticks to.
According to the survey, conducted by CBOS for the Office of Competition and
Consumer Protection, vast majority of Polish youth actually likes advertised branded
products and while shopping is influenced by a popular brand name. Six out of ten
interviewed said they like ads addressed to them and like to talk about them with
their peers. 80 % of young people believe that you cannot always believe
advertising, because it bend the reality. 70 % of respondents believe that they
know which information in advertisements are untrue, but nearly one-third declares
that never checks their credibility. Every sixth young Pole thinks that advertising is
annoying.

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It is commonly known that nowadays young people are extremely distrustful. It is

hard to engage them in your product, because they are aware of marketing
practices more than ever. There is a belief that representatives of Generation Y
trust only friends, as they spend most of time with them and their opinion counts
the most. A survey conducted by InSites Consulting for Levi's confirms that
statement, however, this is not the only group of people that could potentially affect
their purchase decisions. In second place, just after the advice of friends (74 %)
there was shop staff (52 %). It is an essential informatiAon for a brand that
targets young audience as recruited staff has to be open and willing to help and
also present well. Third place went to mother's opinion (40 %) who is considered
to be the best opinion leader on the topic of fashion among all members of the
family.

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There is still the potential to intensify the ecological behavior and activities in young
people life. Representatives of Generation Y segregate garbage and buy organic
products in the same way as previous generations. Along with the time awareness
of how important it is to care for the environment should disseminate. So far,
however, according to research, there are discrepancies in reasoning of young
people about the ecology and social responsibility. For instance, what they value in
potential employers is how much they care about work conditions and employees
developmnet but in case of purchasing production based on fair conditions is not so
important for them. While shopping, they are driven by their own taste or
convenience, rather than the good of the environment or society. This is confirmed
by the fact that companies that particularly care about the environment do not
deliver spectacular results like producers who are more focused on the quality of
products.
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CRUSH model
coolness, realness, uniqueness, self-identification with
brand and happiness

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Model guidelines
Joachim Van den Bergh is the Co-Founder of InSites Consulting agency with clients such
as Lego, Sony, MTV, Danone, Unilever and Coca-Cola. Mattias Behrer is the Senior Vice
President, General Manager of MTV North Europe & MTV International Property Marketing. In
their book How Cool Brands Stay Hot they present many interesting studies in order to explain
how to encourage Generation Y to a brand. One of the most interesting, presented in the book,
is the analysis of more than 5 000 representatives of Gen Y. In this study, the research team
asked volunteers aged 14-29 years, coming from several countries, to write short stories
about selected brands. Participants did not have any restrictions while creating their stories. The
study have identified five key features of excellent Gen Y brand. They are the following:
coolness, realness, uniqueness, self-identification with brand and happiness. To better
remember all the five CRUSH acronym was developed, which became a useful marketing tool for
those who intend to hit Gen Y with their offer.
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Model guidelines

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Coolness
According to How Cool Brands Stay Hot book authors being cool is related to
setting trends, impeccable reputation and high position in the market, own style,
the ability to achieve success, creativity, sense of humor, modernity and sincerity.
For Gen Y cool brand must be characterized by originality at 22%, popularity at
23% and up to 55% of attractiveness. The opinion of young people is shaped by
friends (61%), tv programs (32%), magazines (29%), advertising in general
(26%) and music events (23%). Representatives of Gen Y use word cool to
define videos, music or advertising. If it comes to people, friends are considered
the coolest (23%), then musicians (20%) and movie stars (11%). People fighting
for freedom, politicians and athletes were ignored in the response to this question.
Parents are the least cool but they still remain their role models.
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Cool Handicap Index

There are many categories where being
cool is a very difficult task for
marketers. The authors of the
aforementioned book How cool brands
stay hot asked representatives of
Generation Y which products are more
likely to become cool. That is how Cool
Handicap Index was created. This is an
indicator that tells the difference between
the amount of respondents who felt that
it is easier to create a cool brand within
a specific industry, and the number of
people who had the opposite opinion. A
negative value of CHI means that the
products are more difficult to earn the
title of cool compared to the others. The
table provides a summary of some
industries and calculated CHI for them.
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Realness
Nowadays, marketers are eager to create a feeling of nostalgia when aiming at
generation Y. In many cases they decide to emphasize the moment of brand
creation. Adding this type of information in labels has a significant impact
because it makes it look more original. Authentic brand attract consumers and
play a significant role in WOM. Corresponding to the originality and using
nostalgic feelings is smart because it reduces consumers guilt when making a
purchase. Nowadays, the boundary between truth and false is very thin, which
undoubtedly influence young people shopping criteria. Honesty and reliability are
the most important for them are. Longing for the past is also related to the
fact that Gen Y prefers simplicity.
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Uniqueness
Uniqueness is undoubtedly one of the most important features to be taken into account by the
typical representant of Gen Y. There are three basic steps, introduced by Rosser Reeves in
1940s which can help marketers to uncover the brand USP:
Each ad must be expressed with a certain benefit to the consumer purchasing. It must be a
reason thanks to which the consumer will understand he is not only buying but gaining
something more
The proposal must be unique which means that the buyer will not be able to find it among
the competition. It has to be something in products properties itself or in promise of the brand
The offer must affect a person so hard that it will be able to move millions and constantly
encourage new consumers
While defining the uniqueness young people do not base it on facts but on their subjective
opinions. Therefore, the product can be considered unique even if it is far from the truth.
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Self-identification with brand

Subcultures on the left are the
people who are characterized
by openness and tolerance
towards others. Consider the
otherness as something
positive and they want to
make the world a better place.
In contrast to egocentrics they
have plans for the future which
is seen in their various
interests such as politics,
psychology, ecology and
philosophy. They read books,
go to the theater, museums
and concerts. They are happy
to engage in social issues and
take part in various
demonstrations.

Subcultures on the right

side of the axis are
people usually
characterized by selfcenteredness, considering
themselves better than
others. They are less
tolerant and open-minded
when it comes to other
groups. The closer to the
right side, the bigger
desire to be the best.
After all, these
subcultures do not have
life plans they live in
the moment and spend a
lot of time partying.
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We can also distinguish between introvert and extrovert attitude. Introverts like to spend their free time at home, alone or with a small
group of best friends. Rather not do the sport and not hang out. They have no need to live the real adventures as they may get satisfied
in the virtual world playing computer games or reading books. Their awkwardness is often ridiculed. They are not popular at school.

In contrast to introverts, extroverts love to spend time outdoors. Play sports, go to concerts, meet with friends and travel a lot. They are
popular at school and considered as those who set trends. Those of the upper left quadrant are very fond of adventure and willing to do
extreme sports. Those in right upper quadrant prefer to spend time at the beach and party in popular resorts.
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Happiness
For teenagers there is probably nothing better than a music stimulus. For them it is
an escape from everyday life and their music taste let them stand out from the
crowd. The use of appropriate music in television advertising or in the product itself
immediately arouses emotions in the recipient. Accordingly, selected type of music in
point of sale can also help in the clients product identification. In stores with cheap
products and where purchases usually occur spontaneously, the music should be fast
and bouncy, so that the customer does not ponder long over the decision but quickly
approach the checkout. Slow and relaxing music should resound in stores with
exclusive products, where purchase needs a second thought as requires a large
financial contribution.
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Happiness
Smell definitely affects our well-being and stimulate the imagination. When pleasant it
can evoke memories, such as childhood, which strongly affect the representatives of
Gen Y as that they are very emotional.
Not only the music and the scent evoke emotions among customers - the color plays
a great role in generation Y brand strategy as well. Why the most popular brands in
the world such as H&M, Coca-Cola, Vodafone, Virgin or Mars use red in their logos?
It is not an accidental strategy since color red has large wavelength range, which
induce to act and stimulates. Marketers can go a step further and use an image that
expresses more than one color or text.
Product design itself is as essential as the rest of mentioned aspects since distinctive
design and interesting packaging can be seen on the shelves at first glance.
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Conclusions and
recommendations
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In conclusion, the representatives of Gen Y appreciated contemporary

brand, manufacturers should strive to create a deep bond with the
consumer. Nowadays it is not enough that the product meets one
function in the life of a young man. Companies need to sell lifestyle
and behavior, and not just part of everyday reality. Continuous
encouragement to buy, lowering prices and aggressive passwords are not
the key to success, because they are devoid of creativity and uniqueness.
Original advertising campaigns are often good to talk about. An
interesting discussion, in turn, is a modern currency that young
people love to use speaking about their tastes and interests. Brands, to
which representatives of Gen Y are loyal, are those that reflect their value
system, are socially responsible and constantly communicate with them.
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Generation Y people are very active, open and willing to

cooperate. Open to change. In the marketing communication with them
it is necessary to use the opportunities provided by modern
media. Today, the biggest budget is not the most important thing. It is
important to be creative, to support cultural and sport events, so that the
brand become part of everyday life of the consumer and consequently he
begins to see something more than just a product in it. Positive
emotions such as happiness, smile and euphoria spread like a virus,
so the intelligent use of media, especially social networking sites, would
enable the Generation Y sensing that feeling, which will result in sustained
communication with them.

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Thank you!
pola.paczkowska@unilever.com

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