By Lauren Gonn
What is Generation C? Why should we care, and who is involved in this group? A collection of people from Bader Rutter gave an eye-opening discussion at PRSA’s March luncheon.
Generation C has no defined definition, but rather determined by one’s behavior. There are four “Cs” that define this group of people: connection, creation, communication and change.
Those considered a part of Generation C are three times more likely to attend live events, influence $500 billion of product/service purchases annually and have a huge purchasing power. Forget about age, these people are passionate brand advocates growing on both ends of the age spectrum. Their views are shaped by personal connections.
In fact, 85 percent rely on their peers’ approvals for buying decisions. They need to be constantly connected with the world and their peers, mostly through social media and always have their personal and business lives intertwined. For example, they may be checking their Facebook or Twitter accounts while on the way to a meeting; or reading emails when with a client. Bringing us back to those “Cs”-connection and communication.
So what motivates these brand advocates? They want to “show and tell.” Once they find a product and/or service they love, Generation C members will want to share this information with their peers. It’s only natural after finding something you love to want to share it with others. Specifically, they are looking to support brands with a shared purpose.
Going back to the idea of staying connected, these people want to be advocates for brands who have not only good products/services, but who are doing something more with them. Generation C members are our influencers of the world, bringing attention to brands through many ways of technology and word of mouth.
Now, let’s look at the last two “Cs”- creation and change. Being so connected, these individuals create a lot of content every day that’s put out there for everyone to see. Statistics show that more than 216,000 photos are loaded to Instagram every 60 seconds, and 2,460,000 pieces of content are placed on Facebook every day. That’s quite a large amount of content!
Generation C seeks content and experiences worth sharing, changing the way marketers look at their audience. It’s about the whole brand experience, not just the content itself. Brands need to keep their messaging authentic and entertaining, and embrace the fact that they don’t own the conversation- their audience, including members of Generation C does.
Generation C members want a brand that is unique and original, offering real value, and those who get on a more personal level with its consumers. In other words, companies need to “start, guide and change” their brands based on its consumers and Generation C.
