Gen C By Dan Pankraz 1228108588460973 8

Generation CBy Dan Pankraz

C for…..?

Content CreatorsConnectedCo-creationCustomise

CommunityCuriousControl ‘C’

“The spread of digital technology has exploded the number of video moviemakers, bloggers & bedroom musicians. Suddenly we're all poets & publishers. Are we witnessing a creative renaissance?” Idealog

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT GEN C

1. They love creating and ‘mashing’ content2. They are not passive, they form ‘active

communities’3. They thrive on social media sites where they can

get involved in ideas and cultural conversations4. They’re in control of their own lives and are

happy with complexity5. Gen C aspire to work in more creative industries

with less rigid social structures

MYTH: Gen C is exclusively teenagers

…is the age Gen C most wish

to be

THEY’RE DIGITAL STORYTELLERS, CONSTANTLY CAPTURING AND SHARING

THEIR LIVES

96% of wired Aussies under 21 have joined a social networking site

Source: Universal McCann Global study on social media trends April 2008

WHO LOVE THEIR ‘15 SECONDS OF FAME’

And crave constant stimulation…

…there is NO OFF SWITCH

THEY’RE WORLD IS BASED ON CONTINUOUS PARTIAL ATTENTION

iTunes

MP3MMORPGs

Avatars

iMovie

CGI

YouTube

iPodDV cam

Blogs PSP

Xbox

Apps

Wii

AV remixes

USB MySpace

Chat rooms

IMCamera phones Twitter

Facebook

Mash-upsSkype

Sidekick / Hiptop

UGCNokia

Online profiles

iPhone Flickr L8R ;-)

File sharing

WiFi

WikiHDWidgets

Torrent

VOIP

WITH HUNDREDS OF DIGITAL ACRONYMS TO KEEP THEM OCCUPIED

Facebook

THEY’RE CREATIVITY HAS EXTENDED TO AN EXPLOSION IN BODY ART

Cuprocking.com Andy Uprock bringing his graffiti revolution to the world..thanks to Aussie brand Mooks

AND A RESPECT FOR BRANDS WHO CREATE CULTURE, NOT MIMIC IT.

THEY HAVE A PASSION FOR LEARNING NEW SKILLS

• Comical instructional footage on how to improve your photoshop skills

WHILE NOT TAKING THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY

AND FLOCK TO BRANDS WHO ALLOW THEM TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF IDEAS

LIKE VOTING ON HOW AN AD CAMPAIGN ENDS

Flickr Sightings

Source:runcactuskidrun.com

EVERYTHING HAS TO BE CUSTOMISABLE

AS THEY TREAT CONTENT AS COLLABORATIVE AND RECOMBINANT

The ‘Control C Generation’

LIKE SPOOFING THEIR FAVOURITE CHARACTERS ON YOUTUBE

Movies are now being created based off gaming platforms

GAMING NOW DWARFS HOLLYWOOD

Gen C see real and imaginary worlds as one….their personas can be fluid and malleable through these different worlds

GEN C LOVE PLAYING WITH ‘AVATAR’ CREATION TOOLS THEY CAN PASS ON

BRANDS WHO INTRIGUE THEM WITH BRANDED CONTENT WIN

OR WHO SIMPLY MAKE THEIR LIFE BETTER

FIAT ECODRIVE HELPS GEN C BECOME MORE FUEL EFFICIENT DRIVERS

THEY’RE INSPIRED BY BRANDS INVITING THEM TO BE PART OF BIGGER WORLD

ISSUES

VIRGLE..THE 1ST PERMANENT HUMAN COLONY ON MARS

GEN C LOVE MYSTERIOUS CHARACTERS… NOT THE CLEAN CUT

Experimental

Torah BrightRestless

Imaginative

Mysterious

Challenging

Bam Marguerra is THE cult Gen C hero….He’s dark, constantly rebelling and doesn’t take himself too seriously

THE GEN C LOOK IN 2008/09

Casual coolFluid

UnisexUnderstatedAnti-colour

Industrie

Terminator 4

Tip: HYPER REAL AND SCI FI MOVIES WILL CAPTIVATE GEN C IN 2009

Transformers 2

Watchmen

Wolverine

10 THINGS TO TAKEAWAY

1. Focus on sparking conversations in culture, not on one way messages2. Foster their creativity and allow for participation/co-creation in all your ideas3. Treat Gen C as ‘active communities’ who can spread your message NOT

target audiences you’re aiming to hit4. Make sure your brand is always in BETA mode..never fixed or static5. Plan for content you don’t create, building flexibility into your marketing

programs6. Create useful stuff like widgets and applications that’s relevant to their lives.7. Treat real and virtual worlds as one..ensuring ideas live seamlessly across all

platforms8. Don’t treat your brand too seriously…stick to a core idea, but allow for lots of

different manifestations to keep Gen C interested9. Don’t be scared of complex ideas which ‘build’ across different media

platforms….don’t just plaster one message everywhere10. Think about how your brand can make a meaningful contribution to gaming

culture

[email protected]