Opinion: Generation Y Is Your Next Marketing Opportunity
September 23, 2013 
The primary purpose of the U.S. Apple Association’s annual Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference is to forecast the year’s apple crop size, both in the U.S. and around the world. However, aside from the numbers on display, there are usually a handful of other topics on the agenda, many of which are focused on market trends, consumer preferences in the produce aisle, and other “big picture” subjects.
This year’s Outlook conference featured the return of Ken Gronbach, a “demographer, futurist,” and author of books such as the soon-to-be published “Demography Is Destiny: The Incredible Power of People.” So what exactly is a demographer? According to Gronbach’s bio, he “forecasts societal, commercial, economic, cultural, and political events and trends,” all based on swings in population levels. According to Gronbach, virtually any trend in consumer purchasing can be linked back to the simple population levels of each generation. In other words, people should drive the economy, not the other way around.
Gronbach last spoke at the USApple Outlook Conference two years ago, and while some of his presentation was very similar, he also brought some new data and factoids that reflect the ever-changing landscape of the general population. The overall message remains the same: In order to be an effective marketer (whether you’re a large grower or a small grower), you need to understand the size of every generation, as well as their attitudes.
The Coming Generation
Gronbach focused much of his talk on the Baby Boomers (born roughly 1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1983), and Generation Y (1984-2002). For the purposes of this column, I’ll focus mostly on Generations X and Y.
Generation X, in terms of sheer numbers, is one of the smallest generations in many years. Simply put, this means there are less overall consumers in this age group. So if you are focusing your marketing efforts on them, don’t be shocked when your sales decline. Several other industries have already experienced this harsh lesson.
The group to really focus on, then, is Generation Y. Not only are they coming into a time when they have money to spend, but they outnumber the Baby Boomers (which had been the largest generation ever) in population. “You have a sea of these people coming your way very shortly,” noted Gronbach in his presentation. “As an industry, you need to start branding to them right now.”
What do you need to know about Generation Y? Here are just a few things:
• They speak “cyber” as a first language. They are the first generation that grew up sitting in front of a computer, or for that matter carrying around a computer in their pocket for instant access. If you’re not up to speed on social media or any other form of digital marketing, it is imperative that you have someone on your staff who is up to the task.
• They understand and are interested in nutrition. This should no doubt be an advantage for the fruit industry, which has the perfect product to promote. Don’t assume, however, that they understand farming. In fact, the complete opposite may be true, with the disconnect between farm and fork continuing to grow. In addition, with the barrage of information coming at them every day, members of Generation Y only have a short amount of time to collect and process information about health. This is why your own message needs to be short, sweet, and to the point.
• They are multicultural. The Hispanic and Asian population make up a growing portion of Generation Y, and each will need to be marketed to in a different way. And it’s not just ethnicity, either. Women in college currently outnumber men 60 to 40, and the job market will reflect this very shortly.
• They will dominate the consumer market, but will be more selective and discretionary than prior generations. This means quality will matter, perhaps even more than price.
The bottom line is that you’re taking a big risk if you’re not doing everything you can to understand Generation Y, who they are, and how they can be marketed to in the coming years. Start planning now, because they’ll be here soon.
Subscribe Today For
