(Eric Chester is the leading source of information for this article intended for Trade Show Exhibitors.)
Generation Y: What Exhibitors Must Know About this Group
While the Baby Boomers and Generation X buy their products now, there’s a new generation that exhibitors must understand and appeal to for future success. It’s the group referred to as Generation Y.
People who make up Generation Y were born between the years 1980-1994. Generation Y is already making an impact in our culture. There are 68 million people in this age group (three times larger than Generation X!), and 40 million of those are working full-time.
Why is it important to appeal to this audience? Because Generation Y is so future-oriented and so trend-setting, winning over this group will also attract Baby Boomers and those from Generation X, according to Eric Chester, a Lakewood, Colorado based consultant and Generation Y expert (www.generationwhy.com). "If you appeal to this skeptical market, you’ll be future-oriented, and that’ll attract all the other groups," he said.
Exhibitors must first understand this group and their characteristics before attempting to appeal to them. Chester lists the following five factors to be considered when marketing to Generation Y.
1: They’re skeptical. Generation Y demands honesty and integrity. "A lot of the ‘let’s come at ‘em with a hook’ won’t work with this group," Chester said. "They demand verification. If you tell them something, you must back it up." He stressed that all advertising, promotion, and other "claims" must be backed up with real-world, verifiable proof. Marketers who don't bother to learn the interests and obsessions of Generation Y are apt to run up against a brick wall of distrust and cynicism. Years of intense marketing efforts aimed directly their way have taught this group to assume the worst about companies trying to coax them into buying something.
Generation Y is a savvy group, particularly when it comes to marketing campaigns. They've grown up in a media-saturated environment, and as a result, they can spot a marketing ploy right away, and their first instinct is to run.
2: They’re desensitized. This group has been so over-whelmed with stimuli that they’re numb to all but the most interesting or flashy. "Generation Y are stimulus junkies," Chester said. "Exhibitors must appeal to their senses. This group needs to be entertained, so exhibitors must design out of the box." Exhibitors must appeal to all senses, not just sight and sound, he said.
For example, consider the commercial wisdom of Hallmark cards, one company that has no problem marketing across generations. Hallmark simply adjusts the product line to conform to demographic trends.
3: They’re participants. Generation Y doesn’t just want to watch, it wants to experience. As examples, Chester points to the success of extreme sports and reality based television shows such as "Survivor" and "Big Brother." "Exhibitors must ask, ‘How can they be caught up in the experience? How can they be engaged?'"
4: They’re multi-taskers. Generation Y likes to do several things at one time, such as listening to headsets while viewing something else. "How can your display appeal to this?" Chester asked. New technology is the key: Search out what’s new, what’s hot, what’s cool." Chester suggested going to technology conferences or surfing the Internet to learn about rapidly advancing technology and then using it in your demonstrations/presentations. Consider what Old Navy and Gap are using in their stores - clerks communicate by speaking into headsets. The effect: "totally techno-cool."
5: They crave the limelight. This group not only wants to participate, they also want their efforts to be recognized. "The best displays for this group will somehow appeal to their desire to seek the limelight, to be singled out," Chester said. "What are ways to reward this group? And what rewards will be most valued? The best displays will ‘make ‘em a star.’" Think fun and creativity.
How to Generate Ideas
Savvy exhibitors will consider the competition to develop ideas that appeal to Generation Y. The competition, as Chester defines it, is any event that attracts the attention or attendance of Generation Y, such as rock concerts, movies, television shows. Consider recruiting age-appropriate researchers to mingle with their peer group to collect data about their behavior at malls, clubs or music festivals.
"Exhibitors should constantly be seeking out the competition, studying it, and always asking themselves, ‘What elements from these events can I incorporate into our exhibit and presentation/demonstration?’ The goal for your exhibit is to develop a "complete package" that will appeal on many levels to Generation Y." Chester said.
Chester added that radical changes in marketing strategies are needed. "Generation Y is radically different from any previous generation, so they must be targeted and approached in a completely different way," he said. "Exhibitors must examine every element of their exhibit marketing and ask, ‘What can be done differently?’"
In a nutshell, here are 15 ways to improve your exhibit marketing success to Generation Y:
Avoid clichés and insincerity.
Avoid hype.
Use sound bites, strong images and short snappy phrases.
Keep your marketing text concise.
Use plenty of "cool" graphics.
Keep the tone of your marketing campaign low-key and sincere.
Show concern for the environment.
Understand that they expect instant gratification.
Appeal to their sense of being technologically savvy.
Emphasize the functional benefits of your products/services.
Use bright colors and cool designs.
Be realistic and offer practical information.
Emphasize quality.
Understand that this group is bright, technically astute and sophisticated buyers.
Keep abreast of trends and respond quickly to its ever-changing needs and wants.
Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, working with exhibitors and show organizers to improve their tradeshow success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week, e-mail:
; website: www.thetradeshowcoach.com.
