A recent article called "Boomer Brands Take Notice" looks at Mercedes-Benz and how they realize that their bread and butter has been the Boomers but if they don't appeal to Generation Y they will fail...
"It got proactive andthrough a market research online community (MROC) created an engaged "Gen-Benz" community to build customer intimacy with Gen Y."
The article stated other brands have the same issue...
"Dr. Scholl's
has re-invented itself from just an orthotics company for your grandmother to a something cool that takes the "ow" out of your high heels.The transformation started with its fun gel campaign and partnerships with Stacey London, the style expert from TLC's show "What Not to Wear." Dr. Scholl has even become a shoe company whose shoes just happen to be good for your feet. Through collaborations with cachet brands like Burberry forespadrilles and distribution in places like Fred Segal, it has connected with culture, nostalgia and created collectability, which for Gen Y is key to a brand's worth.
Crate & Barrel
recognized that while its simple and clean style is not overly expensive, it feels a bit too "grown up" for many Gen Yers, and it created CB2 which offers furniture and otheraccoutrements that feel hipper than your parents' stuff and are priced for first homes. It's a smart extension that provides a great runway into Crate & Barrel for their next life stage. "
Saturday Night Live
" was created by Boomers for Boomers but the show has managed to maintain relevancy for 35+ crowd by being an active participant in pop culture and by embracingthe lives of its viewers, including Gen Y. The Facebook campaign to get Betty White to host is an obvious example of Gen Y's cultural force. They saw how hilarious she was in her Super Bowl spotsand turned her hosting gig into a mission. This is particularly interesting as it proves that like Betty White's brand (no offense to her), you don't have to be a new brand to appeal to Gen Y. Others that are well on their way are
Barnes & Noble
, which is selling portable reading devices, and fashion brands like Lacoste
and RalphLauren
, which are embracing new sports and cultural references. There are many brands (
CNN
, National Geographic
, etc.) that have theirwork cut out for them if they want to reach the wallets of Gen Yers in the content business. For Gen Y, formats like CNN that were once revolutionary are irrelevant. Headlines along with a touch ofanalysis are available everywhere. Check out this article for a good read on CNN's woes. For Gen Y, content can be informative andeducational but also entertaining in the process ( la "The Daily Show," Huffington Post). There isn't time for both entertainment and information digestion separately. Content providers couldlearn from sites like
and . For National Geographic, it seems that with a new face and new ways to distribute its content, it could be reborn as the the content source for conscientious Gen Yers passionate about environmentaland cultural issues worldwide. Another category that comes to mind is over-the-counterdrugs and healthcare. Gen Yers have headaches, sports injuries and backaches like the rest of us and they, too, need pain relief. Companies like
Tylenol
, Bayer
, Advil
and even Band-Aid
could learn how to relate to Gen Y frombrands like Vitaminwater
, which helped the generation care about staying hydrated."Take the lessons learned from the individual brands and apply them to your clients, help them become relevant to new generations that they will have to appeal to.