Gen Y living in the NOW

http://opendialogue4themasses.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/generation-y-y-o-l-o-you-only-live-once/

Experiences like backpacking internationally and buying the latest tech gadgets are big with the Gen Y demographic, says Christine Hassler, author of 20 Something Manifesto.

"It's all about engagement and experiences. They saw their parents work hard and then watched their pensions disappear, so now they [Generation Y] want to have a lot of fun. This is a 'live-in-the-moment' generation that is also very social," Hassler says. "They do things in groups and like brands that are aspirational, like Virgin. They are delaying milestones and living it up as long as possible."

—from here.

Generation Who, What, Y? What You Need to Know about Generation Y

Author(s):

Goldgehn, Leslie A.

Source:

International Journal of Educational Advancement, v5 n1 p24-34 Nov 2004. 11 pp.

Generation Y wants to know why! Today's youth are curious, they want the facts, they want the hard data, and most of all they want the truth. Advertisements and creative marketing tactics do not easily sway this group. They do their research before they believe most things they hear and see. Purchasing behaviors of Generation Y show that the group is extremely brand conscious as well as brand loyal. Consumers in this group are willing to pay the price for brand name goods as long as they find value and quality in the product. With this unique generation comes an exceptionally fascinating approach to higher education. College is no longer just a place students go to further their knowledge; in fact, it's now fashionable, hip, cool, and quite image-defining. Traditional structured forms of communication do not work well with this generation. They like to experience things themselves and figure out the answers rather than being told. They desire the freedom to choose and do, as they desire. When communicating with Generation Y colleges need to be real, be raw, be relevant, and focus on establishing relationships. The purpose of this paper is to better understand Generation Y, gain a sense of what criteria are important to them in choosing a college, and to determine what implications this has for colleges and universities.