While the focus of recent research and trend reports is Millenials – the generation between 18-34 in age – the behavioral distribution tends to be less clear-cut when taking into consideration early adopters.
When driving user experience, brands should consider three areas of focus, in this order.
1. User Adoption of Social Networks
comScore recent report on Marketing to Millennials# highlights what practitioners know from experience:
“Millennials aren’t locked in to one at the expense of others.”
“Major” means Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat, per comScore.
2. Terminology as Leading Indicator of Themes
If we are what we do, we also are what we say – i.e. Digital body language – how words paint the trends# by trendspotter Marian Saltzman is a useful guide to how we should approach linguistic research and analysis.
Of course, the reach for this terminology is courtesy strong voices creating or kicking off the online echo chamber and an argument could be made for other, less self-absorbed, themes.
3. Converged Media
Where earned, paid, owned are part of a continuum and constantly in need of adjustment as consumption habits are in flux and people negotiate attention thresholds based upon what they are trying to accomplish.
Going back to thinking about Millennials, Danah Boyd just published some thoughts as to why SnapChat is valuable#.
TL; DR - relevance sits at the middle of customers, content, channels.