By Blake Sunshine*

The hardest part about growing up is figuring out what you want. For a lot of Gen-Y’s this means deciding what to do after graduation. But even years after graduation, the journey of knowing what you want never seems to end. Figuring out what you want is hard, but it becomes so much easier if you allow yourself to be honest about your journey.

When the Lakers won the final game of the NBA championship, Ron Artest thanked his doctor and his psychiatrist. “Thank you so much,” Artest said, “There’s so much commotion going in the playoffs. She helped me relax.”

The whole world knows how difficult Artest’s journey has been. He has battled with alcoholism and with anger issues and I’m sure there was a time where he wondered if basketball was really giving him what he wanted from life. But Artest carried on and was beyond honest with the world that night, letting everyone know about his time in therapy and how his life has changed since the “Malice at the Palace.”

“I think the public is learning more about this because athletes like Ron Artest are brave enough to come forward and say this person really helped me and I want to thank him,” said Dr. Nicole Miller.

Well I want to thank Ron Artest, because he has helped me on my journey too and taught me a few things along the way:

1. Know that you have nothing to be ashamed of – Artest has never been ashamed of his past and you could see it in his game that night.
2. Know that things can always change- It’s never too late to change the path you are on. Making honest changes to who you are can be difficult, but the effort is always worth it.
3. Prove you know yourself best- You always have and always will know yourself and your journey better than anyone else.

Ron Artest has been honest about his journey from the beginning, and now he has an NBA championship.

How can you be more honest in your journey?  What will you become a champion of?

Read the original post at: Generation Y Journey.

*Blake Sunshine is just a regular girl living in Austin, Texas, blogging and working in social media for National Instruments. A year ago Blake graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in public relations and is now chief-blogger for The Perennial Millennial -  a blog about things that are interesting and make Blake happy: Social media, blogging, public relations, millennials, queso, innovation and football. She blogs at http://www.blakesunshine.com

By Sarah Newton

I do think when it comes to managing Gen Y we are missing a trick.

We talk a lot about how Generation Y are good at asking for what they want and fantastic and speaking up, putting their work-life balance at the centre of what they do, all of which I think are great attributes.  However we don’t take enough advantage I think of their fairness attitude. Most employers find them very difficult to manage, purely due to their inability to get Gen Y to sometimes share another point of view, which I think is a youth thing rather than a Gen Y thing.

But I think the key could lie in something I learnt in police training. When doing my sergeant’s exam we had to do some hideous practical exams, where we had to deal with six role play situations, one after the other, while been assessed. I did so much training for these exams and passed really well, but the best piece of advice I got was, think in threes. That was when we were trying to get our point across to a PC, we were disciplined to think how it reflected on them, us and the organization as a whole.

This stuck with me and in my earlier worked with families in conflict, I would always ask people to think of what they wanted, what the other person wanted and then what the family wanted. It was always so successful at getting people to realize the complex relationships involved.

Recently, I have begun to use this in my work with young employees.  Since most of my experience lies in the catering industry, that is where I started. For example, time off in the catering industry is a real challenge due to the antisocial hours you have to work. The old pattern was, ask for time off, get refused and get mad. We simply changed this to having every conversation include another person and that third part was “the business”. So when an employee asked for time off the manager would say, “I would love to give you the time off, let’s look at what the business needs that day”. They would then sit down and just go through the business needs for that day, balancing that with what they both needed as individuals and come to a conclusion which, more often than not, was not favourable for the employee. What we found though was that suddenly, employees started to find their own solutions to ensure the business needs got meet, they stopped blaming the managers and feeling liked they were been picked on. By clearly stating the facts and appealing to Gen Y’s need for things to be fair, we solved a very contentious issue.

I continue to use this technique in other situations, but my sense is that it will work just as well, begging the question of whether Gen Y really are difficult or are we just not dealing with them in the best possible way?

By Carol Phillips*

Financial services are waking up to the potential of Gen Y consumers. Millennials may not have a lot of money now, but they are determined to pay down their debt and conserve resources for the future.  Coming of age in an era of massive financial uncertainty, they may even come to be known as “Gen Frugal”.

That’s good news for community banks and credit unions which are all about helping moderate income people responsibly manage their own money.

Last week I was interviewed by Myriam DiGiovanni of the Credit Union Times.  She wrote an article titled “Forget the Cool Factor, Focus on Millennials’ Needs” based on our talk. Here the full article (bold face mine):

Looking to engage meaningfully with younger consumers? Then stop assuming and start connecting through a common interest rather than trying to sell credit unions. “I think the main difference in marketing to Millennials and other generations is that they have great filters–they only see what they want to see. If you want to engage them, the message can’t be about brand but rather something they care about,” said Carol Phillips, president of consulting firm, Brand Amplitude, LLC. “It’s not about being hip but providing services they find useful now, like finding a job, figuring out how to finance their education or new business. They are starting out their lives at a difficult time and credit unions should credibly speak to that.”

She added that credit unions shouldn’t fall for the stereotypical myths surrounding this group such as they are all tech savvy–they are in fact tech dependent. Another myth is that they have money–many don’t and those that do are in saving mode or paying down debt said Phillips.

Forget about making the luxury appeal. When pricier purchases are made they tend to rationalize it based on whether it’s a good investment. According to Philips, for example, moving in with their parents is not viewed as an admission of defeat. Rather they see it as a strategy for saving.

Don’t look to the exclusive use of social media as a guaranteed in either. While they are very social, Millennials have close bonds with their parents, often consulting them regarding financial matters or major life decisions. Phillips said it’s yet another challenge because typically you’d market to the buying group, which in this case would include their trusted board of advisors consisting of parents, family members and friends. The key is for credit union to reach out and be a part of their world, and Phillips said initiating a conversation is a good start. Given the age span of the group is from 16 to 30 years old, she also advised credit unions to segment by interests. From there, credit unions can figure out how to connect in interesting ways whether around careers, music, causes or even sponsoring events that matter to them rather than talking about the latest checking product.

“Meaningful connecting requires recognizing that they are not the same as their parents. They do not respond to marketing, and that is the definition of different,” said Phillips. “Take time to understand who they are as people and introduce your services in context of what is relevant to them. Social media is about a humanization of the brand but is still just a tool [and] not a strategy. So be interesting, have a conversation.”

She added their values are no different than previous generations-they care about family, leading a good life, finding a fulfilling job and they want to give back.

One bank that seems to be getting it right with young adults is UMPQUA, a fast growing regional community bank in California, Oregon and Washington.

Their web site looks more like an ecommerce site than a traditional bank and they call their branches ‘stores’.  The language is plain English and yet stylish. The checking account featured on the home page is called HIP( for High Interest Paperless Checking) and offers 2% APR on  deposits and returns ATM fees. Nothing tricky about that!  News is broken out locally and is called ‘murmurs’. There are quick links to ‘deals and steals’, ‘reorder checks and supplies’ and ‘attend a neighborhood event’.  The navigation is straightforward as well and feels like you could do everything you need to do from opening an account to managing it to taking a loan, right from the web. There are spam alerts and interesting discussions. The site is very sticky and feels quite local, despite being spread across three states.

The short, awareness-oriented TV spots featured on the home page are cheerful, and perky, and not very ‘bank-like’ — “Bank on the Bright Side“, “Optimists Unite“, “Pursue Hopefulness“,  ”You deposit your check in the Northwest economy, like a gentle rain in a garden of courage“, “Optimists are just realists ahead of their time“.  The graphics and the voice over work together to create a hopeful feeling. I feel better just listening to them!

The part of the website I like best is under the tab heading ‘UMPQUA Life”. The sub categories speak directly to Millennial lives – Support, Belong, Discover, Inspire. The sub-subcategories  further emphasize local charitable and volunteer opportunities, neighborhood events and community responsibility. There are links to social media like Twitter, but they are discreet. The site itself  already feels like a social media site.  Even the history page is fun, with just the right information about the banks’ origins with emphasis on what it is doing in the community with music, eco-friendly programs and being included in Fortune’s Best companies to work for.

It should be noted that UMPQUA’s products are not all that special.  But, they are presented in a relevant and very accessible way that speaks directly to the Millennial mindset.

I suspect UMPQUA has been successful in attracting a higher than usual percentage of young adults and people who want banking to be less stuffy and more a seamless part of their lives. Other banks and credit unions could learn from their example.

*Carol Phillips is the president and founder of the brand strategy consulting firm “Brand Amplitude.” She is also a Professor at the prestigious University of Notre Dame. Carol began her career as a market researcher and strategic planner at Leo Burnett. Later, as an Account Director, she led agency teams at four different agencies – Y&R, Leo Burnett, Mullen and JWT – for a variety of clients including Sprint, Nextel, Ameritech, Heinz, 7UP, and Philip Morris. She blogs at www.millennialmarketing.com.

By Sarah Newton

As England comes home defeated from the World Cup, it becomes so obvious that there is lack of good talent coming up through the ranks of sport in the UK and it seems that this skill shortage is hitting hard.

My eyes were recently drawn to an article in Construction Manager (my hubby is in the field) entitled, “Industry is storing up trouble over skills shortage, reveals CIOB survey.” http://www.ciob.org.uk/resources/research

This survey reveals that the industry is laying the groundwork for an on-going skills crisis. A third of respondents  said that the recession had resulted in reduction in graduates at their firms, while 20.3% said it had stopped altogether, with 32.9% saying that apprenticeships were down and 17.5% stating that they had stopped apprenticeships altogether.
Lyne Crowe, regional manager of the recruitment consultant Hays Constructions, says that the industry sees graduates and recruitment as a major cost, rather than a long term investment.

While I know nothing about the construction industry, my guess is that this trend is far-reaching and worldwide.

To me, cutting down on employing fresh talent seems totally counter intuitive. Not only do we create future problems for ourselves in terms of skills, but we also cut out the new creativity, energy and enthusiasm that young fresh meat can bring.

As a company, when the going gets tough do you cut your most valuable resource, the young fresh talent? What can you do to make sure this doesn’t happen?

This is a post that I have wanted to write for so long and no, I haven’t been procrastinating, I just needed to get an inside ticket, so to speak.

In the UK there are a few amazing companies that have been started by Gen X ( of Gen Jones for those of you who are into generations in a big way) that are walking and living examples of how to run companies that Generation Y want to work for. However, there is no company that has done it better then the guys at Innocent Drinks. I have already talked about this company before. They are living, breathing examples of building a business based on real values through and through and Gen Y fall over themselves to get a slice of the Innocent pie. Richard Reed, Adam Balloon, Jon Wright, now 36, started their business in 1998 with a clear goal to get fresh healthy drinks out to the public, and they did it in a very quirky way.

I have always had a sneaky suspicion that these wonderful, rebellious, middle class Gen Xs, determined to do everything a different way, had built a company that not only appealed to but valued Generation Y’s qualities and that they had managed to build something quite unique, a company that values above all else its young employees. However, this was all just hearsay; I needed to see for myself, so after a few years of trying I finally managed to get a ticket to their AGM (a grown up meeting) where I, along with loads of other people, spent the day with the crew at Innocent.

Among what I can tell you is that this company has got it when it comes to Gen Y, but what is the IT? Well simply, a culture that allows their Gen Y employees to thrive. Their employees are passionate, committed, loyal and very efficient, going totally against the grain of how we think of Gen Y employees. So what have they done?

Well, walk into Fruit Towers and you know this place is different, from being greeted by a town crier to seeing the astro turf vans to the bean bags that adorned the floor and the bunting all around the office. This is a Gen Y’s dream and mine too!

Employees of Innocent do not sit in departments, they are all mixed around and there are no offices with shut doors. Most meetings take place in the very large communal area that resembles more of a 5th year common room, while looking at a screen adorned with grass and daisies. Their board of directors are actually called the “bored” by the staff and they meet in the “bored room”, which has “blah” written all over the walls. They give employees grants to do things that they really want to do, which they all vote on, the most recent being a remake of Thriller aptly called Chiller. You just get the impression that this is a great place to work.

They don’t stick Gen Y in a box with a list of tasks, they instil in them vision and then expect the results. They care about their staff, having pictures of them all as babies on the wall. They have sports clubs for the staff, a gym masseur, breakfast for everyone, Fridays evenings out, all giving a valuable message to their employees that they care about them as people. They appeal to Gen Y’s need for balance and they haven’t missed out the families too, giving employees an extra 5 days off if they get married and extra tax free money towards childcare. It is a Gen Y dream.

However, ask them how they created this culture and they will clearly state that it is all down to their amazing staff, even turning down TV opportunities to talk about the Innocent culture because it is not their job to tell others what to do . To them, it’s all about the people and they choose their people based on whether they fit with the values of the company and have the capacity to do well before they even look at their experience.

While I was there, someone asked if the innocent culture could be adapted to another business, which was a great question. I began to wonder if it could and came up with the conclusion that it would take a grounded, egoless, innovative person who did not feel it was their job to control how and what others did. To portray a culture that Gen Y love and admire, I even heard one employee say that they would have gone back to New Zealand ages ago, but just couldn’t leave Innocent. You have to be a very special person who cares as much about making relationships as you do about making a successful business and above all, thinks work is fun. I don’t know about you, but most people just are not brave enough.

By Sarah Newton

There has been little talk up to now about Gen Z, but I can see a few things coming up through the ranks. A recent post has claimed that they are more like Gen Y than Gen Y. Saying that, they are more connected and more comfortable with technology – well of course it is all they have ever known! At 9 years old, my daughter has her own web show, her own Skype and plays computer games while talking for hours to her pal over the Internet.

However, to me this is a little on the surface for Gen Z. Because they have mainly Gen X as parents, they have something that Gen Y did not have and that is realism.

While the Baby Boomers molly coddled their little Gen Y, Gen Z will have none of that!

Their Gen X parents have taught them to stand up for themselves rather than fit in. They have taught them to toughen up, as life is not fair (a favourite saying of Gen X). They have taught them to be individualistic and rebel, so while they may appear similar to Gen Y, they are entirely different.

They are more cynical; you only have to read my daughter’s account of a cleaning product (http://genyguide.com/the-world-from-the-eyes-of-generation-z/) to understand that. They demand structure and will no longer just get excited by an idea; the Coca Cola Happiness video taught me that. http://genyguide.com/gen-y-gen-z-viral-video/

And if we look at Howe and Strauss, (and while I love this I appreciate that others don’t) we find that they are the next artist generation.

Artists are subtle, indecisive, emotional and compromising, often having to deal with feelings of repression and inner conflict. They grow up as the over-protected children of a Crisis, come of age as the sensitive young adults of a high, rebel as indecisive midlife leaders during an Awakening, and become the empathic elders of an Unravelling. The Silent Generation is an example of an Artist generation. The ingeneration (the term coined by Larry Rosen in his book Rewired: Understanding the ingeneration and the Way They Learn) is expected to emerge as the next generation of this example.

So they are not the Heroes Generation as Generation Y is. Their passing may bring little of note, but you can guarantee they will bring structure and a sense of stagnation, which may be a good thing. One thing is for sure, this generation will be the most family-connected generation ever and in my opinion are much more likely to make a loyal and committed workforce.

By Carol Phillips*

Nearly 20 years ago, William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote a book that theorized a 22 year generational cycle based on repeating generational archetypes called simply “Generations“. They called these cycles ‘turnings’. Children raised during a particular Turning share similar historical and cultural experiences, which results in their being like each other, and different from other generations. This was to my knowledge the first appearance of the word ‘Millennials’.

A chapter that begins on page 335 of 427 (paperback version not including Appendices and Sources), is titled “Millennial Generation”.

What makes this chapter on Millennials so fascinating twenty years after it was written is how uncannily it matches what we know to be true of how Gen Y is different from preceding generations.

Part of the reason for its accuracy is that the demographics of this generation were fairly predictable, even in 1991, and demographics are one of the forces that shapes generations. Strauss and Howe were able to accurately project the likely size (76 million) and make up (12% immigrant) based on fertility and immigration trends, even though only 33 million of them were alive when the book was published.

The authors were also tuned-in to the major shift in parenting and education as a cultural priority that was already underway by the early 90’s. This shift would prove to have a remarkable impact on Millennial self-perceptions, aspirations and values. Nearly twenty years ago they noted that “this new generation of children is being treated as precious” and “Boom parents and teachers have also been slowing down the childhood development clock — unlike the Silent, who sped it up.”

“First-wave Millennials are riding a powerful crest of protective concern, dating back to he early 1980s, over the American childhood environment. In1981, the year before the “Class of 2000″ was born, a volley of books assaulted adult mistreatment of children through the 13er (Gen X) birth years. Within the next couple of years, other authors began reconsidering the human consequences of divorce, latchkey households, and value neutral education.

In 1984, two kids as devils movies flopped at the box office, marketing the end of a dying genre and the start of a more positive film depiction of children.

From 1986 to 1988, polls reported a tripling in the popularity of ’staying home with family’….In general, Boomer parents are determined to set an unerringly wholesome environment for their Millennial tots.

Where Silent parents had brought 13erkids along to see $-rated movies made about them, Boomers take the Millennials to see G-rated movies made for them.””

“From 1976 through 1988 the proportion of students held back in elementary school jumped by one-third.”

One of the central tenets of the book is that the fourth generation in each cycle, the “Fourth Turning”, tends to be more civically minded and engaged. They look for signs that yesterday’s fourth graders might be more evolved as citizens and found it in Anna Quindlen’s observations that kids seemed to be “assimiliating society’s ’shalt nots’ about crime, drugs, polution and education with disquieting energy and unanimity.” (page 341) Twenty years later, we know from the research that today’s young adults are much more ‘upright’ than earlier generations in terms of their overall optimism, attitudes toward the environment and social action and behavior regarding drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy, and crime.

What Howe and Strauss could not have known in 1991 was the remarkable impact that technology and the most severe economic recession in over 60 years would play in shaping this generation.

Beyond demographics, two of the forces that are shaping up to be the most influential are easy access to information of all kinds and a realization that America’s high flying lifestyle is most likely unsustainable. They have already resulted in a more empowered, yet sobered, generation that is exhibiting very different consumer and media behavior as they move into their prime earning years.

BrandAmplitude’s latest ebook (“ How Millennials Are Different“) is focused on spotlighting the ways that Millennials are different from generations that came before at the same age. The book, which zeroes in specifically on longitudinal data from Pew Research and other sources, shows Gen Y is different in many significant ways, only some of which were predictable in 1991.

Nevertheless, what Strauss and Howe foresaw about how Millennials would be different from preceding generations based simply on cultural and demographic trends, they got remarkably right.

*Carol Phillips is the president and founder of the brand strategy consulting firm “Brand Amplitude.” She is also a Professor at the prestigious University of Notre Dame. Carol began her career as a market researcher and strategic planner at Leo Burnett. Later, as an Account Director, she led agency teams at four different agencies – Y&R, Leo Burnett, Mullen and JWT – for a variety of clients including Sprint, Nextel, Ameritech, Heinz, 7UP, and Philip Morris. She blogs at www.millennialmarketing.com.

By Sarah Newton

Generation Y employees are always being discussed and yet again, more research has the papers saying yes, they do have a sense of entitlement.

There is a post that says:

“Gen Y workers get a bad rap in the workplace, with many a geezer complaining that their work ethic is less developed than their sense of entitlement.” But is that really fair?

Yes, according to new research that has yielded actual data to back up that notion.

In a series of studies using surveys that measure psychological entitlement and narcissism, University of New Hampshire management professor Paul Harvey found that Gen Y respondents scored 25 percent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and a whopping 50 percent higher than those over 61.

In addition, Gen Y’s were twice as likely to rank in the top 20 percent in their level of entitlement – the “highly entitled range” – as someone between 40 and 60, and four times more likely than a golden-ager.

And if you think the Gen Yers in your workplace are oversensitive as well as entitled, Harvey’s findings back that up, too. Today’s 20-somethings have an “automatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism,” he says, and tend to dismiss it. ”

I do think however that the entitled label can send a very negative vibe to potential employees. I like to think of them as expecting the best and wanting more, which I think is a good thing for business and organisations, who so often get away with treating graduates very badly. I was talking to my Dad the other day, who used to train graduates at a top US company and the stories of how they used to make their youth work all the hours that God sent were painful to the ears!

I don’t think Gen Y are entitled, I just think they care about their free time and value themselves, which cannot be a bad thing.

However I think that what can seem an entitled attitude can be a challenge for most employees.

So how do you handle it? Well first, as I have mentioned before, I think you need youth-friendly places but I also think handling this problem can be as simple as using their strengths, for example, their spirit of collaboration.

If you present something as a problem that you need to solve as a team and ask them the best way to meet the objective, you are more likely to get their buy-in. So a “Right, this project needs to be completed for tomorrow, so we are all in for an all-nighter!” would become, “Right, we have an extremely tight deadline on this one, tomorrow morning. How can we work together to sort this out?”

If we focus on what is bad about Gen Y, then that is what we will get, but if we focus on their strengths of collaboration, innovation and creativity, we may just get the very best out of them.

By Carol Phillips*

“I don’t read a lot, I never have. I was happy when the movie ‘Where the Wild things Are’ came out, ’cause that’s the first movie I’ve ever been qualified to say that the book was better than the movie.” — Tony Grayson, High School Senior, Oak Park, IL

As a professor, I am obsessed with reading and constantly writing. So I am concerned by two recent blog posts on The Next Great Generation that suggest indifference toward traditional texts and library books at the college level.

Jeannie: “Getting Gen Y’s Attention” – “Even if I had the money to buy every textbook I ever needed in college, most of them would have collected dust on my shelves all semester. One could chalk it up to having a typical Millenial attention span –one that understands thoughts in 140 characters or less – but just like my textbooks, I don’t buy that. Part of my complete disinterest in textbooks comes from the fact that the second a book is published today, it is pretty much obsolete. Since I was in fifth grade, I have been able to access almost any information on the Internet more quickly and accurately than I ever could in a textbook. Furthermore, this online information is free (or if it’s not free, I’ll go look on another site until I find it for free). With a limited budget and unlimited free resources, is there any kind of textbook that could ever capture my interest?”

Katie Wall: “I Graduated From College Without Ever Checking Out A Book” – “That’s right – in May of 2009 I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a school consistently ranked as one of the best public universities in the country, and never checked out a single book. I’m not saying that UNC-Chapel Hill wasn’t a challenging school – quite the opposite, actually, but for all of the time I spent reading and studying, I never once needed to check out a book from the library. When it came to writing research papers I was able to find everything I needed online…. because of various internet platforms, there were multitudes of valuable resources at my finger tips that once required digging through books and microfiches. The UNC library system had an incredible online database that housed an endless supply of books and scholarly journals, and I suspect that most universities are moving toward making more of their resources available online.”

Although I understand these young women’s point about online alternatives to books, it distresses me to hear them say they don’t value reading books.

I work hard to ensure my students read their assignments. I have tried different approaches over the years — daily quizzes, weekly case essays, frequent tests on text material. This year I tried a new, Millennial-friendly text, MKTG3, by 4LTR Press. Students really liked the book, so they read it.

What made this book so much more readable? First it was highly visual. Text was often treated as a graphic element. There were big colorful pictures. Second, the writing style was approachable, not dumbed down but meant to be interesting. Finally, the text provided just what was required, with the ‘extras’ provided through integrated online content. Based on my just released class evaluations, students loved the online quizzes, cases and extra material.

There is much evidence that Millennials do read.
First, as I pointed out in an earlier post, Millennials are ‘news junkies‘. An April study by McKinsey in the U.K. reports that the average person consumed 72 minutes of news a day, compared with just 60 minutes in 2006. They further report that the increase was driven almost entirely by people under the age of 35.

Second, reading may not be a priority, but Millennials do spend more time reading than older generations. According to fascinating interactive graphic by the New York Times, those over 64 spent by far the most time reading per day: 1 hour and 24 minutes. But 15-24 year olds spend on average 50 minutes a day reading and pursuing other interests. This is much higher than 25-64 year olds who spend just 32 minutes.

However, Millennials read differently.
They are reading for information, so they read with purpose and are very good ’scanners‘. My 16-year old son reads very little fiction other than what is required for his Brit Lit course, but he does read Sports Illustrated and looks up stories of interest to him – like volcano eruptions and oil spills, new movies, and travel destinations. But this also means that they may not be giving their reading their full attention.

In his book, Grown Up Digital, Don Tapscott describes Joe O’Shea, a 22-year old student leader from Florida State who was on his way to study at Oxford. O’Shea had this to say about reading books:

“I don’t read books per se, I go to Google and I can absorb relevant information quickly. Some of this comes from books. But sitting down and going through a book from cover to cover doesn’t make sense. It’s not a good use of my time as I an get all the information I need faster through the web. You need to know how to do it — to be a skilled hunter.”

Earlier in his book, Tapscott spends several pages describing how and why Millennials developed such terrific scanning skills and explains how this ability may provide them with the broader frame of reference needed to be more sophisticated readers:

“I believe the challenges of the Internet can actually provide the Net Gener to do the hard thinking to make sense of a broader scope of information than the one that would have been available to the boomer. … The Net Gen brain may be able to execute certain perceptual tasks more rapidly, and may maintain more items in working memory. In order to deal with all that incoming infomration you have to be a great scanner. Digital immerision has given the Net Generationa the visual skills that make them superior scanners. They’ve learned to develop the filters they need to sort out what’s important from what’s not.”

Millennial’s habit of scanning, and of reading with purpose, can be good news for marketers.
By understanding the kinds of information Millennials are seeking, it may be possible for marketers to engage them more deeply in content. What’s more, finding out what kinds of information they seek has never been easier. Key words, twitter trending topics and other tools provide gateways into relevant content.

Perhaps the biggest take away however, is that Millennials are capable of taking in a lot of visual information at once, probably more than older generations, provided it is presented in an attractive and easily digestible way. This makes good design as important, if not more important, than good writing. In studies where we have had an opportunity to compare age groups, it is striking how much more attuned younger consumers are to the way information appears on the page. Older consumers tend to overlook poor design and focus on the meaning. Millennials have a hard time getting past the way it looks.

*Carol Phillips is the president and founder of the brand strategy consulting firm “Brand Amplitude.” She is also a Professor at the prestigious University of Notre Dame. Carol began her career as a market researcher and strategic planner at Leo Burnett. Later, as an Account Director, she led agency teams at four different agencies – Y&R, Leo Burnett, Mullen and JWT – for a variety of clients including Sprint, Nextel, Ameritech, Heinz, 7UP, and Philip Morris. She blogs at www.millennialmarketing.com.

By Grace Boyle*

If you know someone who lives in the United States, you should have probably already heard about the 2010 U.S. Census. I felt like a real adult opening the envelope, ready to “offer” my household information, ballpoint pen in hand.

Looks like I’m a small percentage of eager participants in my generation this year.

As of March 10th, the struggle the U.S. Census was experiencing especially in the online realm is evident – they have fewer than 3,000 Twitter followers and 14,900 friends on Facebook.

Gen Y financial author, Peter Dunn humorously scoffs at the lack of interaction from the Census in his MediaPost column, “Are you kidding me? A grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary has more followers. On top of that, the official U.S. Census website is both aesthetically abysmal and hard to navigate, not to mention that you can’t fill out your Census form online.”

Personally, I saw no marketing (to my generation in particular) for the 2010 Census. In fact, I received my form and really was surprised. That’s bad outreach. If they knew the statistics for online-use (especially in Generation Y) the Census would make an easy form to fill out, online. It’s painless, environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The census results are important – it allows our tax dollars and government programs to reach the right communities, with specific needs gathered from the census. I only know this, because I’ve done my research. Poll a Generation Y group and they might shrug their shoulders or mention, “Why should I fill out the Census form?”

I agree with Dunn, that the Census should have focused less on Boomers as engaging Gen Y “will lead to a legion of brand advocates.” The Census is an “uptight” and “stodgy” program already, but anyone knows that properly targeted marketing can create anything to be powerful, exciting and executable.

Looks like the 2010 U.S. Census missed the mark this year with Gen Y. Better luck next year?

* Grace Boyle, is a 20-something adventurista. She lives in Boulder, CO and is the Publisher Services Manager for the tech startup, Lijit. She blogs at Small Hands, Big Ideas and tweets while she writes about the startup world, relationships, career and daily inspirations.