Waking up to the consumption habits of Digital Natives:

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Nelson George
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1 Waking up to the consumption habits of Digital Natives: How they consume media and how it affects business By Ross Johnston At the age of 24, Kymberly Flores is the Regional Sales Director of the Extended Stay Hotels in Alaska. She wakes up in the morning to her ipad alarm clock and uses it to pull up her Facebook account to see what her friends are doing, then she checks for important overnight s. This is even before she gets out of bed. As she eats her breakfast, Kym uses flip board, an application for her ipad that allows her to view and interact with several different news sources simultaneously. Sometimes, she'll read an interesting article, and "share" it with her friends on Facebook and post about how it relates to her. Kym Flores has a TV, but no cable. She watches her favorite TV shows through sites like Hulu and Netflix. Flores is a digital native. Her growth and development coincided with the growth and development of digital communication. The term digital native typically applies to those born in the late 80 s or after. Communicating via technology has been ever-present in their lives. Flores knows the value of relationships and knowing her clients. That is why she has installed a social plugin called "Xobni" on outlook. As soon as she inserts an address into the TO: field, that client or potential client's FB profile, LinkedIn profile, and twitter account all pull up below keeping her informed of that person's latest shared information. With that plugin, she knows which of her clients enjoy talking about fishing, family, or some other activity. Kym Flores, Facebook profile Flores has over 800 "friends" on Facebook. As a consummate professional, Kym knows the importance of post integrity. She'll never post anything on a social media site that her grandmother wouldn't approve of. Flores uses Facebook to keep in touch, but she also realizes by writing fun, interesting posts, clients feel a greater connection with her. She realizes that sales are made through strong relationships and she uses social media to strengthen those relationships. Flores has fanned almost all of her clients and use social media sites to not only become better acquainted with her clients, but stay on top of the business world and the changes occurring at each of the companies that she does business with or is aiming to do business with. Social media has transcended the sole purpose of being "social." Current events, community and world events now appear on her "wall" and appear in the order of her interests. It reduces the amount of time she has to spend searching for them on other sites. Current events in the business community are also streamed into her feed regularly by the business pages she has "fanned" or "liked." It is how she is able to do business in 3 markets at the same time and always know what is going on in each of the three markets.

2 As a digital native, Flores delivers on clients expectations of instant gratification; the present is the only time she knows. It is engraved in her culture and has been shaped by the fact that the computer has grown and developed at the same rate she has. As the computer age has developed over the years - enhancing the way we do business, so have the digital natives - and their ability to incorporate technology and social media to be ever more effective in business and client relations. Besides being a digital native, Flores is an active member of the community. She is an Anchorage Chamber Ambassador, a volunteer for Mobile Food Pantry, a committee member for the recent Run For Good 5K, and on the Youth Exchange Committee in Anchorage East Rotary. Most companies and organizations would include Flores in their target market given her income level and dedication to the community. While Flores is a unique individual, she epitomizes the consumption characteristics of her generation. As Kate Slyker, VP of Client Services at the Nerland Agency, notes clients need to recognize fundamental shifts in media consumption and move beyond traditional massmarketing to reach younger consumers. Slyker says that this generation is more likely to be multiscreen consumers. One thing that differentiates this generation is that they are not just watching TV shows. They could be watching TV, on Facebook, and texting all at the same time. They are truly immersed. She advises clients that reaching out to digital natives is no different than any other demographic. The challenge remains: reaching the right people at the right time with the right message. Understanding and crafting media plans to align with media consumption are a critical piece of that process. What differs, Slyker says, is that this demographic wants to be in charge of a conversation and self-select how and when content is being delivered. She think that is why Facebook is overtaking Google in use. Facebook is on their terms. They choose when they want to use it, how, and what platform. According to Lincoln Garrick, President of Solstice Advertising, reaching out to digital natives is no small feat. Folks in that particular demographic are not necessarily interested in seeking out people s opinions outside of their social group. Nor, are they necessarily interested in primary source information. They want to find out what their friends think and they want to put out their opinions first and foremost. He feels it is challenging because you have to put your message out in smaller circles. He states that the content of the message needs to be compelling and easily processed for it to be shared. A lot of the media principles that worked years ago, reach and frequency are still applicable. strong reach, higher frequency, both those combined over time will generate better results if the message is viewed as relevant, compelling, and honest. Today, Garrick mentions, we are just using different channels. What s different now from generations before, Garrick goes on to say, is that there are more ways to get information and you can get more information in a shorter period of time. Digital natives are hyper connected and it means their news and word of mouth travel faster. Their thoughts and experiences can be shared almost immediately through pictures, posts, and videos.

3 Calvin Worthington Jr of Worthington Ford has embraced digital communication wholeheartedly but with a traditional approach. His Worthington Ford ads are running on Pandora, Hulu, Google, and Facebook. His full digital media campaign has only run for a month so far. While he cautions that it is too early to gauge the effect, he estimates that 1 in 3 leads are directly related to his online advertising since it has been running. When asked as how it is affecting sales, Calvin smiles and says they are having one of the best months ever. Calvin Worthington Jr. understands the value of reaching digital natives on their platforms as he also consumes content online. He says that the only time he actually sees his ads is when it runs on Hulu. He has a DVR at home and fast forwards through TV commercials. One of the advantages that he finds with Hulu, is it has shorter commercial breaks and doesn t allow him to skip the commercials. Worthington s next plan of action is to find how people are interacting with the Worthington brand online. He feels rather than trying to create something that is interesting. They need to find what people find interesting to do with us and see how they can leverage that. As for Kymberly Flores, she enjoys marketing that is authentic and honest. She doesn't respond well to marketing that seems contrived or tries too hard to be cool. If she likes a company or experience, she won t just share with her friends on Facebook, she ll help promote it through her channels of influence. If she is offended by a company or experience, she will most likely share that as well. Digital natives no longer consume media and information, they interact with them. It is the responsibility of companies to embrace the differences as it can and will undoubtedly impact them.

4 What Can You Do Social? 1. Details about business. People follow organizations to learn more about them. Don t be afraid to talk about culture, members, events, fundraiser s, etc. Post pictures or details around a fun event. Do a monthly blog where you profile an employee of the month. Post a YouTube video showcasing clients and what they enjoy about your business. 2. Your news. Every organization has interesting activities. Maybe we had a recent changing of products. Or maybe a new initiative worthy of sharing publicly. News updates highlight what you do. Interview leaders and have them discuss what they are excited about. Could be a video or a blog. Post events on Facebook and have all members attend. Post pictures of regular events. Share them on Facebook and Flikr. Announce goals met and donations achieved. 3. Questions for Feedback. Building awareness isn t just about sharing but asking for content. Asking gets members engaged in the process. Have customers vote online about their favorite products or events. Have customers vote on potential new menu items. Solicit feedback for change. Have customers help design a slogan for a t-shirt. 4. Share Success. There s no better way to grow awareness than to have our members and initiatives share success. Find glowing online reviews and repost them on your facebook or twitter account. Have members re-post links to videos on their personal pages. Post on partner walls sharing how much you enjoyed working with them and what was accomplished.

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