Studies indicate that 66% of consumers, regardless of age, will purchase from a brand they feel is sustainable and trustworthy. The numbers are even higher once the Millennial cohort is isolated; at 73%. When companies and brands tailor their advertising with trustworthy information for their target customer, conversion rates are boosted 30%.

Demographics Are Everything
Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1960, were once considered the largest generation to ever live. This generation, for decades, has been the foremost influence driving business’s marketing efforts and product lines. But, all that’s about to change.

In the next few decades, the largest transfer of wealth, over 30 trillion dollars, will take place—from Boomers to the Millennial generation and their little brothers and sisters; Generation Z. Demographics are everything, and the aging of the Boomers and the rise of Millennials and Gen Z is going to severely change the marketing and business landscape.

Millennials and their younger counterparts look at companies, brands, and businesses through an entirely different lens than Baby Boomers, and brands are starting to feel the pinch of their critical gaze.

The Millennial generation is far more risk-averse than their Boomer elders. Millennials are more likely to value experiences over things, and will spend their money accordingly. They are not investing in real estate, and are far less likely to buy a car new and on loan, or even own a car at all. Furthermore, this generation is more skeptical of brands than their predecessors.

Trust Is Visceral
While trust has always been an important metric and component driving customer buying decisions, with Millennials, trust is now a key component, not a peripheral, nebulous concept. For them, trust is visceral, and necessary. Despite their young age, this generation and the one behind it are jaded toward the business and advertising worlds.

It’s hardly surprising. While Boomers came of age during the post-war boom, when housing prices, relative to income, were still affordable across socio-economic status, for Millennials this is not the case. Furthermore, this generation witnessed and experienced the massive fallout of the housing crisis of 2008. Since then, this generation’s trust in institutions and brands and businesses was severely crippled and eroded. To earn Millennials coveted trust in the business world, brands are required to operate in a trustworthy, and sustainable fashion. And, brands who are perceived as civically responsible will be more likely to obtain those depreciating Millennial dollars in the coming years.

So, how can a brand appear trustworthy to younger consumers?

• History: By sharing the company history or brand’s personal story, offering social proof
• Accountability, i.e.: ‘money-back guarantees’ or offering free trials
• Affiliations: Proving authority through affiliation with other trustworthy brands in the sphere
• Relatability: Approaching from a sympathetic angle by understanding the customer’s pain points. Telling stories in an informal, casual tone
• Subtlety: Offer value first without requiring anything in return

Businesses will have to compete in this new generational ethos. Boomers will not be the largest holders of disposable income soon, and in order to stay competitive in the new market, brands that build trust with their customers will reign supreme.

Marketing companies have been competing for the minds of millennials fiercely over the last few years – and for good reason.

Millennials represent about a quarter of the entire US population, and have over $200 billion in annual buying power. Though they have less discretionary income than Baby Boomers and older generations, they have a lot of influence – and are hard to reach with traditional marketing methods.

But are millennials still the hottest consumers out there? Or should we be focusing our efforts on a new generation of consumers? Here’s the scoop.

Millennials Are Still The Most Important Consumer Generation – For Now

Millennials are defined as individuals who were between 18-34 in 2015 by the Pew Research Center. They are just now entering the prime of their lives as consumers.

As millennials age, their income continues to grow as a generation. Most millennials are now out of college and working in professional careers, and millennials are the most educated generation to date.

This means that the buying power of millennials is only going to grow in future years, as they begin to start families and earn more discretionary income.

However, millennials will not stay at the top of the heap forever. As time goes on, Generation Z continues to grow – and a new generation of consumer is born.

Gen Z – The Largest Consumer Generation In History

Generation Z is defined as the “post-millennial” generation. While most definitions vary, it’s agreed that most Gen Z individuals were born around the year 2000 or later. This generation already makes up 25% of the population, and is forecasted to continue to grow.

As Gen Z becomes older, and younger people begin to enter the consumer market, they are likely to become the most highly sought-after consumer generation, just as millennials were before them.

Focus On Millennials In Marketing Efforts – But Don’t Forget About Gen Z!

How should brands market their products? Luckily, millennials and Gen Z both share a few common attributes. Consumers from both generations are tech-savvy and have quite a bit of influence on the market – and both Gen Z and millennial consumers do not respond well to traditional advertising methods.

While millennials should be the focus on most marketing efforts, Gen Z should not be overlooked. Brands should be using social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter to reach a younger audience, and should always be on the lookout for hot trends that could appeal to Gen Z consumers.

Conclusion

As time goes on, millennials will become less important as a consumer audience, and the importance of Gen Z will grow. So focus on millennials for now, but don’t forget about the younger generation.

BUT… when it comes down to the heart of what you want the agency to deliver for you creatively, it’s best to keep it short and sweet. The immersion is the key area where we intend to learn anything and everything about your brand, business, category and consumer. This is where the data-dump should take place.

Whereas the actual initiative we are working on should be able to be interpreted in one-page or less. References to examples that you’d consider benchmarks are always a plus.

If you do this and hear crickets, then the agency just doesn’t get it and maybe the long-form is necessary. However, more times than not, the agency will appreciate the synthesis of your objectives, and be able to move ahead much more efficiently with the task at hand.

So the next time you’re getting ready to pull the trigger on that brief, try and remember this tip. It will save you time on both ends.

Thanks for reading, and let us know if this was helpful, or if you need help crafting that brief.

If you live in a major metro market, then you know what it’s like to walk down the street and see 90% of the people with their heads down buried in their phone. I was one of those people, until I found myself standing in the middle of the street in Manhattan writing a text and nearly getting hit by a taxi. From that point on, I made sure that I was always looking up. But I am definitely in the minority. And this post is not about the safety, or lack thereof, when it comes to texting. It’s about how marketers can capitalize on this Head Down Revolution.

According to Statista, the U.S. mobile phone penetration has reached 81%, representing 223 million consumers. And those consumers spend an average of 4.7 hours per day glued to their smartphones. More importantly, is the role that texting now plays in our everyday lives, especially when it comes to marketing. For an eye-opening example, texts have a 99% open rate compared to 20% for email*. Pretty amazing, huh? Now I imagine that smartphones are currently in the midst of fine tuning their hardware to introduce features that can block such correspondence. But who knows when that will come?

So until that day, marketers have a humongous opportunity to take advantage and focus their outbound efforts on the behaviors of the smartphone user. A behavior that is now second nature, and while receiving a text from a brand may seem like a nuisance at first, it is certainly less of one than an email. Also, if you’re sending info or content that isn’t selling, but more serving them something of value, then you’re more likely to be able to maintain that dialogue.

And isn’t a dialogue what we want? It opens the door, and leads to traffic. And when you have enough traffic, ultimately it will lead to transactions. It’s this approach to marketing, partnered with the aforementioned tactics, that can build the awareness and engagement you’re looking for.

Now how about a little “social experiment”: The next time you’re walking down the street, take note of how many people’s’ heads are down. It truly is a sight to see. Just think, those eyes could be engaged in your brands message. And if the message is “timed” to when your customer is in the market for a new product, it becomes relevant and timely — a very powerful combination.

*Credits: Jack Loechner — Editor of The Center for Media Research; SinglePoint; Statista

We’ve witnessed a lot of innovation in the tech space over the past few years from mobile devices to computers. In most cases, the hype surrounds around Apple and Samsung. But, today, HP is gearing up with innovation from the future and, they call it HP Sprout.

The HP Sprout is an intriguing 23 inch Windows 8 desktop computer with a projector that scans physical items and turns them into digital in a few seconds and allows you to manipulate the images using your fingers on a touch-sensitive mat. Think of like placing an object on front of your computer and in just few seconds, you have the object in the screen ready to be used for design purpose. How cool? This exactely what the Sprout lets you do. Beyond that, there’s also a wireless keyboard and mouse for more traditional navigation if needed. Get to know the Sprout beyond words by watching this amazing video below.

Sprout debuted November 9th and can be ordered on the HP website.

What Sparks Our Fire: A device that has the power to change the way people create.

Are you excited about the possibilities Sprout holds for creators?

Health-related gadgets are all the rage these days, from smart wristbands to apps that track what you consume. Those devices focus mainly on monitoring your exercise level and/or allow you to manually enter the food you consume in order to track the nutritional value. But, what we often forget is what we drink may be more important to our health than we think. According to the National Health and Nutrition Education Survey, beverages are the number one single source of calories and sugar. So, tracking you beverage intake throughout the day can translate to big changes over time, and transform your life.

This insight alone has led the team at Mark One, to create a new device, called Vessyl, a revolutionary product that can accurately identify your drink, tell you how many calories you are consuming, let you know how hydrated you are, and alert you when it’s time to drink again, based on factors like body weight and activity level. In a nutshell, Vessyl is the other half of the fitness equation. So, how does it work?

The cup uses advanced sensors to determine the molecular composition of any liquid poured into it whether it’s coffee, beer, vodka, tea, etc. It can even recognize brands and flavors. For instance, it can tell you the difference between Pepsi or Coke. In addition to displaying calories information and name of beverage on the the cup, all data will be sent into a smartphone app through bluetooth where you can check how much calories you’ve just sipped, how much remains in the cup and other nutrition and health details.

Vessyl comes in three colors – white, grey or black. The cup is a 13-oz mug made of glass-like material and is easy to carry around.The sliding lid of the cup is spill proof and it has a non-stick interior, making it easy to clean. The battery live is last five to seven day life for 60 minutes wireless charge. Vessyl can be pre-order from company’s website, with an early 2015 ship date.

What Sparks Our Fire: A device helps us make healthier and more informed decisions of what we drink.

Will you let Vessyl become your new life companion?

The suitcase industry has been stagnant for decades, until a group of geeks that share a passion for travel, technology and design decided to re-imagine the luggage for the modern traveler. Together, they created Bluesmart, a small carry-on piece that includes several smart features. The luggage works paired with an app you can download on your iOs or Android device. Once the app is downloaded, travelers can track their bag proximity, digitally lock and unlock it and check the bag’s weight, all on their phone or tablet. But most importantly, users can charge their phone 6 times over with a built-in battery. Take a closer look at the bag in the video below. The project was successfully funded on Indiegogo and you can pre-order it here.

What Sparks Our Fire: A smart suitcase solves all the problems of the modern day traveler.

Do you think Bluesmart will be able to change the way you travel? Share your thoughts.

If you have a smartphone, you’re most likely typing fast and while doing so, you may have fell victim to autocorrect failures. Luckily, there are apps out there to help you avoid such typo mistakes. Our favorite so far is Swiftkey, a free predictive keyboard app for Androids and iOS that helps you type faster on your phone or tablet. It works by replacing your on-screen keyboard with one that adapts to the way you type. What is magical about Swifkey is it uses algorithms to learn your personal writing style and uses all information gathered to fix typos by suggesting your next word for faster and more accurate typing.

What Sparks Our Fire: An app that makes it easy to create and communicate on mobile.

Would you download Swiftkey?

Fitbit, Atlas, Pulse O2, and the list goes on. Wearable technology is already playing an important role in our health and fitness. But, Lumafit is a new concept which tracks your body and mind. The device is a super soft ear sensor and has a secure fit to stay on during vigorous exercises. It works with a three-axis accelerometer that measures the intensity of your movements and head motion in real-time and can identify moves like push-ups, and changes with your heart rate to assess your stress level as well as arrhythmia.

Lumafit also provides the ability to sync with MapMyFitness and MyFitnessPal apps. And, when combined with an app called Bootcamp, it will help you create workouts and schedule meditation stations.

What Sparks Our Fire: A device that goes beyond step counting and monitors not only our exercise but also our well-being

Are you willing to give up your wrist-worn fitness band for a ear sensor?

While spending time in the Israeli military, Jonathan Ofir discovered an alarming statistic: more soldiers died from drunk driving than in combat. In addition to his findings, every year in the US alone, there are more than 10K deaths related to drunk driving. Both realizations were the inspiration for Alcohoot, a creative solution to a growing problem and an interactive way to monitor your drinking habits and make responsible decisions. The device is easy to use and provides consistent and accurate results.

How it works: Download the app on Apple or Android, then plug the police-grade sensor into your phone, breath into the custom mouthpiece and the app uses your gender, age, weight and height to determine your blood alcohol level (BAC) on-the-go. Alcohoot can also suggest local restaurants around you or call you a taxi home. You can even set a target BAC level and the app will set a countdown timer, so you know how long it will take for the effects of that cocktail to wear off.

Alcohoot is a winner of The 2014 Red Dot Design Award. A prize awarded for high design quality.

What Sparks Our Fire: A useful and simple device that can help you make smarter, safer choices.

Would you give Alcohoot a try?