The Bubble Generation Consumer: Easy to Find, Impossible to Reach

The Bubble Generation's young, connected consumers will have a hard time going "off the grid."  When you consider the array of ways they will be tracked, and trailed, followed and found, the future will require a new tolerance for propinquity (or a new definition of personal privacy).  Between GPS tags, the ubiquity of public cameras, the mobility of mail and always-on phone services, it will soon be impossible to break away for an untethered, unmolested moment.  The funny thing is, BubbleGen consumers like it that way.

Yes, your new customer rolls with an entourage, real and virtual, likes to know where his buddies are at all times, and loves to share her little everyday moments (including shopping moments) with friends.  To help them, a spate of new companies is coming on line with technology to foster instant communication and coordination.  The most interesting of these services include 3Jam, Dodgeball, Jyngle, Loopt, Moblabber and Pinger.

The common denominator among these technologies is mobile connectivity.  That means, your MySpace page in your palm, instant messaging on the fly, finding your friends in a crowd.  But these tools of permitted exchange also filter out unwanted interruptions from advertisers and others.  That means, the emerging customer base will be simple to pin point, difficult to pin down--unless your product or service--song or style--is endorsed by those inside the circle.    

Since TV, print and web ads don't work, what's a marketer to do?  One way into the inner sanctum is to create an experience that involves your customers and their friends.  Scion has been doing this well.  The company engages prospective buyer at concerts and festivals, and its Scion Sessions events bring hip hop shows and film festivals to the demographic target. 

Another path is to turn your product into a "friend."  Herbal Essences hair care products has infiltrated social networking sites like MySpace and YouTube with its "clubs," where customers can declare their affinity for the brand and share ideas.  The brand has also created conversations on teen discussion boards, like Aimgirl and Veggieboard. 

However, marketers choose to engage the BubbleGen customer, it is important not to confuse their accessibility with their interest.  Finding them is easy.  Selling to them is another matter.

One last thing: I have one word for you. No, not plastics.  Privacy.  With pervasive, unblinking eyes increasingly watching our every move, privacy will be like sex in the future.  Even BubbleGenners will on occasion find their social capital depleted and will want to buy a little alone time.  Catering to privacy will be a big business someday.

Comments

[MobilephoneSavant]

Great article. I am new to your blog and I really like what I see. I can't wait to see your future work.

[umair]

Uhh...

http://www.bubblegeneration.com

We've been talking about connected consumption and social media for a very (very) long time.

And several of the people on your blogroll are fans of our work.

It's no surprise, then, that we are the first hit on Google for "bubble generation".

So I hope you will forgive me for being confused about this post.

[Stuart]

Hey Umair - if are you accusing somebody of something, have the cojones to say it straight, or STFU dude. Jeez.

[PaulSweeney]

Hi Tom,
Would like to put one more company on your list www.swarm-it.com a text messaging-in-clusters offer. I must drop in here more often.

[PaulSweeney]

BTW: I remember reading an article by John Hagel III years ago (thats about 2001) that predicted that people would require an incentive to offer up their buying behaviour to a company so that the company could make them a targetted offer. i.e. I would own my own digital shadow, and you as a trader, would have to incentivize me to hand that over. I think its very interesting to see where Mr. Hagel's focus in at now, and how much of it is on "hard stuff", like logistics. Perhaps a clue to future "lock in's" and sustainable competencies?

[eric wp]

The history of perfume goes back to Egypt, although it was prevalent in East Asia as well. Early perfumes were based on incense, not chemicals, so aromas were passed around through fumes. The Roman and Islamic cultures further refined the harvesting and manufacturing of perfumery processes to include other aromatic ingredients.

Thus, the ancient Islamic culture marked the history of modern perfumery with the introduction of spices and herbs. Fragrances and other exotic substances, such as Jasmine and Citruses, were adapted to be harvested in climates outside of their indigenous Asia.