Connect Generation

Working with kids and teens this week on a video for P&G, I realized one important aspect of this generation. It's fairly obvious given the technology, but it's more poetic & honest and this aspect certainly transcends the technology. Kids and teens today are connected. They strive to connect with each other, one another. It's beautiful really. Think about your generation - Gen X or Baby Boomer or when you were a kid. We didn't connect. In fact, we went out of our way NOT to connect with certain groups of kids. We were busy labeling everyone and pointing at folks. We enjoyed NOT connecting and labeling. Not the case today. These kids really do thrive on connecting with EVERYONE. They share themselves with text messages and facebook and look forward to connecting and sharing their personalities. It's genuine. I've seen it with my 7th grader as he moved to another school. He has blossomed as he shares himself with most everyone in his class through text messages and email and the internet. It's a joy to witness. The kids today are not shy about sharing who they are and what they believe in AND most of them go out of their way to be inclusive with everyone. Are there exceptions? Of course, but the rule is connect & share. It's empowering and rather cool to watch. Kids seek out sites and tools that allow them to connect and share, permit them to participate in the content. If you're interested in markeing to Gen X or Gen Y, make certain you give them a voice. Give them an opportunity to craft the content. These kids expect to be be part of the content - they wish to share - to be seen, heard and accommodated. And they will.