public relations

Change. Change now. Actually, you needed to change yesterday.

We are today living with and seeing the first fully digital generation consumers making their presence felt today.

What do I mean? These are people who don’t use alarm clocks - their mobile phones wake them. Reminders are built into devices as diverse as their notebook computers (that do more then just help them write letters!) to BlackBerry’s. Bluetooth is the norm and Web 2.0 is so last decade. They don’t understand what it’s like to NOT have a computer at hand and to live without the Internet. Wikis, Instant Messaging, Creating and Sharing their own Music and Videos, Twittering all day and keeping their world updated through FaceBook on a minute to minute basis.

Granted, these are pretty general statements - and they won’t hold true across the board. But they are strong enough to stand up and say - look at iTunes. Look at the iPod. Look at the rise of the Blogosphere. Look at Barack Obama. Look at how brands are evolving - and even they aren’t evolving fast enough.

These digital natives have driven change as they grew up. And now they’re your neighbors, your fellow consumers, your colleagues, your competition, your advisers and your audience.

Change is happening faster than ever before - are you and your business ready for it? Or are you still trying to keep your old marketing, product development, media relations, branding and communications methods exactly as they were - with minor tweaks?

The digital generation don’t have the attention span to focus on just one thing or one brand - and they have no loyalty to a brand that isn’t moving as fast as they are.

Wake up. Listen to that mobile phone that blaring it’s polyphonic ring tones from a fully 3G enabled handset that comes complete with touch screen functionality, plugged into an always on real time community that is building and reshaping the Internet - and by extension trends in everything from food to clothing to politics - in real-time.

We need to understand them if we’re going to provide them with the goods and services they want. If we’re going to work with them - attracting, retaining and empowering them with the tools and environment they demand. Will your business grow with them, or will you fade away like the old suitcase sized laptops of not so very long ago?

How are you adapting? Give me examples of the change that you’ve seen. What brands are - in your opinion - really growing and embracing this generation of consumers?

© 2008 Journeys Through The Line.