3. 3
The term Generation C originated in New Zealand by Idealog
magazine who focused on the rise in creative expression of
modern youth. Since then the definition has evolved. The
American Press Association’s Media Center describes Gen C as
‘creating, producing and participating in news in a connected,
informed society’. I believe Gen C is a collective of creators
whose interests and behaviours are expressed across the
technologically progressive backdrop of social media that has
exploded over the past few years. They tend to age between 13-
33 years of age, so crossing Gen Y and the iGeneration.
4. 4
You heard of Generation C (Gen C)? This new force has made a
powerful entrance into consumer culture, and describes people
who care deeply about these four “C’s”: creation, curation,
connection and community. They want their voices to be heard,
and they take action by shaping and leading thought. Unlike other
generations, Gen C is not defined by age. Rather, it is an attitude
and a mindset that brings people together to form this group.
Gen C is also referred to as the YouTube Generation,
due to its reliance on the popular video search engine
as a habitat for entertainment. In fact, Gen C is twice as
likely to be a YouTube viewer than the general
population. They eat, sleep and breathe the Internet
across devices – 91% of Gen C sleeps right beside their
smartphone. Generation C is very aware of the impact
that they can have on society, and many brands are
adapting the way they market to consumers in order to
reach this generation. It’s important for brands to be
authentic, transparent, engaging, and collaborative with
consumers.
As a multifamily professional,
understanding how this generation
thinks is the first step toward
marketing your community to them.
We’ve broken down the “C’s” one by
one, so take a look for more ideas that
will help you to effectively
communicate and build relationships
with your residents and prospects –
translating into higher retention rates
and newly signed leases!
5. 5
So basically, our generation (18-34 years old) is not considered
as generation Y anymore, we have been slowly drifting to
generation C, generation connected. This is not surprising
because our generation has grown-up with the Internet and the
Smart phones and all these new technologies.
These technologies are our siblings if I may say! We have shared
with them our first steps, our first words – well for me , new
technologies were my teenage ages companionship.
So what does this mean, if we are called generation C, what are
called our kids or nephews or smaller cousins who arrived in a
world already formed my social media, tablets and so on? The
Net generation you might tell me. Yes, but I consider myself as
the net generation too. I’m constantly connected to the Internet,
looking to optimize the use of my Smart phone, etc.
6. 6
Generation C thrives on Connection, Community, Creation and
Curation. The emergence of Gen C as an age neutral group has
impacted not only the way we manage communities but how the
typical community manager profile is perceived (they have to be
under 26/entry level). The Gen C demographic has moved us
away from age specific target audiences into a lifestyle specific
target audience. Should we view community managers any other
way?
