The Technology
Mindset of
Generations Y & Z...
and the Telco Purchase
Influencer Dynamic

Table of Contents
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
07.
Technology: A Way of Life
Online Personas and How They Interact with Brands
Influence and Payment Dynamic with Telco Providers
So What?
What does this mean for brands?
About yconic
Survey Methodology

Technology:
A Way of Life
01.

Computers, small and large screens, are fully
integrated into daily activities.
TV is owned and used by fewer.
Devices Owned and Used Multiple Times a Day
Smartphone
TV
Personal
Computer
Home Phone
94%
94%
68%
66%
33%
5%
22%
93%
*Asked for ownership
or regular use, e.g.
smartphone may not be
owned but used regularly
Own/Use Regularly*
Use Multiple times a Day
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

For Gen Y and Gen Z, technology
is the facilitator for real life.
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
agree that “Technology brings
me closer to people in real life.”
94%
59%
agree that “Technology
makes my life easier.”

Online, Gen Y and Gen Z
are who they say they are.
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
71% say the person they portray online
is exactly the person they are in real life.

But it is not without worry or concern.Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
are concerned about being
judged by their online activities.
52%

Online Personas
and How They
Interact with Brands
02.

The social online activities that are
ubiquitous are those for spectating
and general participating.
The Forrester’s Social Technographic Ladder traditionally
identifies the online social behaviours of 18+ adults in the
U.S. yconic used this tool as a guide to analyze behaviours
of Canadians aged 15 to 34 years old.
Group & Defining Social Activities
Those that watch streamed content, read blogs, listen to
podcasts, watch videos, read forums and/or reviews
Those that update status’ on social media, post updates, upload
photos, maintain a profile, visit social media sites regularly
Spectators:
Joiners:
Monthly
Behaviour
15-34yrs
98%
93%
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
Forrester Research, Social
Technographics Ladder, 2007

A smaller percentage of Generations Y and Z
participate in more engaged behavioural activities.
Being a Critic or a Creator requires more energy, effort, and
confidence than all other online activities, and as a result,
is simply less common.
Group & Defining Social Activities
Those that write a review, comment on content,
contribute to online forums or Wikis
Those that publish a blog, upload videos and/or music they have
created themselves, write articles or stories and publish
Critics:
Creators:
Monthly
Behaviour
15-34yrs
41%
24%
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
Forrester Research, Social
Technographics Ladder, 2007

Creators
Total Males Females
24%
41%
36%
93%
98%
25%
45%
29%
89%
99%
24%
39%
41%
95%
98%
Collectors
Critics
Joiners
Spectators
Publish a blog, upload videos and music
you created, write articles/stories
Being a Critic tends to skew toward males, whereas collecting and
participating in social media activities tends to skew female.
Use content aggregators, add
tags to articles and photos
Write a review, comment on content,
contribute to online forums or wikis
Update status and post updates on social media,
upload photos, maintain and visit social media sites
Watch streamed content, read blogs, listen to
podcasts, watch videos, read forums and reviews
Source: yconic Media & Tech Survey, September 2015 - Forrester Research, Social Technographics Ladder, 2007

How Gen Y and Gen Z Engage
with Brands on Social Media
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015
Brand Related Activities Conducted in Past Month
Entered a brand or organization’s contest or giveaway
Likely the
Spectators or
Joiners
Likely the Critics
or Creators
Clicked on a sale, discount or coupon being shared
by a brand or organization
Visited a brand’s social media page
Used a hashtag related to a brand or organization
Interacted (read, shared, commented) with
a post from a brand or organization
Uploaded a picture or video, and tagged a brand or organization
Tweeted directly to a brand or organization
Personally Beneficial
To Gain Information or Foster Interest
Directly Engage with Brands
Monthly
Behaviour
15-34yrs
60%
55%
54%
22%
36%
18%
12%

Influence and
Payment Dynamic
with Telco Providers
03.

Key Highlights of Influence and
Purchase Dynamic:
Z
Y
Gen Z has the most influence when selecting
wireless service, with parents paying the way.
Gen Z
Gen Y
Influence
Influence
Pay
Pay
Gen Y has greater decision making
authority and payment responsibility.
Internet Low Parents
Internet Medium Themselves or Split
TV subscription Low Parents
TV subscription Less likely to have -
Wireless plan Low to Medium Parents
Wireless plan Medium to High Themselves
Home Phone Low Parents
Home Phone Less likely to have -
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Gen Z: Home Services Governed by Parents
At least 6 out of 10 state LOW influence on:
With at least three quarters stating
their parents pay for these services.
Home phone service
TV subscription
Internet service
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Gen Z has more influence on their wireless
service, with parents paying most often.
71%49% 23%of their parents
pay for their
wireless plan.
have medium to
high influence on
wireless service.
contribute or
split the cost of
the plan.
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Gen Y: More Likely to Cut Cords
do not have home phone.
do not have a TV subscription.
53%
36%
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Gen Y: Influence and Pay for the Internet
Over half have stake in the Internet bill…
19% pay for Internet themselves.
31% split the cost with a roommate or their parents.
Whereas, 4 out of 10 have no stake in bill…
41% stated their parents pay for the Internet.
influence their Internet service in
some way, at medium to high levels.59%
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Gen Y: Influence their wireless plan,
and the majority pay for it themselves.
But still a quarter (26%) of Gen Y stated their
parents pay for their wireless plan.
77%
have medium to high influence
on their Wireless plan.
With over half paying for it themselves.55%
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

Telco Providers:
What Drives Satisfaction
among Generations Y and Z?

Gen Z wants functionality;
Gen Y is driven by price.
Wireless Service
What drives satisfaction? Gen Z Gen Y
Network Quality & Speed
56 %
are satisfied with their wireless service.
59%
50%
45%
48%
63%
51%
Price
Wireless Plans (variety, offers)
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

For both Generations Z and Y, variety
of content drives satisfaction.
TV Subscription
What drives satisfaction? Gen Z Gen Y
TV Package (variety, offers) 64%
50%
42%
62%
39%
47%
Network Quality & Speed
Price
43 %
are satisfied with their TV subscription.
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

For both Gen Z and Gen Y, satisfaction is
knowing they can do what they want online.
Internet Service
What drives satisfaction? Gen Z Gen Y
Internet Service (quality, available usage) 73%
69%
42%
73%
64%
50%
Network Quality & Speed
Price
50 %
are satisfied with their Internet service.
Source: yconic Media & Tech
Survey, September 2015

So What?
04.

Key Learnings
Spectating and Participating
With technology fully integrated in the lives of Generations Z and
Y, the social landscape exists online and transitions into real life.
Majority of young adults are there to spectate, and participation,
through posting, observing and consuming, is commonplace.
Social Media Brand Engagement
Engaging with brands on social media is provoked when it’s
personally beneficial. Something can inform or incite new ideas,
and for fewer, it is the place where one can interact or engage
directly with a brand.
Undeniable Access
Despite influence or payment responsibilities, the satisfaction of
Telco services are fundamentally driven by getting services that
allow for uninterrupted access to the content and the people that
matter most to them.

What does this mean for Brands.
Create a brand that brings people together, without judgment
Create a program that encourages socialization and enables young adults to
participate with little effort.
Provide a Path to Participate
Ask yourself, ‘What’s the least amount of ask for the most amount of
gain?’ for your brand. Remember that only 24% of Generations Y and Z
are ‘Creators’. Give them a path to participate as people instead of asking
them to carry creation. Also offer different levels of participation and offer
significantly higher rewards for creation of any kind.
Driven by functionality that allows ease of access
Seamless access across devices, allowing for optimal connection to content
and people, is the primary emotional driver of satisfaction. Ensure that your
brand communicates not only the functionality, but most importantly how it
is aligned with their life and facilitates their lifestyle.

About yconic
yconic is the leader in understanding and building meaningful relationships with
students and young adults. Our social platform, yconic.com, makes life easier and
less stressful for students pursuing higher education. It is the largest student help
platform in Canada with over 825,000 active members, access to over $170 Million in
financial opportunities to help fund their education, and peer-to-peer support.
yconic is also a thought leader on Gen Y, Z and student behaviour because of the key
insights we are able to obtain through our platforms, including Canada’s largest youth-
focused consumer insights panel, with over 550,000 young Canadians participating in
online market research.
yconic partners with select brands, institutions, educators, and their agencies who share
our values and want to better understand, hire, and authentically build loyalty with our
youth and student audience. For more information, please visit corporate.yconic.com
If your organization values youth and wants to develop a long-term,
meaningful relationship that will result in true ROI then we should chat.
Follow yconic on LinkedIn and Twitter for more youth insights.

Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted online with 1,276 English-speaking Canadians aged 15 to
34 randomly selected from yconic’s proprietary online research panel. The survey was
completed from September 11-22, 2015. Our credibility interval based on a non-probability
sample is +/-2.7%, 19 times out of 20. Data was collected according to census data to
ensure regional representation of Canadians. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.