PRSA Health Academy Conference

By Sarah Nohr

We work in a multigenerational workplace. Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. The problem? We all tend to market to ourselves. Meaning we in Gen Y tend to think that by starting a new group on Facebook will actually attract the 60-year-old woman in need of hip replacement surgery to call the hospital for more information. (Well, perhaps we’re not that stupid.) And our managers in the Baby Boomer generation still think that placing an ad in a newspaper is a foolproof way of attracting college grads to apply for a job opening.

After my return from my three-day retreat in Chicago at PRSA’s recent Health Academy conference, my head is full to the brim with new ideas on how to improve our strategic marketing efforts at my company by tailoring messages to different generations. Of course, being a low man on the totem pole, implementation of my eager efforts is not entirely likely. Why? Because I’m a Gen Y. I’m eager and driven and want instant gratification for my great ideas. I want my superiors to notice my efforts and tell me I’m brilliant. At least, that’s what the Baby Boomer presenter told me at the conference.

Here’s a rundown of some of the other things we Gen Y “kids” are supposed to attribute to ourselves. What do you think? Accurate?

Generation Y (Ages 6-28)

• We are entry and mid-level careerpeople; college and gradeschool students
• We are very motivated and competitive, but need regular reinforcement from our managers that we’re doing a good job
• In general, we like our family, our parents and our grandparents (much more than Generation X did)
• We are followers. We tend to do what everyone else is doing – like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
• We don’t trust others because our parents (Baby Boomers and Gen Xers) taught us that “the world is not safe”
• We like it when you ask us for our opinion at work – it makes us feel important
• We HATE face-to-face communication at the workplace but excel at group/social events and digital communication
• We value deals when you market to us (2-for-1, dollar menu, etc.)
• We don’t watch prime-time TV; if you want to reach us on TV, target us on cable
• Only less than 10 percent of us are not Web-dependent - meaning 90 percent of us would NOT survive without the Internet
• We are the leading producers of all Web-generated content
• Our brains are wired for complexity – we really can check our e-mail, listen to our iPods, text and have a conversation with you at the same time
• We like instant gratification. Mail-in warranties do not appeal to us.
• Many of us have multiple e-mail addresses and when you swamp us with too much junk mail, we’ll switch our e-mail address on you
• Males of our generation are VERY hard to reach – via phone, mail and e-mail (believe me – I know!)
• We will eliminate your company as a choice based solely on your Web site – in less than 5 seconds