The document discusses how to market to the "new consumer", referred to as Generation C. Generation C is always connected, communicative, content-centric, computerized, community-oriented, and always clicking. They thrive on community and want to engage with brands everywhere. They are energized by sharing content and want to become trusted advisors by providing valuable information to their specialized communities. Generation C craves authenticity from brands and seeks brands that provide meaningful content and opportunities to discover themselves and help others. The key to marketing to Generation C is to maximize reach by engaging loyal customers through a community of authentic content they will share.

1. The new
consumer.
Adapt Your Marketing to This
Connected, Communicative, Community-
Oriented, Always-Clicking Digital Citizen
or Risk Being Left Behind.
CARLA GATES JUNE 2013

2. The New Consumer = Generation C
Connected
Communicative
Content-Centric
Computerized
Community-Oriented
Always Clicking
In Control

3. Meet Generation C.
It’s Not a Demographic. It’s Everyone.
Today’s consumers have fundamentally changed their
relationship with media and technology…and with brands. They
don’t want to be talked at, instead they want to be invited to the
discussion.
Andtheir online behavior has less to do with the year they were
born and more to do with their attitude and mindset.
“With connected consumers, decision
making is no longer signified by a simple
funnel, nor can business models support
decision making before, during, and post
transaction across these distributed, but
connected platforms. This is a time for
augmented engagement strategies…based
on their behavior, and on their
expectations...”
- Brian Solis, The End of Business As Usual

4. How Do I Know All This?
Brian Solis, “The End of Business As Usual”
http://www.briansolis.com/2012/04/meet-generation-c-the-connected-customer/
The Google Engagement Project
http://www.google.com/think/collections/engagement-project.html
International Journal of Market Research
http://www.ijmr.com/AboutIJMR/Samples/Sample2.pdf
Digital brands, research groups and individual thought leaders have
delved into the minds of Generation C. Thanks to the following for
the research and thought leadership contained in this presentation:

6. So, what does the new
consumer want?
And what should you do
about it?

7. 5 Characteristics of the New Consumer
They have an urgent need to engage
with the world, satisfying that hunger
via community – bothareal community of
select friends and family, and a virtual
community of distant followers, fans and
acquaintances. They want everyone and
everything at their fingertips.
Be prepared to meet them everywhere they
are. That means stepping out from behind the
relative safety of your website and joining,
encouraging, and starting conversations
on social media, forums, blogs, etc.
1. THEY THRIVE
ON COMMUNITY
HOW TO MARKET
TO THEM

8. 5 Characteristics of the New Consumer
They want to shape opinion and lead thought.
They quench their thirst for connection by
seeking out ‘shareworthy’ content (even
including content from brands), which they
can use to provoke a reaction and
reinforce emotional connectionsin
their community. And everyone thinks they’re
an artist because creating is empowering.They
want us all to see what they’re creating
(photos, memes, tips, events, new products,
even emotional breakthroughs) as this gives
their lives validation.
Give them something meaningful to
share; content that makes them look smart,
clever, thoughtful, or cutting-edge in front of
their community.
2. THEY’RE ENERGIZED
BY SHARING
HOW TO MARKET
TO THEM
Source:

9. 5 Characteristics of the New Consumer
They turn to ‘trusted advisors’
(friends, brands, bloggers, community-
members, celebs) to help them navigate their
online lives, using email lists, social media and
content aggregators to map out an ecosystem that
satisfies both their functional and
emotional needs. And when they find
something they love, they go deep, becoming a
valuable source of information themselves.
Become their trusted advisor, giving them content
to digest and share in their specialized community.
Constantly remind them that you’re an
authoritative, trusted voice in your
industry by posting content of outstanding
value frequently.
3. FINDING ‘TRUSTED
ADVISORS’ IS THEIR
SOLUTION TO BEING
TIME-POOR
HOW TO MARKET
TO THEM“Those (brands) who insert themselves into as
many channels as possible are set to capture the
most value. They'll be the most successful, the
most connected, capable and influential among
us. We're all publishers now, and the more we
publish, the more valuable connections we'll
make.” – Pete Cashmore, Mashable

10. 5 Characteristics of the New Consumer
They know when they’re being marketed to
and have the best bulls**tdetectors in
the world.They want real, thoughtful,
authentic, personable content from brands.
They want to know there is a human behind
the brand. They want to discover and
disseminate, instead of being told what they
should care about.
Luckily, they welcome authentic brands into
their social circle.They’ll either switch off if
your content is not relevant or engage if it
is.Emphasize authentic values and
passions that can be rallied
around, and then provide that rallying
platform.
4. THEY CRAVE
AUTHENTICITY
HOW TO MARKET
TO THEM

11. 5 Characteristics of the New Consumer
…in their own lives, and to help encourage
it in the lives of others. They're into
personal development, and searching
for meaning in every relationship,
not just material security and
comfort. They are motivated by honesty
and integrity.And they’re proud to give
back more than they take on.
Focus on developing an emotional connection
with customers - don’t just focus on the
transaction. Give them content that helps
them discover themselves. And give them
tools to help them “make the world
a better place.”
5. THEY SEEK
MEANING
HOW TO MARKET
TO THEM

12. The big idea?
Maximize your reach by engaging loyal customers in a
community of authentic content, which they will use to
evangelize your brand to a wider audience.

13. Thank you.
Need help reaching your Gen C customers? Let’s talk.
carla@3to5marketing.com or
http://twitter.com/CarlaGates247