We live in an era where connectedness is becoming a way of life. With the pervasiveness of smartphones, tablets, online access, and social networks, it’s easy to see, for better or worse, how we’re becoming an always-on society. This is where our story begins. This guide will help you develop your own evolutionary approach to marketing—one that more effectively shapes, steers and guides every customer experience. It takes a whole new approach to meet the needs of the plugged-in customers of Generation C. Read this ebook to find out how to survive and thrive in this new era of connected consumerism by getting to know all about Generation C, and finding out how their behavior is changing our society as a whole as well as the way we do business.

1. IBM ExperienceOne
Digital Darwinism
and the Dawn of
Generation C
by Brian Solis

2. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
We live in an era where connectedness is becoming
a way of life. With the pervasiveness of smartphones,
tablets, online access, and social networks, it’s easy
to see, for better or worse, how we’re becoming an
always-on society. This is where our story begins. This
newfound connectedness is changing the dynamic
of digital relationships and is already starting to affect
business in ways that we may not yet realize. This is a
time when businesses must not underestimate or
under appreciate changes in behavior but, instead
evaluate how these trends impact markets now and
in the long term.
On the subject of connectedness, I would like to
take this time together to officially introduce you to
Generation C and the important role these connected
customers play in the evolution of your business.
Yet another generation that requires study? you ask.
What’s this Generation C all about anyway? Is this
really a bona fide business opportunity or merely a
fad or, worse, another marketing gimmick?
The truth is that Generation Cers are among the most
important customers to the future of your business.
They represent both a threat and an opportunity, but
that’s just the beginning. Gen C will challenge your
entire approach to customer engagement today.
These digital natives are connected, discerning,
informed and elusive. And they’re among the most
loyal customers you could hope to attract. There’s just
one thing you need to know about Gen Cers before
we dive in: they are not a group bound by age but,
by connectedness.
Gen C will challenge your
entire approach to customer
engagement today.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Generation C
is an audience
with an
audience of
audiences
The people
formerly
known as
the audience
The
psychology of
the audience
with audiences
Marketing
disrupted
A market
in transition
Survival of
the fitting
In summary:
The connected
marketer
2

3. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Several years ago, Mollie Sterling shared a picture of
a classroom at her alma mater, the Missouri School
of Journalism. The picture eventually went viral, and in
2008, Apple used it in a press conference announcing
a next-generation MacBook event.
Sterling’s picture is more than an unintentional
advertisement for Apple. It represents the emergence
of Generation C, a human network that efficiently
relays information, emotion and experiences in real
time. How that network uses technology has changed
it, which, in turn, will change us as marketers and
business professionals.
As Gen Cers increasingly focus on living the digital
lifestyle, chasms emerge between where their attention
is focused and where and how organizations currently
apply sales and marketing efforts. This is important
because the digital divide that’s emerging will prevent
businesses of the future from effectively learning from,
influencing and participating in decision making.
Generation C is an audience with an audience of audiences
Missouri School of Journalism circa 2007. Source: Global Nerdy
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 3

4. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
With the proliferation of social networks such as
Facebook and Google+, micro social networks such
as Path, curation networks such as Pinterest, and
information networks such as Twitter, every new
friend, like,and follow helps individuals create their
own personalized digital ecosystems, or “egosystems.”
The egosystem is where Gen Cers are literally at the
center of their online experiences. The people, brands
and celebrities they follow revolve around them.
As a result, a marketing audience that was once captive
is now universally connected, difficult to reach, and
engaging online—with or without you. It is a flourishing
and influential audience that businesses are not desig-
ned to connect with today. To reach vast audiences
in the past, businesses invested in mass media
campaigns online, in print, over the air, and in person.
But by the very nature of the egosystem, businesses
must now augment this approach to genuinely reach
and engage people in connected domains where
customers are kings and queens of their own castles.
Reaching Gen C is a tremendous opportunity to
engage a connected audience in a more meaningful
way. Rather than marketing to a traditional audience,
you’re presented with an interconnected landscape of
customers who individually boast a personal network
of their own. On average, an everyday person on
Facebook is connected to at least 150 people. On
Twitter, that average is around 140. Instead of simply
reaching people in a traditional one-to-many approach,
you now can reach customers through a one-to-one-
to-many model. And if your strategies are personalized
to match behavior and expectations and are engaging
in design, you can rouse and activate not just an
audience, but a connected audience with an audience
of audiences.
Individuals create their own
personalized digital ecosystems,
or “egosystems.”
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 4

5. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
On average, an everyday person on Facebook is connected
to at least 150 people.
On Twitter, that average is around 140.
Facebook has over 900 million people who inhabit
what would be the third-largest country in the world.
Twitter has over 200 million.
Over 48 hours of video are uploaded to
YouTube every minute.
Ever heard of Tumblr? The popular microblog is host
to 38,000 new posts every 60 seconds.
Facebook has over 900 million people who inhabit
what would be the third-largest country in the world.
Twitter has over 200 million. Over 48 hours of video
are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Ever heard
of Tumblr? The popular microblog is host to 38,000
new posts every 60 seconds.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Sterling’s
picture is worth a thousand impressions. Every
single one of those students represents a new breed
of connected customers who are linked to others just
like them. In fact, the picture is as remarkable as it is
dated. Today, that audience would show a mix of
laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
The people who make up Gen C are the nodes in a
human network, playing an instrumental role in the
dissemination of information and the experiences
that unite them online and in real life.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 5

6. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
The people formerly known as the audience
We live in interesting times, and the dose of reality
contained in Sterling’s photo is both intoxicating and
frightening. The classroom, however, is merely one
setting in which we can expect to see the impact of
connected individuals and the networked audiences
they weave. The audience with audiences is the new
market opportunity; it defines the new consumer
landscape: how businesses connect with consumers,
how governments connect with constituents, how
movements rally supporters and how news spreads
are forever changed.
My good friend and New York University journalism
professor Jay Rosen famously wrote in 2006: “We
are the people formerly known as the audience.” His
work served as the stimulus for humanizing the
audience, challenging content producers and brands
to consider the very people they were attempting to
reach so as to earn personal connections and
galvanize meaningful interaction.
And now the audience has ripened to earn an audience
of its own. To connect with this audience requires
study to appreciate its effect. The currency of the
digital economy isn’t money; it is attention. And to
capture the attention of connected consumers
requires an understanding that they are impervious to
anything that doesn’t clearly offer value in exchange
for ongoing attention and connection.
The audience with audiences is the new market opportunity. It defines the
new consumer landscape.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 6

7. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Remember that at the heart of the egosystem is a
connected customer, a sophisticated, discerning, and
empowered consumer. This new consumer is compli-
cated but distinguished. Technology allows us to learn
about what’s important what’s not important to them.
They are symbolized by the events they attend, the
brands they love, the products they buy, the news that
grabs their attention, the activity they see and interact
with in the various social streams across multiple
devices, and the interests and relationships they share.
The audience with audiences is bound by sharing
under the philosophy, “I’m living this right now, and I
want to share this moment with you so that we can
experience it together.”
But it’s more than just a philosophy. A real psychological
need to share starts to develop with prolonged sharing.
As individuals cultivate their networks, the once-casual
care and feeding of them naturally develops into a
mandatory responsibility. The truth is that individuals
feel disconnected from their audiences when they are
not interacting with them. These digital exchanges
create a sense of connectedness and relevance.
As a result, our attention is constantly lured from the
physical to the virtual realm to manage our networks
and the experiences we’re compelled to share.
Is this behavior a reflection of introverted socializing,
or is it a sign of something more remarkable?
It’s both. Online interaction instills a sense of confidence
with every action, reaction, Facebook like, Twitter
retweet, foursquare check-in, YouTube view, or friend
request we earn. In a sense, we move one step away
from online introvert and one step closer to becoming
digital extroverts. With each update we publish, we’re
validated and motivated. And over time, the audience
with an audience of audiences becomes increasingly
powerful, connected and influential.
The job of anyone trying to reach the people formerly
known as the audience carries great burden and
opportunity. The challenge and the objective now are
to speak to and through connected consumers
simultaneously. The idea, of course, is to share value
and ideas across social networks to those with whom
they’re connected around the world.
The psychology of the audience with audiences
These digital exchanges create a sense
of connectedness and relevance.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 7

8. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Regardless of our age or any other demographic element, we are becoming
part of Generation C. We are becoming the very people we’re trying to reach.
This is the just the beginning of a new level of
understanding necessary to identify human informa-
tion networks. To reach intended audiences through
audiences with audiences represents the state of how
information now travels and affects the next steps and
decisions of all that information touches.
Just think, you might not have ever downloaded this
ebook if you hadn’t seen it in your social stream. That’s
how we’re becoming increasingly connected and how
you and I, regardless of our age or any other demo-
graphic element, are becoming part of Generation C
as individuals. Essentially, we are becoming the very
people we’re trying to reach.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 8

9. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
This ebook and our time together is intended to
introduce you to a new era of connected consumerism.
We have been presented with a new category of
consumers that requires identification, study, and
understanding. More importantly, it requires new or
adapted strategies, channels and approaches to
effectively engage them.
Even though digital DNA is a common trait among
connected customers, it is the behavior and expec-
tations of Gen C that will help you succeed. This isn’t
the time to use technology to drive strategy, but to
use it as an enabler of informed and engagement-
worthy programs. Your next steps following this ebook
are not to devise new social media or mobile cam-
paigns, but instead to rethink how you approach all
digital efforts supporting sales, marketing, service,
and product development.
To survive and thrive in a new era of connected consu-
merism requires a shift in strategy and perhaps culture
to both react to new opportunities and eventually lead
desired experiences and outcomes.
Marketing disrupted
Disruption is a powerful thing. While we’re learning
about the importance of technology and how it’s
changing how people connect and discover, we may
be missing the very things affected by disruption:
customer behavior and their resulting expectations.
The IBM study Capitalizing on the Smarter Consumer
looks at ways retailers can meet the demands of the
smarter consumer. The study reveals that these
smarter consumers in fact have higher expectations.
The two improvements consumers state they would
most like to see are:
• Personalized promotions and consistently
available products
• Better value, quality and variety
Your next steps following this
ebook are not to devise new social
media or mobile campaigns but
instead to rethink how you
approach all digital efforts.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 9

10. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
We live in a time of digital disruption, and Gen C is the
latest manifestation of how businesses need to evolve.
Social media, smartphones, tablets and portable
Wi-Fi hotspots all contribute to a digital lifestyle that is
connected, always on, and incredibly informed. The
result is a new level of customer empowerment.
The digital lifestyle is particularly important as
businesses increase investments in social networks,
mobile apps and new technology. Without zeroing in
on the root impact of disruption, businesses may be
missing tremendous opportunities or, worse, making
an investment in what I refer to as digital Darwinism.
Indeed, the digital lifestyle that’s captivating your
customers is, in fact, changing your customers. And
without looking beyond the technology that’s causing
this shift, we cannot see the impact of trends on
actions, decisions or impressions.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 10

11. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Customer behavior and expectations are evolving.
They expect to engage your business and all it represents
in new channels... their way.
Traditional Consumer
Digital Consumer
CONNECTED CONSUMER
The audience with an audience of audiences may
seem abstract. But people are connecting to one
another, growing their networks and egosystems their
way. That’s why I’m working with IBM to publish this
ebook. The behavior of Generation C is different than
that of the customer segments businesses are designed
to entice. We’re making an investment in the future of
your business, and it starts with recognizing that Gen
C is a new additional customer segment to target.
With The End of Business as Usual, I was trying to
communicate the importance and extent of the new
landscape for consumerism. I learned through my
research and experience over the years that aside
from the myriad ways we can slice customer data
and behavior, one simple way to look at balancing
the marketing mix was by organizing customers into
three groups: traditional, digital and connected.
Source: Brian Solis, Altimeter Group, 2012
A market in transition
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 11

12. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
What defines these groups you will need to connect with in new ways?
Traditional customers are those
who are comfortable with pervasive
media, such as newspapers, radio,
TV and magazines. They trust the
advice of experts and friends, and
are influence by the research they
do offline and online.
Digital customers are those
individuals whom businesses
have learned to engage over the
last 20 years or so. They balance
traditional and digital media. They
rely on websites for information
about current events and products
they’re interested in. Email, text and
instant messaging are the preferred
methods for online interaction. They
typically jump to Google or another
search engine to begin a discovery
process. Online reviews and word
of mouth with trusted friends and
experts shape decision making.
This group also is migrating
toward social and mobile media
and increasingly adopting portable
connected devices, such as tablets
and smartphones.
Connected customers represent
Generation C. These connected
customers dwell in their ego-
systems. They discover, learn,
communicate and share in public
forums. Gen Cers place value
not on friends and family but on
strangers and authorities in their
social networks that share similar
interests. They see the world
differently and share all experien-
ces, whether it’s in the real world
or online through their social and
mobile networks. Online connections
and shared experiences factor into
decision making. Gen Cers can
be likened to digital exhibitionists:
everything they do, think and
experience is shared through
multiple networks.
The market is in transition, moving from wired to
wireless, connecting people and information along
the way. For at least the next 10 years, organizations
will need to shift the balance of their sales, marketing,
service and development initiatives in varying ways
across these distinct groups. Each is in its own way
important to the success of your business. Sliding
resources and investments between them over the
coming years is how your business will effectively
compete for the future.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 12

13. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
How Gen C sees the world. Source: Brian Solis, Altimeter Group, 2012
Their networks are:
• How they learn about current events
• How they learn about new products
• How they share what they love or what
captures their attention
• How they bridge the virtual and digital worlds
• How they shop
• How they build relationships with
organizations that acknowledge them
These are elusive but plugged-in customers. They
see the world differently. To engage them requires
us to adapt our view of the world and see decision
making through their eyes and screens. If we don’t,
we’ll miss opportunities. And the more opportunities
we miss, the greater the opportunity cost will be to
the future of our business.
The connected customer sees the world differently, uniting the
online and offline world for others to see and experience
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 13

14. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Survival of the fitting
Digital Darwinism. Source: Brian Solis, Altimeter Group, 2012
So what is digital Darwinism, and why is it important
to you?
Digital Darwinism is the evolution of consumer
behavior when society and technology evolve faster
than some companies’ ability to adapt. Generation C
is the current manifestation of technology’s impact on
society and business.
Investing in technology to improve engagement in
relatively new and emerging channels such as
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ isn’t nearly
enough. These wildly popular networks are among
the channels where people are coming together. But
they’re also the catalysts for a new era of connected
consumerism, and these networks, the devices
used to access them, and those yet to emerge are
changing how customers learn about you and how
they’re influenced to make decisions. At some point,
this new behavior disrupts business ecosystems to
the point where organizations either adapt or
become extinct.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 14

15. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
Powerful and sobering, these messages should not
fall on deaf ears. If we step back and look at the
changing business landscape, we may be surprised at
how many of the brands we grew up with are gone or
dying. In the last several years alone, we’ve witnessed
the severe hobbling or outright demise of seemingly
invincible brands in the U.S., including Blockbuster,
Circuit City, Borders Books, Tower Records, Pontiac,
Saturn, Palm and many others. Digital Darwinism is a
merciless reality of business, and other iconic brands
are at risk of irrelevance.
Again, it’s not the networks that will save your business;
it’s the study of behavior and how your connected
customers are influencing the behavior of others toward
or away from you.
Edward Lawler and Christopher Worley made a
startling observation in their book Built to Change:
“An analysis of Fortune 1000 corporations shows that
between 1973 and 1983, 35 percent of companies in
the top 20 were new.”
The duo’s work revealed that the number of new
companies rose to 45 percent between 1983 and 1993
and jumped to 60 percent between 1993 and 2003.
The authors asked an important question, one that
deserves due diligence: “Any bets as to where it will
be between 2003 and 2013?”
As I was writing my latest book, The End of Business
as Usual, I stumbled across one of the most disturbing
and eye-opening observations on the subject of
business evolution that really crystallized Lawler and
Worley’s work. An ad produced by Babson College,
a U.S.-based business school, stated that “over 40
percent of the companies that were at the top of the
Fortune 500 in 2000 were no longer there in 2010.”
Over 40 percent of the companies that were at the top of the Fortune 500
in 2000 were no longer there in 2010.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 15

16. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
This is the time to lead, not just react.
In summary: The connected marketer
It is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent
that survives. It is the one that is
most adaptable to change.
The point of digital Darwinism is that consumers
will force a natural selection of businesses fittest
for survival. Not every business will make it. But with
conviction, hard work and vision, you will start to
uncover how evolving customer behavior and expec-
tations impact your business. More importantly,
you’ll possess the insights necessary to save your
business from the perils of digital Darwinism and
lead a charge that more effectively shapes and
steers customer experiences.
While paraphrasing Darwin’s Origin of the Species,
Leon C. Megginson said: “It is not the strongest of the
species that survives, nor the most intelligent that
survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
The sea change in consumerism is indeed important.
While it is overwhelming to think that your customer
base is shifting underneath the foundation of your
business, it is to varying degrees already happening.
But what works against you also works for you.
Generation C is indeed connected, informed, and
empowered. Equally, because you’re reading this
ebook, you are already on your way to becoming
the business counterpart to Generation C: the
connected marketer.
Many businesses see this transformation through
a technology lens. They’re jumping into social networks,
building mobile apps, socializing customer service,
and crowdsourcing product innovation. But they do
so because they’re reacting to technology trends and
not taking the time to study how these trends impact
customer behavior and expectations. While their
work is to be celebrated, it may not be enough to
survive digital Darwinism. In the long run, these
current strategies will be looked on as impulsive, not
thoughtful or genuine.
Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 16

17. Digital Darwinism and the Dawn of Generation C
About IBM ExperienceOne
IBM ExperienceOne helps you attract, delight and
grow the loyalty of customers by enriching the ways
you engage each of them. IBM ExperienceOne
provides a set of integrated customer engagement
solutions that empower marketing, merchandising,
commerce and customer service teams to identify
the customers and moments that matter most, and
to rapidly apply those insights to develop and deliver
personally rewarding brand experiences.
IBM ExperienceOne ignites innovation by leveraging
patterns of success from more than 8,000 client
engagements, original industry research, and products
consistently recognized as industry leaders in major
analyst reports.
IBM ExperienceOne solutions are delivered in cloud,
on premises, and in hybrid options.
For more information
To learn more about IBM ExperienceOne, please
contact your IBM representative or IBM Business
Partner, or visit the following website:
ibm.com/experienceone.

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Generation C
is an audience with an
audience of audiences
The people formerly
known as the audience
The psychology of the
audience with audiences
Marketing disrupted A market in transition Survival of the fitting
In summary: The
connected marketer 18