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We’ve heard it all, “Gen Y”, “Gen X”, “Gen Z” and “millennials.” But as of January 2016, professional trend forecasters feel as though there may be a new defined group who possess their own unique traits that set them apart from any of their predecessors.
Starting over within the alphabet, market and trend professionals welcome the next generation to the world: Generation Alpha.
Though some have questioned the credibility of this extremely young crop of individuals, many feel that the lower age spectrum to Gen Z was noticeably different from their older counterparts, thus setting them apart; but how?
Researcher Mark McCrindle, the author of a new book about global generations, The ABC of XYZ, shares “It’s not so much going back to the beginning as much as starting a new page,” in a recent interview with Newscom.au.
Some have began to challenge that there isn’t much of a leg to stand on being that the oldest of this generation wave are still in diapers and haven’t even attended school yet. A majority of the population sector of this generation hasn’t even been born yet. The answer can be summed up by three words: Quantified Self Movement. Children of this generation are now being born into an era where technology is so heavily depended on that everything from their first sonograms, their first fevers and even apps to detect early signs of autism are being constantly recorded and analyzed on Smartphones and other devices.
A lot has already been projected generation. Some have coined “Gen A”and “Screenagers” to predict how they will grow up. This generation, similar to Generation Z, allegedly only has what psychologists are calling “the 8-second filter” referring to their attention span. It has been rumored that both Gen Z and Gen A will only have a span of approximately 8 seconds worth of attention to be reached by advertising and marketing tactics, giving organizations a real run for their money. Anything surpassing this time sensitive window will be immediately discarded mentally as they move onto something else new and stimulating. This is also the first generation to base their ways of interaction and learning solely on sensory skills.
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Many forecasters are also putting in their educated predictions to help paint the picture of the “The Next Next Generation.” According to research provided by WGSN, one of the worlds leading sources in overall forecasting, this generation will hold: Four-year-old fashion designers, toddlers with social media platform followings in the millions and children who can code before they’ve lost a single tooth.
Being born between the years 2010- and 2024, is not quite the population tsunami yet that Generation Z has marked itself to be, but professional forecasters have no doubt that they are going to have extremely strong consumer purchasing power. McCrindle has also predicted their population by the year 2025 will be approximately 2 billion strong. “There are more than 2.5 Gen Alphas born globally every week. When they have all been born (2025), they will number approximately 2 billion. They start school next year and will be the most formerly educated generation ever, the most technology supplied generation ever, and globally the wealthiest generation ever,” shared McCrindle to WGSN.
In response to all of these firm predictions, brands have began interpret, collect and redefine marketing/ PR strategies. Since this group is predicted to be the most intelligent, aware and social media present, brands in all categories have began to redirect planning that will suit and satisfy these young trailblazers in order to hopefully obtain a loyal consumer base from their early years. Anything stale, used, old or outdated will be immediately rejected by these up-and-comers.
-by Meghan Fazio