Technology Archives — Provoke Insights

19 Mar 2019

Marketing Strategies for Generation Alpha: the Newest Generation

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Who are post-Millennials?
Generation Alpha represents those who are born after 2010. This generation is quickly growing as 2.5 million Generation Alphas are born around the world each day. [1] Alphas are growing up exposed to multiple digital platforms in a technology-driven environment.

Major brands are recognizing that Generation Alpha is essential to target. Brands are increasingly acknowledging their awareness of Generation Alpha. For example, Google shared its opinion of Generation Alpha, saying “If generation Alpha possesses similar behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs to that of their parents, then to win with a certain segment of millennial consumers (millennial parents), we must target generation Alpha”. [2]

Teenagers and children today are growing up in a very different environment for previous generations. Not surprisingly, Generation Alpha is set to be the most tech-savvy generation we have ever seen. Firstly, they will be the first generation to be immersed in technology for their entire lives. Secondly, today’s methods of teaching are highly influenced by technology. As a result, this generation of education has become very digitally focused. With the introduction of so many technologies since the early 2000s, it has become hard for parents to ignore the trend. As a result, parents have integrated technology into their children’s lives from a young age.

What are the effects of technology?

The introduction of smartphones for younger Millennials and Generation Alpha can be seen as an advantage for parents. Ninety percent of these parents say they gave their child a smartphone in order to get in contact with them easily. The cell phone helps with security, as well as coordinate the children’s activities. With the advantage of connection comes the disadvantage of distraction. Seventy-two percent of parents admit that they are concerned about the distraction a smartphone can cause. Sixty- eight percent of parents are concerned by the lack of control they have when it comes to technology and their children. [3] As more children have smartphones at a young age, cyberbullying has also become an ever-growing issue.

How will Gen Alpha impact advertising and marketing strategy?

Until Generation Alpha is old enough to have spending power, it is important to analyze the effect they are having on their parents spending. Eighty-one percent of Millennial parents say that the habits of their Alpha children influenced their latest purchase. [4] Marketers should focus on ensuring that their strategies are flexible now while keeping a close eye on Gen Alpha and how they will influence advertising and marketing in the future. It is key that marketers start researching possible communication strategies to grab the attention of Alpha’s now so that they are prepared for the future. Even many of today’s two years how to navigate a smartphone device.

New products are already emerging for Generation Alpha. Children are being entertained by smartphones, tablets, and smart home devices. It is not unusual for children to want to have “conversations” with artificial intelligence-driven technology such as Siri or Alexa. Children have always had “imaginary friends”, therefore, it is not too far-fetched to believe children will become “friends” with A.I. [5]
Technology being a part of this generation’s life from birth poses both an opportunity and a challenge for marketers and advertisers. Generation Alpha will be an easy target for advertisers and marketers, as they will be reached effortlessly through technology. However, it is predicted that Alphas will seek an even more seamless experience than Millennials have been seeking when it comes to advertising and marketing. It is important to keep it simple yet effective while targeting this generation to encourage consumer loyalty. It is predicted that businesses and brands will come up with radically new ways of communicating and interacting when trying to influence and capture the attention of Alphas.

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[1]Here’s who comes after Generation Z — and they’ll be the most transformative age group ever. Business Insider. December 2015.

[2]“The Complete Guide to Generation Alpha, The Children Of Millennials,” Forbes. December 2016.

[3]“Mobile Kids: The Parent, The Child, and The Smartphone,” Nielsen. February 2017.

[4]“Forget Millennials, Gen Alpha is here (Mostly),” Digiday. October 2018.

[5]“How Will Widespread A.I. Affect Generation Alpha?,” November 2017. Datafloq.

10 Sep 2015

The Importance Of Mobile Marketing

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Mobile marketing is one of the fasting growing areas in the marketing world. Approximately 99% of Americans own a cell phone, with roughly 64% of those devices being a smartphone (Pew Research). Additionally, around 20% of Americans own a tablet (Pew Research). And users aren’t just utilizing their devices to make calls and surf the web, as smartphones and tablets are allowing consumers to get their news, follow political campaigns and elections, and most importantly for marketers, shop and make purchases.

Importance of Mobile

At the end of 2012, about 11% of retail spending was done via a mobile device (Smart Insights). By the end of 2013, that figure had more than doubled, as mobile spending accounted for 25% of all retail purchases (Smart Insights). But the importance of mobile for retailers is even more significant because even when customers don’t buy something directly from their mobile device, they’re interacting with company websites and apps.

This, in turn, helps shape their image and perception of that particular brand, and more than 75% of mobile interactions lead directly to an in-store purchase (Smart Insights). With figures like this, it’s evident that brands should utilize smartphones and tablets to not only drive sales but also interact with the consumer and help foster strong brand identities.

Smart-Phones and Tablets

Smart-phones and tablets are becoming an increasingly larger part of American life, especially for the younger generations. Currently, roughly 23% of our free time is being spent on a mobile device. Because of the wide array of media channels available today (i.e. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc.) in addition to storage devices like TiVo and DVR, Americans can squeeze 12 hours of media into a 9 hour day (Pew Research).

Many mobile users are able to utilize these streaming services directly from their smart-phones and tablets, making mobile marketing even more important. Furthermore, of those mobile users who are watching TV at home, around 86% of them are surfing the web while watching TV (Arbitron, Omniture, and Comscore). Therefore, brands and advertisers have a unique opportunity to simultaneously target their audience through TV and mobile.

Where Research Comes in

Generally, there are many ways to research/track mobile usage in order to gather market research. As an example, there is creative testing on mobile phones. In other words, researchers can run surveys for phone users and ask them to rate what they like about the advertisement. In addition, surveys and focus groups about mobile usage can give advertisers a feel for how consumers use their mobile devices.

Above all, mobile marketing is key to the advertising world today. Since the proliferation of mobile users shows no signs of slowing down, it essential that marketers and advertisers take advantage of the unique opportunities that mobile marketing provides.

Sources

1- www.pewresearch.com

2- www.smartinsights.com

3- Arbitron, Omniture, and Comscore

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10 Sep 2015

Tech Companies…What’s Your Brand Strategy?

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Technology is the fastest growing industry in New York City. In 2014, jobs in this sector had grown by 33%. As the tech boom continues, how can your brand stand out from the crowd? By developing a strong brand strategy, you can elevate your company above the rest!

Even if your product is unique, it is imperative to find your target and communicate what makes your brand special. However, gaining a potential client’s attention poses a challenge since there are more communication channels than ever before. Consumers’ attention is no longer focused on just one medium. Viewers are consuming content across mobile, desktops, and televisions. Besides, mobile consumption is divided into so many different categories and applications, all with their own tracking devices.

Research that Leads to Brand Strategy

To overcome these challenges, you need a better understanding of who your customer is. For example, which clients will most quickly adapt to your technology? Is your tech company marketing to the right market? Does your audience desire to be part of a new emerging trend? Additionally, what are specific attributes of this audience (age, gender, household income, and/or psychographic attitudes) and how can you leverage that?

It is key to uncover essential information and gather important insights in order to reach your desired audience. Ordinarily, companies like Provoke Insights provide services and tools to help you learn about consumers’ media usage, habits and even specific information about their favorite blog. Furthermore, the research services that we provide will help your tech company develop a strong brand strategy.

Turning Innovation into an Action Plan

Even if your technology is the most advanced in the marketplace, it is a challenge to answer your customers’ needs in a simple and digestible method. In this case, the ‘difference’ needs to be significant and can be developed into a compelling story that separates your product from the competitors. Particularly, it’s important that you can pinpoint what makes your product innovative to consumers in order to maximize sales. Usually, market strategists develop smart action plans based on their own opinions.

For instance, Google Glass was marketed to the general population, and their strategy was based on their belief that their product was exceptional. However, the general public didn’t receive Google Glass too well. Thus, the product failed to generate as much profit as expected. But Google then decided to do some market research on who could benefit most from the Glass technology, and marketed to construction workers. As a result, the product has been a great success. In other words, research can lead you to find the right market.

As you can tell, there are many moving parts to a holistic marketing strategy. Above all, Provoke Insights’s goal is to assist with all aspects of your marketing and branding needs.