Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Why the “iGeneration”?
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- Figure 1: Births in the US (millions), Mintel generational cut-offs, 1910-2009
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- Figure 2: Share of US population by generation, 2016
- Who are the iGens? What makes them unique?
- Self-confident iGens think the best of themselves
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- Figure 3: iGen perceptions of self and others their age – Select responses, February 2016
- Messages received in youth likely to impact iGens’ future perspectives
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- Figure 4: Motivations for being healthy, adult iGens indexed to all, July 2015
- iGens “speak” a new language – mostly made of pictures
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- Figure 5: IGens’ use of images only to communicate, by age, February 2016
- Music defines a generation, iGens are no exception
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- Figure 6: iGen social media and marketing preferences, by tween/teens and adults, February 2016
- The issues
- All eyes on me: It’s not easy to rise above the noise
- Save money-money, save money-money-money: Will iGens be even more frugal than Millennials?
- I want it now: iGens may be even less patient than Millennials
- The opportunities
- Teach your children well: Parents have significant influence on iGens
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- Figure 7: Influences on iGens – Parents and friends, by tween/teens and adults, February 2016
- Hey 19 (or 29 or 39): Age-agnostic marketing may be the antidote to Millennial madness
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- Figure 8: “Sick of hearing about Millennials,” by generation, February 2016
- Signed, sealed, delivered: iGens “love” getting mail
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- Figure 9: Tween/teen iGens “love getting mail,” by age and gender and by household income, February 2016
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Less powerful than Millennials, gaining relevance as they move into adulthood
- iGens following longer-term demographic trends
- Unlikely that iGens will reverse trend of delaying marriage and family
The iGeneration by the Numbers
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- iGeneration accounts for 17% of US population
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- Figure 10: Population by generation, 2011-21
- iGens are more diverse, more open-minded
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- Figure 11: Generations, by race and Hispanic origin, 2016
- Nearly all iGens are unmarried, likely to remain so until late in their 20s
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- Figure 12: Marital status, by age, 2015
- Figure 13: Median age at first marriage, by gender, 2005-15
Spotlight on Tween and Teen iGens
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- Tween/teen iGens similar to adults in some ways, bucking trends in others
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- Figure 14: Language spoken in the home, by teens aged 12-17 and adults aged 18+, April 2014-June 2015
- Teen birth rate continues to decline
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- Figure 15: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by race and Hispanic origin, 1990-2014
- Majority of tween/teen iGens live with both parents
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- Figure 16: Household relationship and living arrangements of tween/teen iGens, by age, 2015
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- What’s working: Social media celebrities, sharing the experience
- What’s challenging: Attracting – and keeping their attention
- What’s next: Rethinking “Girl Power”
What’s Working?
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- All hail the “Instagirls”
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- Figure 17: “Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Joan Smalls, and More Talk Supermodels and Instagram,” online video, August 2014
- Sharable brand experiences
- Music and humor should garner attention from iGens
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- Figure 18: Tween/teen iGens’ attitudes toward social media and commercials, February 2016
What’s a Challenge?
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- Traditional advertising
- Tapping the power of celebrity
- Girls can code – but do they want to?
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- Figure 19: “#GirlsCan: Girls Who Code,” online video, November 2014
- Figure 20: Tween/teen iGens and trends – Learning to code, by gender, February 2016
What’s Next?
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- The rebirth of “Girl Power”
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- Figure 21: “Always #LikeAGirl - Girl Emojis,” online video, March 2016
- Harnessing the power of big data
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- iGens are confident, attribute positive qualities to themselves
- iGens seem to think if it's good for the individual it’s not bad for society
- Fitting in or standing out? iGens strive for both
- Admittedly or not, celebrity influence is strong among tween/teen iGens
- Averse to “following,” iGens are at the leading edge of trends
- Social media influences iGens and is a platform to wield influence
How iGens Perceive Themselves and their Generation
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- Younger iGens’ self-perceptions misaligned with overall age group
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- Figure 22: Tween/teen iGen generational perceptions – Correspondence analysis, February 2016
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- Figure 23: Tween/teen iGen generational perceptions, February 2016
- Adult iGens also see themselves differently
- Trend followers? iGens don’t think so
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- Figure 24: Adult iGen generational perceptions – Correspondence analysis, February 2016
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- Figure 25: Adult iGen generational perceptions, February 2016
Adult iGens and Attitudes toward Changing Society
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- Are iGens pushing back against feminism?
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- Figure 26: Attitudes toward changing society – Feminism, by adult iGens and all, February 2016
- Figure 27: Attitudes toward female breadwinners, by gender and adult iGens versus all, February 2016
- iGens have progressive views about relationships
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- Figure 28: Attitudes toward changing society – Relationships, by adult iGens and all, February 2016
- Female adult iGens happy to delay children – but maybe not marriage
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- Figure 29: Attitudes toward changing society – Relationships, by gender and adult iGens versus all, February 2016
- Diversity viewed positively, including acceptance of refugees from conflict areas
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- Figure 30: Attitudes toward changing society – Society and legislation, by adult iGens and all, February 2016
iGens and Fitting In
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- Younger iGens feeling free to express themselves – for the most part
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- Figure 31: “Louis Vuitton Presents Series 4: The Heroine by Bruce Weber,” online video, January 2016
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- Figure 32: Tween/teen iGens’ attitude toward fitting in, February 2016
- Adult iGens torn between fitting in and standing out
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- Figure 33: Adult iGens’ attitude toward fitting in – Netted, February 2016
- Adult female iGens tend to be slightly more open-minded
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- Figure 34: Adult iGens’ attitude toward fitting in – Any agree, by gender, February 2016
- As iGens become teenagers they are less likely to want to stand out
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- Figure 35: Tween/teen iGens’ attitude toward fitting in – Agree, by gender and age, February 2016
- Affluent and Hispanic tween/teen iGens looking to stand out, more open-minded
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- Figure 36: Tween/teen iGens’ attitude toward fitting in – Agree, by household income, February 2016
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- Figure 37: Tween/teen iGens’ attitude toward fitting in – Agree, by race and Hispanic origin, February 2016
Tween/teen iGens and Celebrity Influence
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- Talent takes Swift and Bieber to the top
- Taylor proves that good girls can finish first
- Bieber goes from “squeaky clean teen heartthrob” to “bad boy” to “TBD”
- Next generation of Kardashians ascend the ranks
- Social media stars influential but fame may be fleeting
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- Figure 38: “Hugging People That Are Too Tall,” Vine, January 2016
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- Figure 39: “Morning Routine: Fall Edition!!,” September 2013
- Figure 40: Tween/teen iGens and celebrities, February 2016
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- Figure 41: Number of Twitter and Instagram followers, March 2016
- Swift and Bieber most popular with same-sex fans but still resonate with opposite sex
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- Figure 42: Tween/teen iGens and celebrities, by age and gender, February 2016
- Hispanic iGens may be most impacted by celebrity endorsements
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- Figure 43: Tween/teen iGens and celebrities, by race and Hispanic origin, February 2016
iGens and Trends
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- Bingeing, selfies, and emojis make iGens mini-Millennials
- Anything – anytime – anywhere: A right not a privilege
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- Figure 44: Adult iGens and trends – Indexed to all, February 2016
- An emoji is worth a thousand words to tween/teen iGens
- Social media is second nature
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- Figure 45: Tween/teen iGens and trends, February 2016
- Though there has been progress, coding still more of a boys’ club
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- Figure 46: iGens and trends – Learning to code, by gender and tween/teen versus adult, February 2016
- Hispanic tween/teen iGens on the cutting edge of trends
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- Figure 47: Tween/teen iGens and trends – Select responses, by race and Hispanic origin, February 2016
iGens and Influence
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- Parents as influencers
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- Figure 48: Tween/teen iGens and influence, February 2016
- Adult iGens consider themselves slightly less influenced, influential
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- Figure 49: Adult iGens and influence – Netted, February 2016
- Affluent tween/teen iGens feel more influenced, influential
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- Figure 50: Tween/teen iGens and influence – Agree, by household income, February 2016
- Hispanic iGens also tend to be more influenced, influential
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- Figure 51: Tween/teen iGens and influence – Agree, by race and Hispanic origin, February 2016
iGen Attitudes toward Technology and Interaction
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- Tween/teen iGens are aware of the downsides of technology
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- Figure 52: Tween/teen iGens’ attitudes toward technology and interaction, February 2016
- Facetime important to adult iGens – and not the Apple version
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- Figure 53: Adult iGens’ attitudes toward technology and interaction – Netted, February 2016
- Adult female iGens more concerned with privacy online
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- Figure 54: Adult iGens’ attitudes toward technology and interaction – Any agree, by gender, February 2016
- Tween/teen Hispanic iGens best reached electronically
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- Figure 55: Tween/teen iGens’ attitudes toward technology and interaction – Agree, by race and Hispanic origin, February 2016
iGen Social Media Preferences
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- Make ‘em laugh, don’t you know every iGen wants to laugh?
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- Figure 56: “The Mowglis – I’m Good (Live) at The Brooklyn Patch,” online video, April 2015
- Figure 57: Tween/teen iGens’ social media preferences, February 2015
- Offering “shareworthy” content may be the key to adult iGens
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- Figure 58: “Renwick Opening: Explore ‘WONDER’,” online video, November 2015
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- Figure 59: Adult iGens’ social media preferences, February 2015
- Female iGens may be easier to target
- Girls seek animals, fashion, and cuteness; boys more interested in the bizarre
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- Figure 60: ”Feed Your Sour Tooth: NEW Extreme Sour Bites,” online video, April 2015
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- Figure 61: Tween/teen iGens’ social media preferences – Select responses, by gender and age, February 2015
- Figure 62: Adult iGens’ social media preferences – Select responses, by gender, February 2015
iGen Marketing Preferences
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- iGens drawn to music and humor in marketing
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- Figure 63: “Iskra Lawrence, Our New #AerieREAL Role Model,” online video, February 2016
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- Figure 64: Tween/teen iGens' marketing preferences, February 2016
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- Figure 65: Adult iGens’ marketing preferences – Indexed to all, February 2016
- Teen iGens more interested in pop culture; adult iGens in realistic portrayals
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- Figure 66: iGens marketing preferences – Select responses, by age, February 2016
- Tween/teen iGens in high-income households may be more exposed
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- Figure 67: Tween/teen iGens' marketing preferences – Select responses, by household income, February 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Demographic data
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Demographics
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- Figure 68: Population by generation, 2011-21
- Figure 69: Population by gender and generation, 2016
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- Figure 70: Generations, by race and Hispanic origin, 2016
- Figure 71: Generations, by race and Hispanic origin, 2016
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- Figure 72: Birth rates per 1,000 females Ages 15-19, by race and Hispanic origin, 1990-2014
- Figure 73: Household relationship and living arrangements of tween/teen iGens, by age, 2015
- Figure 74: Marital status, by age, 2015
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- Figure 75: Median age at first marriage, by gender, 2005-15
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