The Digital Collide

The first time I heard Adele’s “Hello” I was blown away. I immediately raced down to the first floor of the building where I work and bought the CD at the Barnes and Nobel’s. Listening to the CD on the way home from work that day I was overcome with emotion. I listened to it again and again, and was amazed at how Adele’s music touched me so deeply. I wondered how a 27 year old young woman could know so much about the feelings of love’s regrets, the yearning for days when you were “younger and free.” And then it hit me.

I had been targeted.

Targeting people in my demographic, a middle-aged female, and in this case Gen-Xer, is nothing new. Middle-aged people are at the top of their careers and make more money than any other group. They are, in fact, the sweet spot when it comes to demographic profiles. Even more so today that younger generations have less disposable income than in the past. What IS new, however, is the ability of this demographic group to “market” something it likes and is interested in to other important demographic segments of the population through social media and their “friends” networks. Where in the past I might have mentioned to a few of my friends that I really like Adele’s new CD, now I actually posted a link to the video on my Facebook page with the words “This CD is amazing. I was completely blown away.” Not only did friends of my age read the post, but also my younger cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as my older relatives and friends.

The results of all of this Gen-X micromarketing? Adele has the fastest selling album of all time, with the key word here being fastest. While in the end Adele’s 25 may not be the most selling album of all time, it is the fastest, and time does equal money. To harness this power of the Gen-X micromarketer, one thing must be true – the content to be marketed must be generally attractive to people from many people from all demographic profiles. Think of the Gen-X micromarketers as those most likely to buy and promote and, in a sense, blow the bull horn for others to take notice.

And this leads to Star Wars. Although I must admit I am not a Star Wars fanatic, I was curious as to why now, after all these years, a sequel has been produced. When considering the power of the Gen-X micromarketer, the time has never been better. Afterall, Gen-Xers best remember the Star Wars phenomenon and have the most money to invest in a new release and all of the products and promotions that go with it. They are also most likely to market their new Star Wars experiences on social media, just generating demand in market segments that may not be completely aware of Star Wars, for example youth. When you think about the number of pictures coming across your Facebook feed of Gen-Xers taking their kids to see Star Wars you understand what I am talking about. The amount of Star Wars related content on social media is enormous, and demand for the movie is great. This may not be a surprise to many, but what has been surprising for some is the speed at which this demand was generate. Star Wars is now said to be the fastest revenue generating movie of all time.

So, what does it take to launch a break-neck block-buster today? Content that is appealing to a large audience, but is most appealing to Gen-Xers who will unwittingly become marketers to their entire social circles and generate interest and demand more quickly and to a degree never seen before.