For some odd reason I’m fascinated by the way people are. How they do things, why they do what they do, how they react, how they behave and so on. What also intrigues me are the many different ways people find to do the same things, through out the different generations.
That sounds a little confusing but essentially what I’m trying to get to is this: I read an article on ars technica about a study between Gen X moms and Gen Y moms. They were studying how both types of moms used the Internet and found out that while they both go online to accomplish tasks related to parenting, the way they interact with others differs depending on when they first logged on to the Internet. Put simply, Gen Y moms tend to be more “Web 2.0″ than their Gen X counterparts.
They’re both using the Internet as a tool, and they’re both looking to be better parents, but they do it so differently from one another.
Bonnier’s Parenting Group surveyed 847 mothers who visited Parenting.com to collect data. The company found that Gen X-ers, those who were born in the late 60s and during the 70s, tend to use the Internet to accomplish certain tasks rather than interact with others. This includes looking at photos, reading product ratings, and buying products online. On the flip side, Gen Y-ers, those who were (generally) born in the 80s and 90s, tend to be more social online. They are more likely to interact with other people through the use of blogs, social networks, and video-/photo-sharing sites.
See the importance of understanding who you’re really targeting? Your message needs to hit them at the core, and not having your audience well defined, not knowing what they do and how they do it, might just be the difference between your success and your failure.