Wise & Young: The nuances of Gen-Y marketing, branding, advertising, trends, & more

I read this great comment from “Karen O” the other day on Ypulse (everybody should subscribe to Ypulse) concerning Gen-Y’s lack of modern youth icons and power control:

The problem is based in the fact that Gen Y is entering the stage where they’re really creating pop culture for themselves and those younger than them. Anything that is really and truly pop, not artificial pop, is based on the work of people age 25 and under.

Because the Boomers and Gen X have such a death grip on upper management positions (and, truth be told, the desire to not listen to Gen Y OR to hear what they want to hear, what they know, and what’s easy) mainstream pop culture in general is dying. There are no icons. There are no posters. Icons and posters require mainstream institutions. In fifteen years, Gen Y will a) have started to take control of those institutions that already exist (due to having finally worked their way up the ranks), and b) have built up their own mainstream pop institutions. But for now, we’re stuck. All anyone can do is wait out the continuing period of trash culture created by old people for people they don’t inherently “get.”

I’ll have to agree; Gen-Y has some of the most amazing creative minds trolling around in lower level positions and a handful of awesome Gen-X / Baby Boomer executives do give these people a chance for some creative input. Unfortunately, Karen O. is right to point out that the control and power is never in the hands of Gen-Y which is needed to make a difference at a place like MTV.

Facebook is a great example of a company ran by Gen-Y that “gets” Gen-Y; they’re killing it and influencing the older generations in the process. This why I believe you see so many Gen-Y entrepreneurs that are fed up of being held down by two older generations who don’t understand us or the Internet.