The Next Generation Consumer - Iain Ackerman

1. THE NEXT GENERATION
CONSUMER

2. • Mennah Ibrahim, MEA director at the Innovation
Group, J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
• Faris Yakob, author of Paid Attention and the
co-founder of Genius Steals
• Amel Rebbouh, media director, UM MENA
• Amit Vyas, planning director, DDB Dubai; and Hend
Raafat, strategic planner, DDB Dubai
Contributors

4. Myriam Boulos
Photography
Film stills
Ely Dagher’s Waves’98

5. • Most talk of ‘generations’ is rubbish
• Or should we say… ‘sweeping in its generalisations’
• How representative is ‘Rave’ culture of the 80s?
• ‘How many hippies were there in the 1960s?’
• Are Millennials self-absorbed, lazy and entitled
narcissists who live at home with their parents?
Some caveats…

6. “Generations turn over
faster and faster because of
diminished cultural latency
and media colonisation. By
which I mean: generations
aren’t a thing that exists,
they are a description,
made up by some people.
They are, therefore,
essentially bullshit ways to
understand people. They
are mostly lazy
stereotyping.
– Faris Yakob

7. That said…
It is possible to predict future behaviour based on
what we already know and the gradual
emergence of trends

8. “We cannot really predict what the next
generation consumer will look like, but we can
foresee the main trends that will shape the way
consumers will behave and interact with
brands within the next five to 10 years. This
will essentially be influenced by new
technologies in the market and how they will
evolve and how fast they will be adopted and
sustained by consumers.”
– Amel Rebbouh

9. What will the next
generation
consumer
look like?

11. – Altruism
– Empathy
– Social conscience
Many of the traits of the next generation
consumer are considered ‘feminine’

12. “They’ve grown up in a world filled with
consistent reminders of what is wrong and
what needs to change, making them adamant
about making an impact – not just a difference
– towards better futures for themselves and
their societies at large. And they are well on
their way to solving real everyday life
problems, where others before them have
failed.”
– Mennah Ibrahim

13. – Idea driven
– Champion real causes
– Activism
Those born in the mid-90s are now ushering in
a more progressive wave of start-ups:
– Ethical brands
– Embrace Arab culture/heritage

15. • According to a Pew Research study in the US, over
80 per cent of Millennials sleep with their
smartphone
• This number is likely to be the same if not higher for
Generation Z – those born after 1995
• Diminishing attention span – about eight seconds,
lower than even that of a goldfish (nine seconds)
• This is not a generation that is prepared to wait
Simplicity and speed….

16. – Mobile is everything
– E-commerce/M-commerce
Digital natives:
– Social Influencers

18. How will they
consume media?

19. • Anywhere and anytime
• No more ‘prime time’
• Media consumption will be on-the-go
• ‘Generation swipe’
• Less and less traditional media
Faster and more:

20. • 120 million users in the MENA region
• 79% access via mobile
• Double the average video consumption
Digital media:
• Saudi Arabia: highest global penetration

21. Digital media:
• Saudi Arabia has the highest watch time
per capita in the world
• MENA ranks second after the US in terms
of total watch time
• Mobile watch time is growing by 90 per
cent year-on-year
• UAE: 1.1 million daily active users
• Egypt: 1.2 million daily active users
• Saudi Arabia: 6.5 million daily users

22. • M – a Beirut-based digital start-up dedicated to the
digitisation of Lebanese & Arab culture
• Providing a platform for young filmmakers and
documentary makers
Bennesbeh Labokra, Chou?

23. • Mada Masr – online news outlet re-defining media consumption in Egypt
• Keeping journalism and freedom of speech alive
Bennesbeh Labokra, Chou?

25. How will they
interact with brands?

26. • They don’t want to engage with brands
• The customer doesn’t come first, shareholders do
• Novelty of interacting with brands has worn off
• Will only interact with brands that add value in some
way
This is where things get problematic…

27. “People do not want to interact with brands.
Perhaps they used to – people like being
heard – but we’ve become wary, hardened.
Companies have shown us that they don’t
care, that they lie, there have been too many
huge trust violations – just look at
Volkswagen.”
– Faris Yakob

28. • They don’t consume quietly
• Facebook, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat, Instagram are
all vehicles for amplification of consumption
• Select brands that have a story worth following
Honest and real…

29. How should brands
interact with
this generation?

31. Co-creation
Values
Relevance
Three key ingredients:

32. • Ethical brands that respect the environment and
embrace marginalised groups will be rewarded
• Do actual things in the world
• Actions speak louder than ads – Faris Yakob
Values:

33. “They will embrace brands and businesses
that reflect what they believe in. They are more
likely to care about whether their food is
organic, about whether the company pays a
fair wage, about how a business serves the
community it works in. Brands will need to
stand for something more than just their
offering to make a lasting impact.”
– Amit Vyas

34. • Spirit of collaboration and co-operation
• Brands that hear them and respond are the ones
they will be closer to
• Help them collaborate with others
• Get them involved
Co-creation:

35. • Beirut Madinati – a political movement/brand that
embraces ‘values’ and ‘co-creation’

36. • And social forms of communication

37. “We only designed our broad strategy,
suggested our personality, our tone of voice
and our flexible guidelines. But the diversified
visual languages we established, as well as
our multiple slogan approach, turned out to be
an automatic call for contribution before it was
even suggested. This is when the conversation
started.”
– Beirut Madinati

38. The campaign was appropriated online:

39. • Respond swiftly
• Brands will need to understand their desires,
fears, aspirations and customise accordingly
• Channel their ambition
• Tap into their entrepreneurial spirit
Relevance:

40. “If you can recognise any of this, you’ll realise
that the next generation consumer is already
here – walking, living and breathing among us.
They might not be the mass majority yet, nor
the group with the most buying power, but their
consumption patterns and behaviours will be
the catalyst for big changes.”
– Mennah Ibrahim

41. Thank You