know thy users, for they are not you jerilyn veldof & melissa kalpin university of minnesota...

Know Thy Users,

For They Are Not You

Jerilyn Veldof & Melissa Kalpin

University of Minnesota Libraries

LOEX 2003

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Session Overview

• Description and characteristics of Millennials/Gen Y/Echo Boomers

• Academic behaviors and expectations

• The library connection

• Marketing to Millennials

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The Preferred Name

Top Five Suggested Names:

1. Millennials

2. “Don’t Label Us”

3. Generation Y (or Why?)

4. Generation Tech

5. Generation NextNeil Howe & William Strauss, Millennials Rising

abc.com poll (1997)

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Millennial Generation

• Born 1977-1994

• Aged 9-26

• 71 million strong

• 26 percent of total population

• Diverse group (65 percent are non-Hispanic white)

Susan Mitchell, American Generations

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It’s the 21st century.

Do you know who your users are?

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Beloit Mindset List

• A southerner has always been President of the United States

• Cars have always had eye-level rear stop lights, CD players, and air bags

• “Big Brother” is merely a television show

• Barbie has always had a job

• The U.S. and the Soviets have always been partners in space

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Beloit Mindset List

• Fox has always been a television network choice

• Women have always had tattoos

• The drug “ecstasy” has always been around

• Genetic testing and DNA screening have always been available

• They grew up in minivans

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Characteristics

• Global generation

• First high-tech generation

• Fast pace lifestyle

• High achievers

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Recent Headlines

• “Packing Courses Instead of a Lunch”

• “Stressed Out Kids Aiming for Top Colleges”

• “Freshman’s Internet Use a Way of Life”

• “Palm Pilots Now Get Handed Out in Class”

• “Sleepless in America”

Stephen R. Merritt, “Generation Y: A Perspective on America’s Next Generation and Their Impact on Higher Education”

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Introduction

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College Expectations

• They see education as a commodity

• They expect value-added courses and experiences

• They expect enhanced personal support

• They expect diversity

• They expect access to global information 24/7

Stephen R. Merritt, “Generation Y: A Perspective on America’s Next Generation and Their Impact on Higher Education”

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Major Problems

• Time management (work/life/school balance) is extremely difficult

• Academic preparation is poor

• Academic expectations are unclear

University of Minnesota Libraries Undergraduate Initiatives Coordinating Council, Student Focus Groups February 2003

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Studying

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Time Management

• “I’m overworked, burdened and challenged; money is hard.”

• “I just don’t have any time for anything and I don’t have any money so I’m, like, trying to work and I don’t have any time to study and I’m trying to go out and it’s just, like, I don’t have time to sleep.”

University of Minnesota Libraries Undergraduate Initiatives Coordinating Council, Student Focus Groups February 2003

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Unclear Expectations

• “I think one of the toughest things is… to understand what exactly your professor wants in the paper because everybody has their definition of what an academic or research-type paper is supposed to be like.”

• “The teachers are really inconsistent across the board…as far as papers go.”

University of Minnesota Libraries Undergraduate Initiatives Coordinating Council, Student Focus Groups February 2003

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• “The majority of students, given the option, would rather sit in their room…and look something up online where they don’t have to leave, than to go out…and go to the library.”

• “I still don’t know the library system. I don’t ever use them. I use my own resources and the Internet, mostly.”

University of Minnesota Libraries Undergraduate Initiatives Coordinating Council, Student Focus Groups February 2003

On Libraries

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• “I think they need to do something to show that libraries aren’t obsolete in the face of the Internet.”

University of Minnesota Libraries Undergraduate Initiatives Coordinating Council, Student Focus Groups February 2003

On Libraries

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Clash of Mental Models

Research is an ends

Good research is valued

Research is complicated

Separation between web and library

Research is a means to an ends

Good grade is valued, completed paper/speech

Research is fast and easy

Blending of web and library - it's all the same

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• In what ways might we get students to know what we offer and when and where to get it?

• In what ways might we integrate the library into the curriculum?

• In what ways might we integrate the library into students’ daily lives?

• How do we ensure that undergraduates find useful information through the library?

Our Challenges

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What Appeals?

Top 10 advertising appeals among GenYs

Make me laugh

Be fun

Use popular music

Be realistic

Use young actors (female and male)

Use contemporary colors and graphics

Use special effects

Show the product in use

Tell an interesting story

Show that the company cares

D’Arcy New World Teen Survey

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Most Recognizable Brands - World Teens

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Winning Brands

• Synthesizes knowledge, beliefs, and emotional projections

• You feel good about the choice you have made to buy it/do it/use it

• Personality

• Product security

• Emotional responses key

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New Model for Brands

• Brands encompass entire lifestyles

• They have an emotional charge Guarantee of authenticity

Promise of performance

Satisfaction

Social expression - p. 13

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Controlling the Brand

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The U of MN’s Brand

Welcome to the Big Time!

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Branding our Libraries

• Too many information choices

• GenY’ers want assurance that they’re making the right choices

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Your Library’s brand

• Who decides what will be your library’s brand? You students/users?

Your faculty/community?

Or...

Your library?

• Making choices - to whom are you branding?

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Library Branding

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Library Branding

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Library Branding

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Library Branding

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Library Branding

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Library Branding

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Who do you want to be?

• Cozy, comfortable, home away from home?

• Hot, edgy, wired, slick?

• Face time? Place to be seen and see?

• Trendy and accessible ala Barnes & Noble retail?

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Who are they?

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Who are they?

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Connecting to Other Brands

• Finding a winning formula U of MN Bookstore Story

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Closing Advice

• Keep an eye on the trends

• Monitor events - ask, what opportunities can this event possibly have for my brand?

• Recreate your brand for the next generation

• “Know thy users”

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Q & A

Melissa Kalpin kalpinm@umn.edu

Jerilyn Veldof jveldof@umn.edu

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jveldof/presentations/LOEX03.html