As marketers, we are always looking for ways to define our audience.  Armies of market researchers conduct surveys, observe behavior, and sift through artifacts of commercial life to discover what makes a particular group of people tick.  Or, more importantly, what makes them buy.  We are in an interesting time in that the generation coming of age today, the Millennials, has been imbued in brand culture and immersed in social media.  While this may give some parents pause, it is an opportunity to observe these savvy and social consumers in action, and to record and study their journey from young adulthood to their rise to dominance in business and culture.

In attempt to harness this tremendous potential, Edward Boches, Chief Social Media Officer at Mullen, has launched “The Next Great Generation,” or TNGG.   This ambitious project aims to get Millennials to share their thoughts regarding life, work, brands, technology, environment, money, faith, sex, and love, while giving other generations a chance to listen, learn, and even ask questions about them.

If you fall into the Millennial age group, I implore you to check this out and get involved.  If you teach or work with Millennials get this information into their hands and encourage them to participate.

TNGG’s website is linked here, and you can followe the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #tngg.  Spread the word.
 
Tribal Video 11/09/2009
 
There are a handful of high profile business and marketing people who capture the essence of Marketing Public Relations.  Seth Godin is one of those people.  This video is one of a handful of videos of Seth that will make you think about what we do.  I suggest that connecting with “tribes” is what MPR is all about.  He also discusses how tribes create stories about a company or product and spread them.  This is the MPR notion of creating “brand authors.”  Bravo Seth.  Enjoy the video all.
Here's another.