The Next Generation Consumer

THE NEXT GENERATION

CONSUMER

• 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

Myriam Boulos

Photography

Film stills

Ely Dagher’s Waves’98

• 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…

“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

That said…

It is possible to predict future behaviour based on

what we already know and the gradual

emergence of trends

“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

What will the next

generation

consumer

look like?

– Altruism

– Empathy

– Social conscience

Many of the traits of the next generation

consumer are considered ‘feminine’

“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

– 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

• 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….

– Mobile is everything

– E-commerce/M-commerce

Digital natives:

– Social Influencers

How will they

consume media?

• Anywhere and anytime

• No more ‘prime time’

• Media consumption will be on-the-go

• ‘Generation swipe’

• Less and less traditional media

Faster and more:

• 120 million users in the MENA region

• 79% access via mobile

• Double the average video consumption

Digital media:

• Saudi Arabia: highest global penetration

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

• 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?

• Mada Masr – online news outlet re-defining media consumption in Egypt

• Keeping journalism and freedom of speech alive

Bennesbeh Labokra, Chou?

How will they

interact with brands?

• 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…

“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

• 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…

How should brands

interact with

this generation?

Co-creation

Values

Relevance

Three key ingredients:

• 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:

“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

• 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:

• Beirut Madinati – a political movement/brand that

embraces ‘values’ and ‘co-creation’

• And social forms of communication

“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

The campaign was appropriated online:

• Respond swiftly

• Brands will need to understand their desires,

fears, aspirations and customise accordingly

• Channel their ambition

• Tap into their entrepreneurial spirit

Relevance:

“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

Thank You