The 10 Laws of Selling to Digital Natives
and The Connected Generation

Or… our latest buzzword
“THE YOUTH”

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today I’m going to
show you how to sell technology to THE YOUTH.
If you haven’t seen THE YOUTH, this is what they look like. They are happy
to be here. Note they are smiling and jumping. THE YOUTH smile and jump
when they are happy. Sometimes they perform what is known as a ‘high-
five’. Use this kind of slide in your presentation when talking about THE
YOUTH

LAW 1
Medium is the message and mobile is
COOL, facebook is COOLER and mobile
facebook OFF THE SCALE. Youth want to
be friends with your brand on facebook –
they are waiting. The NEW advertising is
COOL… Hurry now!

“Remember what the man said – the medium is the message. It’s as
relevant back then in the TV age as it is today.
This means if your medium is MOBILE, the message is
COOL! Bank managers don’t have to dress in baggy jeans
or wear that back-to-front baseball cap that THE YOUTH
wear these days – they can simply go TXT!
This applies also to Facebook, Twitter and the other one
we haven’t heard about yet. The most important
marketing question you should ask yourself is – how do I
make friends with THE YOUTH on Facebook?”

LAW 2
If they don’t like it, they just need more
EDUCATION, or run a focus group that
tells you they like it, or buy a research
report that tells you they like it.

“This is a great invention – FACT!. Our research says they love
it. THE YOUTH should love it. They just need educating (or the
price to come down).”

LAW 3
ADVERTISING IS CONTENT so get that
content IN THEIR FACE – MOBILE or
URINALS are good options

“Here’s another great
one for THE YOUTH. If
they stop listening to us
then we go where they
can’t hide!
Remember –
ADVERTISING IS
CONTENT.
If you want to sell to THE
YOUTH you have to get
IN THEIR FACE until they
buy”

LAW 4
Always call them USERS even if they don’t
do drugs

Just imagine hordes of THE YOUTH (also known as digital
natives) roaming the planet seeking out new technologies and
the latest i-something or mobile-whatsitcalled. Let’s call them
the connected generation. Yes, that’s convenient – that helps
me sell this crap. USERS – all of them!

LAW 5
Remember they are waiting for your call –
just keep sending

“Can you imagine millions – no billions – of THE YOUTH
waiting at the end of the phone, waiting at bus-stops around
the world…waiting for your marketing message to arrive?
We’d be like crack dealers for THE YOUTH”

LAW 6
They are the technology ADDICTS. You
are the technology DEALER

“It’s official. However you slice it, THE YOUTH are addicted to
mobile because they are the “connected generation”, they are
the “digital natives” who WANT IT!
They are addicted to us. That means all those years worrying
about “relevance”, being boring and interruption are gone.
Why? Because it’s mobile.”

LAW 7
Use Music. I recommend something up-
to-date and fresh like Britney or maybe
even Abba as their back-catalogue will be
cheap.

“Did you hear me? I said they WANT IT!”
“THE YOUTH also like music. Employ music
in your marketing if you want to sell to
THE YOUTH. Britney spears is good –
everyone knows her”

LAW 8
Technology is the Solution.
The Real Problem is
people who just “don’t get it”
If customers or peers don’t like your idea
just keep saying “they don’t get it” until
they believe you

Forget Storytelling –
this is all about technology and
technology is the answer to
everything just like this picture
similar to the automated towel
vending machine I found in the
Microsoft toilet in South Africa.
Who cares if the wastepaper
basket was overflowing? It
doesn’t matter. It’s all about
the technology, idiot. Now,
do I need to repeat myself
again?

SE X!

Wait, The “Youth” are sending me a message. I’m not ready
for this… they are giving me some… appears to be ….
FEEDBACK?
Wait, let me get my feedback form ready.
OK “The Youth” what is your message?
THE YOUTH love classic games like HUNT THE WUMPUS
on their MOBILE!

“This is the ultimate in one-click marketing. Simply by clicking the
button we can convert millions of boring products and brands into
exciting mobile products and brands. Just one click! When THE YOUTH
see a boring mobile product they just see a mobile product. That is
the beauty of mobile. Use it at all cost.”

There’s
nothing like
licking blocks
of ice on a
hot day
THE YOUTH
love it. They
just want it
on their
MOBILE

LAW 10
If you don’t like THE YOUTH, then don’t
fret – you just need to go MOBILE – a
simple answer to not wanting to meet
your customer

“Just imagine. All those years of sweating over where we’d
find product insights. We could simply stuff THE YOUTH with
pizza and observe them behind a one-way mirror. Or better
still send them text messages to build a dialogue.
This would avoid the need to go out…go out there…out there
into their world…out of my office. I could stay here clicking,
clicking, clicking…”

BONUS LAW 11
The Three Ls or Marketing are
Listen, Listen, Listen
(…and Location)

Wait, THE YOUTH are sending me a message. I’m not ready for this…
they are giving me some… appears to be …. FEEDBACK?
Wait, let me get my feedback form ready

…message received…
Thank you for your
feedback. This will
help US improve OUR
products.

“It’s official. However you slice it, THE YOUTH are addicted to
Graham Brown
@grahamdbrown
Graham.brown@mobileyouth.org
or tweet me your latest press release
mobile because they are the “connected generation”, they are
Send abuse to
the “digital natives” who WANT IT!
They are addicted to us. That means all those years worrying
about “relevance”, being boring and interruption are gone.
Why? Because it’s mobile…stupid.”