I came across Jane’s brand timeline and was very intrigued at letting brands tell the story of your life.

Here’s what a random day in my life looks like, told through the eyes of brands:

0900. Good morning, Dave.

0930. The costume

1047. Rise and shine

1105. What’s going on in the world?

1247. Let’s do lunch

1442. You’re on

1807. Refuel and reconnect

2028. Productivity

2345. Y halo thar, internets!

0108. Power down

The brands listed had a somewhat significant impact on that particular day. If I took a crack at putting down every single brand I came into contact with, this post would be larger by several orders of magnitude. For example, I could have included the bands I listened to, the ads I saw, the branded clothes of people that I saw walking around. If I went into a grocery store or a mall, this could have gone on forever.

It’s amazing at how much of your daily life is comprised of interacting with or talking about brands…and how you become self-conscious of publicly associating yourself with certain brands. It makes me wonder whether I’d put down Metamucil, Barry Manilow or Vagisil if it applied to me. In short, it made me think about how much of my identity is ascribed to brands.

Whether this is isolated to Gen Y is debatable. Though I’m still not convinced that this exposure to brands on this scale makes us marketing savvy.

While same-sex unions are old news, the recent overturning of the ban in California was still a big deal. Legalizing gay marriage in a state as large and high-profile as California was sure to spark new conversation.

Turns out I was wrong. I was surprised at how little attention was given to the overturning of the ban. The news that Ellen was marrying Portia De Rossi caused a bigger stir.

Great news for equality; when North America shrugs at something like this, it’s a sign that our culture has become more inclusive and allows more people to be treated like everyone else.

Desensitized
Legally speaking, homosexuals and heterosexuals are largely on equal ground. There’s still a lot of progress to be made in society, especially the media.

There was a mild shockwave when John Amaechi, a former NBA player, outed himself. When he did the media rounds, it was clear that the public had a lot of trouble reconciling the fact that a macho pro athlete was also a homosexual.

But that’s just because it was the first time anyone had ever spoken out about it on that scale. Similarly, when same-sex unions were legalized in Massachusetts, it was the first time in the USA that it was a national headline. This second round in California didn’t have nearly the same hoopla.

Inevitably, another pro athlete in a major sport will come out and it will not have the same impact.

The Final Frontier
Hip-hop is one of the most homophobic industries in society. Combine this with the fact that nearly every song by a male hip-hop artist makes reference to his sexual proficiency with women and you’ve got a culture where homosexuals are not allowed to succeed.

You call another rapper weak by saying he is gay. In a world where aggression and bravado win, systemic discrimination runs deep.

It’s highly possible that some high-profile rappers are gay, and are leading a different life in front of the camera for the sake of their careers. In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about a large homosexual subculture in hip-hop.

If a successful hip-hop artist were to come out, it would likely be in the style of John Amaechi, speaking out ex vivo once his career was already finished. The first homosexual rapper to make the big time from the start will need to be a Jackie Robinson. Someone who is so innately gifted that any negativity is deflected simply by skill and ability.

It’s simply a matter of time. Rock music was once an industry where only macho, skirt-chasing men succeeded. Then people like Freddie Mercury and Elton John came along and forced people to rethink the roles and identities of rockstars. The industry is a much richer place for it.

Does Gen Y — a generation where equality is championed — have what it takes to stamp out homophobia?

More interesting links on this topic:
Article on QBoy, English gay rapper
50 Cent on gay rappers
Gay Rappers: Too Real For Hip Hop?
Tori Fixx, gay rapper

Thanks to superflow for the pic.

Viagra turned 10 recently.
When I heard about that, what crossed my mind was holy crap, Viagra has been out for a decade?!, followed by holy crap, 1998 was ten freakin’ years ago!!

My mind was too busy being shell-shocked at the concept of how quickly time passes to think of the obligatory Viagra joke.

Nineteen-ninety-eight. Viagra was still a fresh late-night punchline, 9/11 was nonexistent and I was in the middle of my formative teenage years. Along with the rest of Generation Y. The milestone events we saw in the media then provide the backstory to what we see and read about today.

Let’s take a look at what the world looked like in 1998.

There was no Google
Google was founded September 7, 1998. How did I ever live without having the world at my fingertips? I’m sure I’m not the only one who hops on Google whenever they want to randomly look something up, or to settle a bet.

My Heart Will Go On
One of the blessings of MP3 players is that you can tune out really obnoxious, overplayed songs. Back then, lucky for you if you happened to be walking around with a CD player, a MiniDisc, or even a Walkman, but they weren’t nearly as ubiquitous as iPods are today.

I did not…have…sexual…relations…
The Clinton sex scandal. Ten years ago, Americans had a president with a 73% approval rate, despite being impeached. Today, they have one with 31%. Looks like Dubya needs to find some extramarital nookie.
And who would’ve thought the female cuckold would be running for prez?

Friends, Not LC and the Gang
The aspirational TV show of twentysomethings in the nineties was undeniably NBC’s Friends, a group of friends living cool lives and enjoying casual relationships in the big city, with the occasional inter-group drama. Today, we have The Hills, a show about a group of friends living cool lives and enjoying casual relationships in the big city, with the occasional inter-group drama.
And they say there’s no originality left on TV.

McGwire and Sosa
The Roger Maris chase brought baseball back in the spotlight. I’ll admit, this drew me in, big time. I hated baseball until I started following The Chase, and even today I’m still a casual baseball-watcher. It’s too bad that it turns out everyone was mixing ‘roids in their Wheaties.

Windows 98 and 56k
Windows 98 was a smash hit and hinted at the slow, inevitable approach of computing dominance in our lives. The internet was starting to steamroll and the pre-dot-com-bubble era was an exciting time for everyone in tech. Today, everyone is putting their lives online, everyone has an email address, websites exist for virtually every subject, and people everywhere can’t live without their crackberries.

Ginger Snaps
The Spice Girls were at their peak, influencing young females to dress provocatively and sing along to songs about sexual intercourse (I remember my then 6-year-old neighbour singing along to “2 Become 1″ and my being really, really creeped out).
Geri then leaves, starting the slow demise of the group’s popularity. Lucky for them, they reunite ten years later and make an obscene amount of cash on their tour.

Sex and the City, Round 1
SATC debuts, inviting Gen Y females everywhere to emulate women who view sex as fodder for weekly gossip with their girlfriends (thank you, SATC). Millennial teenager girls also learn a lot of one-liners and tricks to keep guys on their toes (eff you, SATC).
Like the Spice Girls, SATC “reunites” ten years later and wishes to make an obscene amount of cash with a movie.

Postscript: Starbucks somehow gets a nod for being a cool place to do work.

The New Reality
Reality shows were gearing up. A&E Biography, True Hollywood Story, Behind The Music, Blind Date were constantly on the air. Survivor would not hit the airwaves 2 years later, but the public had clearly developed an appetite for reality shows. Fast forward to today, and you have the channels dedicated to reality TV, as well as TMZ and Perez Hilton, media which are essentially blatant paparazzi porno.

These are the things that my generation will joke about when we’re 30, 40, 50 years old, and beyond. Looking back on these things, it looks like technology and sexual liberalism will be the hallmarks of Generation Y.

Which is fitting, I guess. After all, we’re the generation that takes pictures and videos of each other while having sex, post them online, then get outed when someone types our names in on Google.

Photo props to normanack.

Millennials are growing up in a time where an online community exists for virtually every interest and lifestyle. They can connect with other people who love chewing ice, other alpaca enthusiasts or people who really, really like pirates.

Some Gen Y-ers are forming communities to celebrate anorexia (pro-ana websites). Pro-ana people have even coined their own buzzword for the lifestyle, calling it thinspiration (thinspo for short). Videos are shared on YouTube, blogs are plentiful and discussion forums are only a search away.

I was amazed when I came across the NYT blog linked above. In previous generations, pro-ana people could not assemble so easily and empower themselves. Today, they can gather online and have open and honest dialogues with each other. Parents and guidance counselors be damned, they have found people who like them and understand them. Together, they can celebrate their lifestyle proudly.

I like how pro-anas can share their experiences and advice to help each other. The part that scares me is that oftentimes this advice is how to harm yourself quicker and easier.

With great power comes great responsibility.

photo from [C]appry

What makes Gen Y tick? Here are 7 professional reports, articles and presentations on Generation Y that will give you a better idea of what goes on in our minds.
All links go to PDFs.

Generation Y Perspectives by NASA
Lots of useful facts and insights in this 90-page presentation. Links Gen Y facts and insights then relates them on how to improve the NASA brand. The fun begins on page 23.

Decoding The Digital Millennials by Harris Research
Great mix of stats and insights, put together in an easy-to-read package. Media consumption and key marketing tactics for millennials.

Who Are The Millennials? by Deloitte Consulting
A brief overview of Gen Y. Key facts, what’s in and out, quotes from experts.

Beyond The Baby Boomers by KPMG
An extensive Gen Y report weighing in at 56 pages. KPMG goes into a lot of detail, comparing consumer attitudes and demographics of the three generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y). This report also covers global Gen Y attitudes and opinions.

Generation Y – why worry? by Outsource Marketing
Concise and insightful article on key Gen Y beliefs.

Generation Why? by Lifetime Networks
Report on Generation Y females’ beliefs, covering topics from shopping habits, entrepreneurship and retirement.

Generation Y: The Millennials by NAS Recruitment
Summary of Gen Y demographics and key cultural factors. This deck has a focus for recruiting Gen Y employees and keeping them satisfied.

Ford’s new ad campaign tells customers to “Drive One“.

I was caught off-guard by the sheer simplicity and clarity of the message. With “Drive One”, Ford isn’t trying to inspire anybody. There is no intent to build brand image or brand associations. Poetry, this ain’t. No emotion is evoked by these two words.

I found it strangely refreshing. It is a direct order to the customer. The call to action isn’t embedded in the slogan, it is the slogan. It’s almost like they got tired of trying to be cool, just threw their hands up in their air and said, okay, people, just buy the friggin cars, k?? It cuts through the bullshit and gets to the point.

Is Ford onto something? Maybe advertisers should just have the brand message explicitly in their slogans. There are no lines to read between and no one gets confused.

What would some Gen Y brands say if they were this honest?

Activia

Danone’s use of Bifidus Regularis has caused some controversy, since Bifidus Regularis is nothing more than a made-up word to sound scientific.

Axe

Not too much work to draw this one up. Axe ads are explicit in more ways than one.

Hollister

Only people with 4% bodyfat and perfect facial symmetry wear Hollister. Since you’re wearing Hollister, that must mean you’re one of those people, right?
More thoughts on Hollister here.

I Am Not A Plastic Bag

Anya Hindmarch’s popular, eco-trendy “I Am Not A Plastic Bag” was really nothing more than pretentiousness in the form of a canvas sack.

Red Bull

Red Bull does give you wings…because it has a synergistic effect with alcohol.

Here’s to hoping Ford gets rewarded for their forthrightness.

I’ve been having a lot of coffees with Gen X’ers lately. Now that I’m wrapping up my university career, I’m noticing that I’ve underestimated the amount of personal/mental/financial/emotional change involved in the process. It’s been helpful to chat with those who have gone through this transition period before.

In talking about finishing school and stepping into the quote-unquote real world, the conversations revealed some interesting generational contrasts. I noticed that I was saying a few things that are unique to the twentysomething Gen Y:

“My boss just added me on Facebook.”
Despite being firmly entrenched in our daily (hourly?) lives, Facebook is still relatively new in our culture and a lot of social norms have yet to be defined. Even though I get along great with my supervisors, the potential for things to get awkward in a hurry is not lost on me. I’m grateful for limited profiles.

“What’s wrong with moving back with mom and dad?”
The people I’ve been chatting with are amazed at how many of my friends are moving back home and not making a big deal out of it. Frankly, I didn’t even give it much thought until an X’er told me her story about how she counted down the days until she could leave the nest. For me, the move is just the reality of the situation…I could go and live on my own, but my bank account would get pretty thirsty. My folks and I get along pretty well, anyway. Chalk one up for helicopter parenting!

“I don’t care about a huge salary, I want to make sure I’m happy.”
Maybe it’s just my youthful naivete, but I am intent on working for my sanity and fulfillment rather than for being a mercenary for a fat paycheque. From what I’ve seen, this is a concept that is rare among the Boomers and Gen X’ers that I know. Discussions with my millennial friends echo my thoughts on this. Gen Y believes that money follows happiness, not the other way around. I suppose time will tell.

“A pox on all these loans!”
I’m not sure if I’ve the Gen X’ers I’ve befriended are just keeners, but a lot of them paid for their own education or at least worked hard to finance a significant part of it. While I’m not drowning in debt, I can definitely feel the impending doom that hangs over my head now that I need to start repaying them. It also didn’t help that Canadian tuition fees have increased a lot over the last two decades.

Apparently, it’s common for graduates to think that they will soon take over the world. Then, the weight of said world crushes them and they sober to the cold reality of life.

We’ll see. I’m still pretty optimistic after some grim X’er conversations. I think I’ll be a little more upbeat when a Gen Z’er comes along and asks me out for a cup of coffee.

I always try to bring my camera on a night out. You never know what crazy pictures you’ll take.

After snapping a particularly good photo, I showed a friend my work on the preview screen on my camera. The next thing I heard:

Great pic! That’s profile-picture-worthy!

I’d heard this before, but never gave it much thought. However, since I was the DD last night, I had the opportunity to take a step back and think about what that meant.

Profile pictures and the ideal self
Your ideal self is who you you want to be. It’s the way you want to be remembered, the way you would want to be described if your name was going to be passed on in legend. Contrast this with the real self, which is the way you actually are. Imagine describing yourself without hiding or embellishing anything, and then having an accounting firm objectively verify your description.

Profile pictures — and your profile pages, for that matter — are a reflection of your ideal self. The details you choose to fill out your interests, favorite artists list, your “about me” section …these are manifestations of the way you want people to perceive you.

So a profile pic is “Facebook worthy” when it aligns with the way you want to be viewed. Your picture is much more than a photo to identify you; if this were the case, we’d scan our driver’s license pics and never change it. That would be broadcasting your real self, and nobody wants to do that.

Profile pictures are vital pieces of our online identities since they can influence others’ perceptions of who we are. It’s one of the many ways we Gen Y-ers manage our reputations.

…bar nights are so much more intellectual when you’re a DD.

Let’s get the obvious economics out of the way. Buying an album = $20. Download = $0. Doesn’t take a math major to get figure that one out.

I was having a convo about P2P with a Gen X friend who can’t bring herself to download music. It’s just something she can’t do; whenever she considers about doing it, guilt takes over and she feels that something is inherently wrong with it . It’s guess it’s like the feeling I get when I think about trying to watch Fox News.

To satisfy her music fix, an exchange of money has to take place. She has to go to a record store, Amazon or iTunes so she can sleep at night.

Not me. Here’s how music gets on my computer/iPod:

1. I hear about music. The primary way I discover music is through friends who tell me that I have to listen to an artist. If I’m away from my laptop, I take a mental note or input it on my phone so I can follow up later.
2. I sample it somewhere first. Even though all it takes is a couple of clicks to get an entire album (or in some cases, entire discographies), I still want to see if it’s worth my time. I’ll head to YouTube to check out a few tracks, or use a service like Songerize.
3. P2P. If I like it enough, I’ll head over to the P2P site of choice and download.

If I’m already online when I hear about the artist, this process takes maybe 5-10 minutes from recommendation to download. I’m willing to bet a lot of Gen Y downloaders follow these three steps.

I miss the process of buying CDs. Downloading takes all the mystery and excitement out of stepping in a music store and thinking about the potential of awesomeness that awaits you. I miss swearing at the shrinkwrap that refused to come off, I miss playing the CD and hoping track one would blow me away and I miss the weird plastic smell of the album booklet.

In the time it took for my friend to hem and haw about how downloading music relates to her moral compass, I’ve already seen a few music videos, downloaded an album or two, and reminisced about the good old days.

The celebrity gossip my parents grew up with talked about the love lives of their teen idols. The celebrity gossip Gen Y is hearing about involves sex tapes, paparazzi pictures and drug binges. What effect is this going to have?

Antonella Barba from American Idol, Disney’s Vanessa Hudgens and “Hannah Montana” Miley Cyrus. Celebrities designed to be wholesome, talented role models. Celebrities whose reputations were tainted by having sexually explicit material from their past leak to the media.

It’s a sign that the tides of sexual attitudes are changing. Indiscretions are willingly being captured. In fact, some sex scandals are entirely manufactured with the intent of drumming up PR (why, Screech, why?).

Us normal, every day folk may not have our dirty laundry aired on Entertainment Tonight — but we’re choosing to put last weekend’s bar shenanigans and other potentially incriminating pictures on Facebook. It’s the inevitable inflation of sexual message thresholds that occurs in every generation.

The stakes are raised with every generation. Some Boomers grew up to the sight of Elvis’ hips being censored. My kids won’t even blink at a sex tape being released.