Teens and young adults-a tough sell

An article out of the Dallas Morning News reports that it's tough to sell younger customers.

"Xers' and Millennials' heads are turned by the pop and sizzle of the message and by the medium by which that message comes," said Chuck Underwood, president of the Generational Imperative, which counsels companies on managing age differences.

"Using technology works, but it can backfire," Underwood said. "These generations have just become too sophisticated of consumers to be tricked into buying any old product."
Marketers know there's money to be made among the baby boomer population (77 million people, ages 41-59), but they're learning that it's best to catch consumers while they’re young.

Americans under 40 represent 57 percent the population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. They'll account for 54 percent by 2020, a time when today's older Millennials start to hit their 40s.

"It's a hard market to reach. These are people to whom technology has turned into instinct," said Todd Copilevitz, director of communication strategy at Dallas-based advertising agency TracyLocke. "We can't ignore them, but this is real tricky stuff, and advertisers are trying to figure it out."