{"id":16998,"date":"2021-10-01T11:01:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T15:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/thought-leadership\/?p=16998"},"modified":"2023-09-19T11:10:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:10:48","slug":"meet-the-mini-millennials-generation-alpha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/thought-leadership\/article\/meet-the-mini-millennials-generation-alpha\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Mini Millennials: Generation Alpha"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

What do Scandinavian-style wooden toys, organic baby clothes and clean-ingredient kids snacks have in common? Millennials. Millennials and their kids, that is. If brands have learned anything about millennials, it\u2019s this: they want only the very best for their children. Now, playrooms, nurseries and pantries across America are donned with children\u2019s products with transparent ingredients lists and muted color palettes \u2013 all catered to millennials\u2019 own <\/em>tastes.

Meet the mini millennials: Generation Alpha, the generation of children born between 2011 and 2025. Like a mirror of their parents (matching mother-daughter outfits, anyone?), this generation is on track to become the largest generation in history. And according to Mark McCrindle, the Australian researcher who coined the name, Alphas will become the generation with the greatest spending power in history, too. The key to brands\u2019 future success, then, lies in their loyalty. And the way to gain that? Through their parents.

To learn more about Gen Alpha, their connection to millennials and what marketing means for brands hoping to win their favor, we sat down with Poole assistant professor of marketing Heather Dretsch<\/a>.

What do we know already about Gen Alpha?

HD:<\/strong> Because they\u2019re still children, there\u2019s only so much we can know at this point about Gen Alpha. But what we do know is that they\u2019re inextricably linked to their millennial parents, which is why they\u2019re often referred to as \u201cmini millennials\u201d or other similar monikers. As health-conscious caretakers, millennial parents seek out a lot of information about the products they buy and expose their kids to. From toys and food to clothing and personal care products, they love to be in the know about the best brands for their children, and they choose only the safest, cleanest, highest-quality ones. And because they\u2019re calling the shots about which products enter the home, they\u2019re also controlling which brands Gen Alpha is exposed to from a young age. In that sense, Gen Alpha will develop very similar preferences as their millennial gatekeepers \u2013 because it\u2019s all they know. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

As health-conscious caretakers, millennial parents seek out a lot of information about the products they buy and expose their kids to. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Gen Alpha is also very accustomed to being doted on by their parents. Millennial parents like to indulge and seek out the best they can afford, because they want to feel like they\u2019re being rewarded for what they have earned in their lives. And they want to bestow these things upon their children, too. In fact, millennials often offer their Gen Alphas mini versions of what the grown-ups have. Think about all the luxury play kitchens and ride-on cars that are mini versions of what the parents have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen Alpha picks up on that. They\u2019re used to being lavished with the best <\/em>brands and the best<\/em> products. And we\u2019re already seeing how this is affecting them. These children are more aware of knockoff brands and competitors, and they tend to prefer the higher-quality brands, market leaders and first movers within a product category.

We also know that this generation is extremely connected. They\u2019re in front of screens more, and earlier, than any other generation \u2013 even Gen Z-ers who are incredibly tech-savvy in their own right. They\u2019re fluent in digital learning and the gamification of learning. They\u2019re pacified by devices. And they\u2019re expected to entertain themselves. So media consumption and unique consumer habits like watching Youtube are part of their everyday lives. That impacts their attention spans and instills a need for instant gratification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s interesting to think about is the intersection of these realities. Though Gen Alpha is deeply influenced by millennials and their brand loyalties, this generation also has its own unique goals and values. So the brands that Gen Alpha is exposed to via their millennial parents can appeal to them for slightly different reasons. Think about a brand like Amazon, for example. In the lives of busy, multitasking millennials balancing work and families, Amazon is appealing because it touches on one of their biggest values: convenience. But for Gen Alpha, brands like Amazon are appealing because they provide that sense of instant gratification.

What differentiates Gen Alpha from Gen Z?
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HD: <\/strong>The brands Gen Alpha are exposed to are very different from the ones Gen Z grew up with \u2013 which has a huge impact on which brands Gen Alpha will prefer. Academic research shows that children can begin recognizing the brands in their lives, relating to them and even preferring them over other brands as early as age three. Because the brands they see and possess are embedded in their experiences, they form connections with them. They\u2019re aware of how they function in their lives and help them achieve certain goals. And so the brands children are exposed to can almost instantly become part of their self-concept. Their millennial parents\u2019 control over that exposure, then, is incredibly significant. Though Gen Alpha shares a lot of characteristics with Gen Z \u2013 like media consumption and the desire for instant gratification \u2013 their preferences will likely align much more with millennials than with Gen Z. <\/p>\n\n\n