CONSUMER LANDSCAPE

Diversity and Inclusivity is impacting Generation Y in a huge way, they are moving away from the idea that they can be defined by any one thing and becoming more comfortable with the idea of fluidity through the blurring of lines between traditional categories such as gender. This is because they are the most diverse generation in history.

Generation Y can be defined as anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (PewResearch, 2019). The four key characteristics of this generation are confidence, connection, social responsibility and speed meaning that they can be categorised into the Outlaw, Artist, Ruler and the Explorer archetypes (Jung’s Archetypes, 1919).

(See appendix 1)

Generation Y is known as the ‘genderless generation’. This generation does not want to be put in a box or labelled and because of this is pushing against societies outdated and rigid ideas of what identity means.

The trend Diversity and Inclusivity has massively impacted Generation Y because they live in a world where their physiological and safety needs such as personal security, water and food have been met therefore, they can progress towards higher levels of growth such as, self-actualization and uncovering what identity means to them (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, 1943). (See appendix 2)

However, there is a risk of brands stereotyping this fluid generation. Stereotypes can result in a negative response and because of this, consumers can feel negatively labelled and experience a restriction in marketplace choices. As a result, they are less likely to engage within a marketplace transaction and this will, therefore, have a negative effect on the consumption experience (Henderson, Rank-Christman, 2016, P.g. 2).

Furthermore, as a result of the shift in societal culture consumers are beginning to feel a sense of empowerment that they did not feel in the past. By demanding transparency and diversity, consumers are setting a new expectation of how brands need to behave coming into the future in order to generate good business.

An example is the current controversy started by the menstrual hygiene brand Always. They announced they would remove the Venus symbol, historically used to represent the female sex, from packaging to be more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary customers, after transgender activists publicly urged Always to redesign their packaging, arguing not all people who menstruate are women (Wolfe, Krupa, 2019).

However, this has caused much backlash across social media as many women claim Always supply feminine hygiene products and that there is no need to remove the venus symbol because men cannot menstruate. This further amplifies the need for Diversity and Inclusivity as there is a clear ignorance across generations where people need to be educated on these minority groups and they’re needs.