(to capture Gen Y’s attention as they shop. Macy’s will soon have virtual mannequins, digital aisles, and cloud computing to help recommend products and implement in-store technology even more. Needless to say, we’re excited about the future of shopping! Speaking of fashion and tech, check out Pimkie’s Color Forecast, a digital tool that shows users what colors are being worn in European cities in real time so that they can stay on top of the trends!) (Daily Mail) (Trendhunter)
– Young women value having a high-paying career (with two-thirds of 18-34 year olds considering it very important, if not one of the most important things in life, compared to 59% of guys the same age who feel this way. But this doesn’t mean women are compromising their personal lives; 39% feel that having a successful marriage is a priority and nearly 60% feel this way about being a good parent. Clearly Millennial women want it all! But with all this pressure they’re placing on themselves, it’s no wonder they’re the most stressed generation) (USA Today) (Business Insider)
– Hulu is adding four original shows to its lineup (in hopes of attracting big advertisers and becoming an even larger entertainment hub with content that can’t be found on TV. Most of these upcoming programs are aimed at Millennials including a comedy about flawed superheroes, a series about struggling musicians, and a show about friendships on the basketball court) (AdAge)
– Gen Y isn’t as religious as older generations (with one in four Millennials saying they are “unaffiliated” when asked about their beliefs, yet of this percentage, 55% practiced a religion during their childhood. It seems like Millennials are losing faith, but we wonder if this will change as they get older) (WaPo)
– Ever wonder what teens are texting about all the time? Well now you can know thanks to “The Blackberry Project” (a four-year study conducted by a psychology professor at the University of Texas-Dallas who provided 175 teens with wired phones to capture all their text messages, emails, photos, and IMs sent from Blackberrys over 48 months. Students didn’t hold back with their texts even though they were being monitored and the database offers an authentic look at teen’s texting language. In other innovative Millennial research strategies, NBCUniversal is releasing a documentary called debuting “Y Now” about how Gen Y behaves, what they believe in, and how they differ from other generations in order to inform marketers about all things Millennial) (Forbes) (NY Times, reg. required)
– The Olympics have their own social network this year (called theOlympics’ Athlete Hub where users can connect with athletes, see photos, and participate in live chats! Talk about #winning an online fan base. Brands are also going for the gold this year by adopting creative social media strategies around the games to build buzz online, gain more fans, and hopefully drive sales) (Wired) (Reuters)
– Brands are testing the waters using Facebook’s Open Graph to create clever apps for fans, and we’re impressed with what RayBan (came up with. Using graphics drawn by Chris Martin, the app scans your Facebook profile and creates a mini movie feature your life as one of “Tomorrow’s Legends.” Fans can then share their own personal movie on Facebook or on RayBan’s site, and they can download the title card of the movie with their name alongside Martin’s graphics) (Creativity-Online)
– Kids spend their summers cruising around on the bikes, and who wouldn’t want a little bike bling (to customize their ride! From handlebar streamers to hamburger shaped bike bells, there’s no limit to the creative ways kids can trick out their two-wheelers!) (I Heart Daily)
– And finally for a little Friday fun… (with Earth Day approaching, we had to share this cute and hilarious video of kids auditioning to narrate the BBC program “Planet Earth.” Unfortunately children won’t be narrating the actual program that airs this weekend but enjoy their adorableness here as they talk about animals and nature!) (Mashable)
