There are 60 million of them. Many will be getting a driver’s license in a few years. And they don’t trust marketers.
Gen Y is going to be a tough generation to woo, said Mark McNabb, vice president of marketing for New Jersey’s Mercedes-Benz USA LLC. McNabb was part of a J.D. Power Luxury Roundtable at the recent Orange County Auto Show in Anaheim (for scenes from the show, see page 16).
“This generation is really phenomenal,” he said.
They are research savvy data junkies, he said, using his own teen daughter as an example. She’s on the phone, watching TiVo, instant messaging and studying for a test,all at the same time.
“These guys are so good at multitasking,” he said. “We’re going to have to figure out how to talk to them.
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Crystal Cove car show: grew too big for city, homeowners |
“They don’t trust marketers, but they do trust each other. They’re conditioned to ignore advertising.”
Youth need customization, he said.
“That’s what’s going to make or break a new product,” McNabb said.
Werner Escher, executive director of domestic and international markets for South Coast Plaza, also was on the panel. Here are some of his thoughts on the luxury shopper.
“The more we make the better we want,” he said.
The motivation behind buying, say, a luxury purse has nothing to do with needing another handbag, he said.
“It is a fashion item, a fashion statement,” Escher said.
So as long as fashion changes, people will continue to buy what seems like a repetitive item because the design has changed, he said.
About 35% of South Coast Plaza’s 24 million yearly visitors are from outside OC, he said.
Here’s why South Coast Plaza bristles at being called a mall: “Why would you want to go to a mall when you can go to a mall in your own town?”
Speaking of South Coast
The Style Network was at the mall, er, luxury shopping resort, to film its “How Do I Look?” show. Hosted by Finola Hughes, the show is set to run in February.
During the episode, a “fashion-impaired victim” (hey, that could be me!) gets a complete makeover. Several South Coast Plaza stores were featured, including Replay, MNG by Mango, Theory, Miss Sixty and Laundry by Shelli Segal.
Fashion Rags
Los Angeles-based American Rag has opened at the former Barnes & Noble space at Fashion Island.
It’s American Rag’s first Orange County store. The company sells jeans, shoes, housewares, music and books. The Fashion Island store has a small cafe, Cafe Beau Soliel.
Dirty Dog?
The Doggie Spa has opened at the Alton Square Shopping Center in Irvine. Billed as “Orange County’s premier self and full-service dog wash,” dog owners can leave their dogs for an express wash or clean their dog at a self-service bathing station. Dogs also can get a nail trim, flea taming or an ear cleaning. This is the second Doggie Spa store. The first one is in Huntington Beach.
More Dogs
On the subject of doggie pampering, Muttropolis at Fashion Island wants to see your dog in costume on Oct. 21. The “Howl-O-Ween Pooch Party” is for a good cause,to raise money for the Irvine Animal Care Center, which helps find homes for animals.
Car Show Leaves Crystal Cove
The informal luxury and exotic auto show at the Crystal Cove Promenade has hit the highway. Crystal Cove’s manager said the show became too big and unruly. The show became big enough to require special event permitting.
The early morning show began in 2003 with a few cars, a few guys and a few wives hanging out at Starbucks.
But it grew to a point where even local dealers were bringing brand new cars, including Crevier BMW of Santa Ana, Newport Auto Center and Family Classic Cars of San Juan Capistrano.
Car enthusiasts would arrive as early as 6 a.m. to get a prime spot for their exotic or luxury car, some worth $1 million. Shiny Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Shelby Cobras, vintage Bentleys and a couple of muscle cars filled the lot. When they left around 8:30 a.m., sometimes the car owners peeled out, which annoyed the homeowners who live above the show.
Some of the guys might wind up where they started,in Huntington Beach at Adams Avenue Donuts, where car guys who call themselves the Donut Derelicts informally meet up on Saturday mornings. The two shows are different in that the cars at Crystal Cove typically were collectables of wealthy owners, while the Donut group does their own restoration or customization work.
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