Redefining the Divide
The Challenges of Marketing to "Rifters"
1994 the US Department of Commerce initiated a
study of Internet accessibility comparing rural and
urban areas. The study concluded that an accessibility
chasm existed and coined the term "Digital Divide" to
distinguish between those who had access to the
Internet and those who did not.
Ten years later, affordable Internet dial-up access is
bundled with most telephone services. While rural
areas still lag behind urban areas in Internet
penetration, the majority of Americans have Internet
access regardless of where they live.
Yet the Digital Divide does still exist. But it is no
longer socio-economic.
Last fall, Nielsen Media Research recorded a
sizeable loss of TV viewers in the 18- to 34-year-old
demographic, especially among young male viewers. It
was not a miscalculation. Many 18- to 34-year-olds
and their 12- to 17-year-old successors left the sofa
for a desk chair and exchanged the remote control for
a mouse. This new breed - these "Rifters" - came of
age with a wide range of media alternatives. Most
would sacrifice their TV for their PC.
Rifters are latch-key kids, born after 1970
and reared by mass media. They have been exposed
to capital crimes, cover-ups, court trials and conflicts
like no generation before them. Whereas their parents
read the morning newspaper and watched the evening
news, Rifters are hounded by a 24-hour-a-day, seven-
day-a-week news cycle. They have witnessed trusted
brands get swallowed, go bankrupt or be plundered by
mergers, scandals and improprieties. And they have
been subjected to hundreds of thousands, if not
millions, of advertisements.
Winning the hearts and minds of Rifters is a
preoccupation of marketers. As opinion leaders, their
persuasion and buying power are indisputable. They
are 'early adopters,' eagerly embracing DVRs, MP3s,
PS2s, PCs, PDAs, DVDs, XM, On-demand and Google.
But their interest in technology cuts both ways,
as it enables them to opt-out of the media circus. They
are cynical and jaded consumers who typically confer
with their social circle and consult the Internet before
making purchase decisions. "Trust no one" is their
maxim.
Rifters can't be reached via traditional
marketing. Nor can they be easily influenced. They are
aware that companies are trying to manipulate them
through a convergence of advertising and
programming. Even if their interest gets piqued by a
provocative image or idea, they are conditioned to be
suspicious of it.
For example, Fox's "American Idol" recently
incorporated products and services from AT&T, Ford,
Old Navy and Herbal Essences shampoo into its
programming. Conscious of the overt attempt at
branding, Rifters may turn away from these products.
Similarly, they have written negative Internet blogs
regarding the commercialization of the New York
Yankees' uniforms with the Ricoh copier logo. Tactics
like these are doing more to breed distrust among
Rifters than to build confidence.
The way to reach Rifters is through genuine,
unsponsored marketing, or what might be called
"brand evangelism." Brand evangelism happens when
Rifter 'gurus' deliver genuine brand endorsements via
non-traditional channels - most notably, the Internet.
Great products and incomparable service become
exalted, while overt marketing ploys are shunned.
Due to their unique media habits, Rifters
will remain difficult for consumer marketers to reach.
But they consume products and services just like any
other demographic group. In a strange way, this new
generation of consumers is bringing branding full
circle. The old adage "a company is only as good as its
name" is starting to mean something again. Companies
that embrace it could mend this growing rift in the
Digital Divide.
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