No it’s not a new fashion brand, it’s not an exotic piece of fruit or even a concept car or new social media platform.
It’s a group of people; another generation defining name to add to a very long list of terms like Gen X, Baby Boomer, Gen Y, hipster, etc.
Urban Dictionary defines Yuccie as a group of young urban creatives. They are a slice of Generation Y that was part of suburbia, well-educated and filled with conviction that they deserve to pursue their dreams and profit from them.
Yuccies are a combination of the coming of age hipster and the young serial entrepreneur that never became a hipster. Much can be said about Generation Y, and much of it from older generations is negative, but not necessarily true in some contexts, while also being spot on in others.
Commitment tends to be one of those stereotypes of Generation Y. In fact – I just saw a sign similar to this at the Boston Marathon last week and I chuckled.
The Yuccie is proof that millennials aren’t about lack of commitment – they are about purpose. Many start their own businesses and are profit minded. For these Yuccie’s entrepreneurship is about finding their own creative path, having personal control and freedom and most importantly personal fulfillment.
This same group may take traditional jobs, but they will seek out companies with a sense of purpose. They are not committed to staying if they are underutilized or underappreciated. They aren’t afraid of change and they aren’t afraid to take what some earlier generations would consider a step back in their careers.
Yuccie’s consider career changes merely a pivot in their focus. This group is creative and has ideas and they want to pursue them and ultimately get paid for them. They have determined their own personal worth and it isn’t always about dollars.
As marketers, and as employers, it’s important to understand the mindset of each generation so we can tap into new talent and new opportunity. What Yuccie’s remind us is the power of human potential, and that America is still one of the greatest places in the world for free enterprise. Like every generation before them, it will be exciting to see what their youthful energy and creativity can create and build. But also how they can inspire existing generations to change and grow as well.
Let me end here with this open letter to the grocery industry from a millennial. She can tell you what she needs better than a young at heart, older Gen X’er like me that comes from a generation so overlooked we didn’t even get a nickname.
Dear Grocery Industry,
The reason for this letter – my revelation – came while I was listening to a panel session at a national grocery conference where the topic was “Millennials in the Work Force.” I was sitting in the third row, growing agitated to the point of grinding my teeth while the panelists spoke about creating employee YouTube videos. I asked the question, “How do you feed the hunger of my generation to create and innovate for your own employees?” The room was silent; I swear I could hear crickets. None of the speakers or attendees had an answer for me.
Now I sit at yet another event listening to non-Millennial speakers sharing their expert-researched advice on the new generation of shoppers. As I look around the room, I’m again disappointed that very few people under the age of 30 attend industry events.
So as a Millennial who has grown up in the industry, I feel it’s my duty to tell you why it’s important that Millennials have a stronger presence in this industry, and are probably in a better position to share what resonates with Millennials.
Millennials want to feel a purpose and be a part of something that is evolving and making the industry a better place. We want change and we want to implement quickly. If we feel under utilized or that we are not growing, we will leave. Don’t take my word for it: According to the 2016 Millennial Survey by Deloitte, two out of three Millennials plan to leave their current jobs by 2020. The survey mentioned the top reason young people leave is because their leadership skills are not being developed.
Retailers are going to have to change to create a desirable environment for Millennials. There are many reasons why it’s important to recruit motivated individuals of my generation to your team. One of the biggest reasons is that they will help you best communicate and reach your new generation of shoppers.
So naturally your next question may be, “how do you hire young, motivated and loyal employees?” There’s a lot of great ways to create a desired work place for Millennials, but I’ll start you off with just a couple tips that you can begin activating immediately. First, embrace ideas and creativity and then reward individuals by providing the tools and resources to help them execute their ideas. Then, those who inspire their peers should be promoted to leadership positions. Just these few simple things can have a huge effect on your company.
I could go on and on with ways to adapt to working with Millennials but I’ll leave you with this for now, from Louise Penny (a Baby Boomer!): “Life is change. If you aren’t growing and evolving, you’re standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead.”
Sincerely,
An Industry Millennial
Angela Flatland is the Business Development Executive at SwiftIQ. Her retail industry career kicked off at the age of 15 at Interstate Promotions Inc.; she’s worked with buyers and category managers of some of the largest retail chains in North America.
Written by Melinda Goodman
Managing Partner
Melinda@FullTiltMarketing.net
