‘The Lion King’ is roaring back into theaters this weekend (but this time in 3D as a special promotion before the film is re-released in this format next month. Talk about the circle of life since nostalgic fans and a younger generation can see the movie on the big screen, but in a more modern way) (Mashable)
Want to know what types of media Gen Y consumes and when? (Ad Age provides a helpful infographic depicting the technologies Millennials use the most at various times of the day. They listen to music and go on Facebook at almost any hour. They’re also constantly connected to their portable devices and find them particularly handy for online shopping; Millennials embrace m-commerce since they can do research, compare prices, and purchase products on their mobile phones or tablets) (AdAge) (eMarketer)
Warner Brothers is teaming up with the fashion label Romeo & Juliet Couture to create a ‘Gossip Girl’ inspired collection (which will hit high-end stores including Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue this fall. TV and fashion are becoming increasingly intertwined so we’re not surprised by this decision, which is actually the second “GG” influenced collection — the first was the Anna Sui for Target. However, we’re not sure it’s as relevant to Millennials anymore — bow headbands are so 2008! — and it’s a little high priced for their budgets. In other TV news, ABC Family picked up a slew of new shows and seems to be headed in a different direction with less focus on secrets/mystery and more on comedy and drama) (WWD, reg required) (Variety, reg required)
Millennials are an extremely motivated group (but unfortunately their SAT scores aren’t reflecting their abilities. Students who graduated from high school in 2011 had the lowest reading and writing scores ever recorded. Even more troubling is that only 43% of test takers are likely to excel academically in college; that’s the proportion whose scores correspond to getting better than a C. The scores across all three categories — reading, writing, and math — have declined in recent years, which suggests something needs to be done in K-12 schools) (WSJ)
Angry Birds merchandise is everywhere (and the demand for the brand doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon. Besides being one of the most popular games on the market — it recently surpassed 350 million downloads — Rovio sells more than 1 million Angry Birds t-shirts and 1 million plush toys each month! Hmm, could Angry Birds become the Beanie Babies of the current decade?) (TechCrunch)
Millennials may be tech-savvy and interested in entertainment (but brands shouldn’t focus on creating flashy and complex websites to appeal to them. Instead, less is more. They prefer organized interface and straight forwarded content, so they can navigate easily. But to keep them hooked, brands need to find a balance between simple and engaging design) (MediaPost)
And finally for a little Friday fun…(we’re LOLing at this video of grandparents trying to use a webcam to talk to their granddaughter. They didn’t know they were recording themselves while trying to figure out the technology, and their video has gone viral. There may be a generation gap, but clearly people of any age can become YouTube stars!) (NYPost)