Gen Y is like Ohio in my mind…so how Gen Y goes, so does the rest of us…eventually that is. And if that is indeed the case, then Twitter has some work to do. A recent survey of Gen Y consumers found that only 22 percent are using Twitter. This study compares very closely with another recent survey by Pew which found about 19 percent usage among 18-24 year olds in Nov/Dec. Probably lower than you would have expected right? With this generation, Twitter faces a ‘glass half full’ scenario. When asked whether they maintain an active profile on a social network (i.e. facebook, MySpace or YouTube), an overwhelming 99 percent of Gen Y indicated they did. It’s clear that Gen Y has an appetite for social networking, but still hasn’t fully embraced micro-blogging. Could it be that between texting and social networking there is little need? Could it be that social networks are more interesting and engaging given the array of applications now in use? Maybe, but one thing is certain, if Twitter is to have any real staying power, then Gen Y needs to be convinced of its advantages over texting and leading social networks. Twitter obviously provides a richer experience by enabling users to click-through to interesting articles, websites, videos, etc. Gen Y also needs to realize that Twitter offers users the opportunity to connect with others they don’t know – including experts users normally would never have the opportunity to interact with.

Marketers also play a major role and responsibility in how this communication channel evolves. To do that, it is critical we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. That is – don’t spam. Let’s learn from email’s spam crisis – respect the channel, be relevant, timely and funny. Find a voice that works for your brand and provide insight that your followers will benefit from and appreciate. In the end it is really about creating value and a positive experience for your followers. Finally, I encourage you to also watch your stats including follow/un-follow numbers and survey followers to understand their interests.

For more information on Gen Y and Twitter including who they follow, visit our website.

As many of you know, part of The PMN’s value proposition is access to our unique Gen Y panel. Leading brands interested in engaging with and learning from Generation Y have the unique opportunity to conduct research and connect with Gen Y face-to-face at various events. As the influence and power of Gen Y continues to grow so will the importance of reaching, understanding and engaging these influencers. One company that has already embraced Gen Y’s is Ford. In fact, Ford is reaching out to young influencers in order to help spread the word about the new Fiesta with a participatory marketing campaign entitled “The Fiesta Movement.”

Developed in partnership with digital think tank Undercurrent and AMG, their U.S. based partner, the campaign invited 100 young people selected from more than 4,000 applications to drive a Ford Fiesta for six months and report their experiences on various social media sites. The lucky 100 selected were chosen based on their “influence” determined by such factors as blogging experience, number of social network friends and their video application detailing their desire for adventure and why they would be a good representative for the Fiesta Movement. The campaign officially kicked off last month and with more than 650,000 views of the applicant videos on YouTube word is spreading fast. Fiesta Movement participants will receive monthly missions from Ford around key travel themes to blog and share their experience with friends.

The program is one of several I’ve seen recently that demonstrates how struggling automotive makers are embracing social media. Given the Ford effort, it is easy to see why Ford recently ranked number one in the Vitrue 20 Top Social Auto Brands – a new social brand index that was designed to capture a brand’s share of voice and chatter across the growing social internet.

But where this really gets interesting for me is on two fronts.

1. When we get to the point were brands can actually identify power influencers with the help of additional data. What is a power influencer? A power influencer goes beyond understanding the social graph and metrics like the number of connections; it ties actual purchase/ownership data/information to influencers and measures that user’s engagement with the brand i.e. current/previous Ford owner and member of various Ford clubs and social communities.

2. Seeing how big brands will leverage and/or re-allocate their traditional advertising and communication efforts such as promotional emails to drive further momentum for these programs. One recent example of this was Toyota’s “New Prius Comes Out to Play” email. The email included links to a YouTube video of consumers and Prius owners getting a preview of the new 3rd generation Prius prior to its official introduction. It reminds me a little of a pop singer hitting the clubs to preview their new album with MTV in tow to video every move and fan reactions. By using traditional media such as TV and email, reach and engagement activity can be expanded exponentially.

It is an exciting time and it is particularly interesting to watch the struggling automotive industry adapt and evolve to the social web as the economic pressures continue to mount and in many ways force them to participate or perish. Not such a bad thing!

And that is exactly what CVS Caremark is hoping with its new community “For All the Ways You Care.” The campaign officially launched last year with TV ads and an innovative contest that celebrated and honored women’s roles as nurturers and caregivers. It takes another step forward this week with a new and enhanced community website. An email invitation received on Monday officially announced that website along with a series of new community features that invites users to participate with others and the CVS brand. New member features include personalized profiles, customizable stories, forums and support groups, and resources.

It’s a great concept and an admirable effort but success is all in the details and execution. While CVS and its agency Hill Holliday should be commended for expanding on a good concept and successful contest that humanized the brand, there are a few lessons to be learned here. First a look at the traffic using Compete tells an interesting story. The site is struggling. After hitting a high of 35,000 unique visitors in December with the support of national TV ads the site now hovers around half that. That compares to over 4,000,000 monthly unique visitors for CVS.com. Next, referring url data on Compete site shows the majority of the traffic is coming from sites associated with the CVS brand - www.cvsadvisors.com (and advisor site and panel for CVS) and www.hhcc.com (Hill Holliday the agency). So what should CVS.com do to build the community site and facilitate sharing and interactions among visitors?

1. Leverage Existing Assets: With 4 million monthly unique users, CVS may have benefited more by integrating the program into www.CVS.com or at least promote it on the homepage. A visit to CVS.com’s home page today showed no mention of the “For All The Ways You Care” program – missed opportunity. And although I received a solo email announcing the official launch because I signed up for the alert, CVS should leverage its existing programs and communications including its ExtraCare loyalty program to further promote the effort.

2. Build, Listen, Grow, Activate: CVS has little to no presence on Social Network sites such as facebook, YouTube, etc. CVS.com’s Twitter presence is limited to a handful of twitter accounts with few followers – the largest of which CVSPharmacy has 464 followers but no posts. Part of being successful is being there. Social Networks are a great opportunity to listen and learn and best of all they cost little other than the time and effort you put into them. While “For All The Ways You Care” may be central and critical to CVS’s long-term community strategy it would certainly benefit from a presence on and integration with other CVS communities across the leading social networks.

3. Define and Refine Goals, Objectives, Target Audience – If the goal is to build a vibrant online community CVS need to rethink its approach. To do so across today’s social internet requires a deep understanding of the audience and where to find them. Are they creators or spectators, as an example? Knowing this will dictate the approach, tactics, content and ultimately success of the program.

4. Tactics - After knowing the audience, think about the tactics. Imagine if the $169K that CVS spent on just one Extreme Home Makeover :30 TV ad was applied to targeting key influencers online. My guess is we’d be seeing a ton of growth. Time to funnel a lot of the big budget into online marketing and communications to grow and engage the community.

5. Partner – Picking the right partner to grow participation is critical. While Hill Holiday created a very strong concept, it’s critical that CVS partners with agencies that understand the social web and how to grow participation.

Overall good idea that is struggling, but certainly capable of getting better with some additional thinking, new tactics and a lot of listening.