Since 2001 I?ve started writing a white paper, among others, on India?s ZAP86 generation. The trend they could be setting is becoming more obvious as time goes by.
What?s a trend? Mirroring society?s uncommon micro movements, often rebellious, and boiling their effects into a sociological frame creates the trend that lasts in society?s collective consciousness. Unlike steady social evolution before World War II, perhaps the horrible effect of this first atomic war gave rise to several rebellious factors in the West. From American Baby Boomers to Elvis-the-Pelvis, BeatleMania, Hippies, Punks, Skinheads, among others, all drew powerful, defiant trends on society?s canvas, engraving their outstanding impact for all time. Such trends have influenced literature, music, science, philosophy, invention and art, embedding their differentiation to become references of history, not the past.
The rebellious 1970s Punk movement changed the trend of hair grooming. Because civilised human society could never think of sporting multi-coloured hair, the non-conformist Punks revolted with vibrant colours on hair that stood up with boiled sugar syrup, which when cold, kept the hair shiny and upright.
This creative Punk achievement, with no scientific lab, was ingeniously taken forward by L?Oreal. With masterpiece R&D and marketing, L?Oreal created hair colour as fashion that replaced hair dye, and unisex hair gel, where earlier lacquer was used, and only by women. Skilfully translating trend into business L?Oreal took this Punk product invention to market as an art form. They connected it to Piet Mondrian?s authentic Neo Plasticism value, the new painting style of flat, bright colours this famous modern painter created in 1930. Branding in L?Oreal?s StudioLine gel and hair colour reflected Mondrian?s art. Today, even formal office wear accepts streaking hair colour, and applying gel is a style statement.
3rd BC to 21st century: To enter India?s ZAP86 generation, let?s take a snap historical perspective. There was high rise in culture and trade from 3rd century BC upto 15th century AD. The new influence of Muslim culture from 16th to 18th century saw integration and further economic boost. British colonialism from 1757 to 1947 made Indians subordinate, but created one India. Freedom turned to instability in the protected 1947 to 1991 economy, and led to the downfall of moral fibre with growth of corruption and negligible public benefits or upliftment of the downtrodden as expected in independent India. Sudden technical change took place with economic reforms introduced in 1991. The WTO ratification and TRIPS compliance in the 21st century led to a new departure. Investment came from American and European multinational companies, and corporate India very innovatively took the opportunity to translate that to phenomenal GDP growth from 3.9% in 2003 to 9.4% in 2007.
ZAP 86: When our liberalised economy started in 1991, a new generation could be identified in those born after 1986. Five-year-olds by 1991, these children were old enough to consciously influence purchase decisions and only saw their parents? open pocket when the economy was booming. They have no idea about India?s savings mentality, of the scarcity of choice in a protected economy. I call them ZAP86, they flit from subject to subject, the way they zap TV channels. They are totally cut off from the Retro generation born before 1968 or the Compromise generation born after 1968.
The Retro generation has characteristics of saving, sacrificing, routine, more security in a government job, and suppressing thoughts of sex. The Compromise generation is Westernised with Indian values, good listeners and learners, has an unbalanced lifestyle, is investment oriented, and dominated by their ZAP86 children?s demands. ZAP86 has global thought and knowledge, speed of technology, sexual liberation, flirtation with jobs, code language and no role models. They influence all purchase decisions in every home. Their flexibility is visible in the tremendous success of call centres in India. A 22-year-old speaks Tamil at home, ?Hinglish? with cosmopolitan Indian friends, and in the BPO, her entire physiology and expression change as she chats in an effortless American accent about the basketball game in Cincinnati before commencing business.
A recent research with about 100 metro girls and boys, we showed a Dolce & Gabbana advertisement where a girl was willingly portraying her sexual desire towards a man, while three other men looked on. Of the ZAP 86 girls, 60% had no problem fantasising about participating here, but in real life they preferred the absence of the watching men. All ZAP 86 boys wanted to be in there, and thought the scene had nothing wrong. But Compromise and Retro generations viewed the picture as vulgarism, violation or raping.
The billion people trend? As trends change people?s mindset on socio-cultural aspects and give rise to business, India can take the opportunity of generating a trend. ZAP 86 is a generation today that can become tomorrow?s trendsetter. There is a way to cultivate trends. It?s a multi profession engagement in society with activities to grow the trend. Graffiti, for example, continues to spread as an art form from Ancient Greek and Roman Empire times to today in spite of prohibition against defiling public wall space. Even established governments give credence to rebellious wall messages, as did the French cultural minister Jack Lang who nominated graffiti as real art to be put in museums. Americans have supposedly declared the New York metro graffiti to be a form of art. Contemporary music, culture and entertainment have had origins in street art, but not graffiti of political banners. Graffiti is not political messages but reflects a wayward, rebellious creative character.
India?s ancient architecture and culture, multi-community celebrations, fashion?s profusion of mix-&-match colours are treasures not yet exploited as trends to bequeath the world with. Instead Western trends have covered us, without people being a part of that trend?s genesis.
India?s new departure after economic liberalisation, WTO and ZAP 86 has created several social breaks. But current brands and products are driven by, and targeted to, Compromise and Retro generations. Foreign companies like Sony, Apple or Samsung try to connect to ZAP 86 by importing Western trends, increasing their zapping mentality. Harnessing the aspirations of ZAP 86 can derive Indian trends. The scope for industry to fill this gap ranges from automobile to two-wheelers, beauty products, fashion, food, music, literature, art and advertising, all of which can identify, portray and define Indian trends emanating from ZAP 86.
Retro and Compromise generations have connived with India?s socio-eco-political circumstances to create ZAP 86 who?re poles apart from them. Today?s 12-year-olds are tech born, seven-year-olds teach their parents how to Google. This future of the country needs fostering at both the workplace and society to unearth the radical new. Won?t you give them space to craft the billion people?s trends for the world to emulate tomorrow?
Shombit Sengupta is an international Creative Business Strategy consultant to top management. Reach http://www.shininguniverse.com