My baby brother is at freshman orientation at Cal Poly this week. Traumatic for big sister, may I say. I feel incredibly old as I think about how different things were when I started college. But, as disturbing as this is, it really is interesting from my perspective as Curiosity Officer. My job is to understand people - whether they’re like me or not. Just think about it. The kind of apples to apples (or freshman to freshman) comparison really illustrates how important it is to respect the differences between yourself and your market when developing messaging. When I started college no one had cell phones. You could meet incoming flights at the gate. Wireless internet� Yeah right.

For the last 7 years, Beloit College has released an annual Mindset List, outlining the world view of that year’s incoming freshman class. Go. Read. See why we’re all having such a hard time figuring out Gen Y. And think about it - what might it be worth to go through an exercise like this for each of your consumer groups� What does the world look like from their perspective� Not just in your product category - the whole world. What are their values� Their memories� Their fears� You have to understand their world before you can fit into it.

(WARNING - Reading the Class of 2009 Mindset List is likely to make you feel INCREDIBLY old. Just have a lie down and remember that there is not enough money in the world to convince you to be 18 again.)

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