A lot of people claim that iconic brands are generation-specific, they tap into the desires and needs of a generation in order to appeal to the mass. Because it has been proved in the past that brands have to stand the test of time before they can be labelled iconic, we can now only predict which relatively new brands eventually will gain iconic status. Therefore it is interesting to take a closer look at today’s generation Y. This generation turns out to be very individualistic, they don’t need role models as much as the previous generations. Thanks to the internet and the many social networks they can build their own ideas, they are encouraged to be innovators instead of imitators. Following this line of thought we can narrow it done to certain kind of brands, like google, facebook and apple that represent this generation’s need to easily available information. But let’s not forget about the ‘old’ iconic brands. By reinventing themselves, they can remain relevant to the current evolutions in society and keep existing next to the new brands.
Eline Van Lombeek