Millennials as Mentors and Consumers (5)
SUMMARY
Alvarez says millennials have replaced baby boomers as the biggest generation. And Ueda says they are ready to make life-defining decisions like buying a home. Grace describes millennials as very different from past generations due to factors like tightly-scheduled childhoods and delayed adulthood.
VIGNETTE
Nancy Alvarez: Anyway, let's take look at the numbers to get a better overview of the situation. You see, 26-year-olds comprise the biggest single age group in the U.S. today. There are 4.8 million of them. The millennials have replaced the baby boomers as the biggest generation.
Ueda Shota: Yes. It's important for marketers to understand that these folks are ready to make life-defining decisions like picking a career, purchasing a house and starting a family.
Lidia Grace: Indeed. But businesses that want to tap into this market face a problem. The millennials, coming out of tightly scheduled childhoods, tech-oriented lifestyles and delayed adulthood, are very different from members of past generations. They're so different, in fact, that forward-looking businesses are coming up with new products and revamping their marketing plans to attract the typical 26-year-old.
Bill Nissen: By the way, did you know that our marketing researchers have found that millennials clean their homes differently from older generations? They're pressed for time and are less likely to do a big, deep clean. A&A is now offering classes and online tutorials to teach such basic skill as how to mop a floor, use a tape measure and hammer a nail.
Pat McMillan: Amazing!
WORDS AND PHRASES
comprise 構成する/～を占める
This is a contested term. Some language purists will complain that Alvarez uses it incorrectly; that the order should be reversed. And it should be "The biggest age group comprises 26-year-olds". But according to my dictionary, Alvarez's usage has been around since the late 18th century. So it looks like you can go either way. The other way would be something like "The board of directors comprises four men and three women".
baby boomer ベビーブーム世代の人
make a life-defining decision 人生の方向を定める決断をする
Ueda says these folks are ready to make life-defining decisions like picking a career and starting a family. To make decisions that will determine the course of their life or greatly affect its course. Likewise, you could make a career-defining decision. "Does he stay at a big company, or open his own business?" That's a career-defining decision.
そうした決断が人生のturning pointになると言われる
tap into ～に入り込む/～を活用する/～に参入する
If we tap into something, we draw on a resource: we access it like tapping a tree to bring out sap. "A company could tap into growing demand for smartphone apps, or tap into the elderly market".
draw on 〔手段として～を〕利用する、当てにする(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
sap 樹液(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
(参考)
tap
～に蛇口［栓］を取り付ける
〔木から樹液を〕取り出す、採取する(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
tightly scheduled スケジュールがきつく組まれた
Strictly, carefully scheduled. Likewise you could say, "Company X tightly regulates the acceptance of gifts, because they don't wanna be accused of taking bribes".
air tight schedule 予定がぎっしり詰まったスケジュール
delayed adulthood 大人になるのが遅いこと
"Delay" is something that is slower or later. A newspaper article might say, "The delayed smartphone was finally released last week". Or "The delayed flights have started leaving the airport".
late bloomer/late developer 大器晩成型の人間
forward looking 先見の明がある/前向きな
Businesses that look forward, in other words; that think about the future, plan for it. I've read about a forward looking DVD rental company. It was phasing out physical DVD rentals and moving toward online streaming services.
phase out
【句動】段階的に［徐々に・次第に］廃止する［やめる・減らす・取り除く・撤去する・廃棄する・消す・辞めさせる・停止する］(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣)
revamp 改良する/改造する
Revise, reconstruct. I've always like the sound of this word. "We've completely revamped our work schedule". Or "We've revamped the design of our upcoming model".
revampはimportantに対して短い言葉なので新聞の見出しなどにもよく使われる
revamp the cabinet 内閣改造
attract ひきつける
be pressed for time 時間に追われている
Nissen says millennials are pressed for time and are less likely to do a big deep clean. They have limited time; they don't have a lot of it. We also say, "pressed for money", "pressed for cash". Things like "I'm a little pressed for money right now. So I canceled my vacation".
online tutorial オンライでの自主学習/チュートリアル
mop a floor 床をモップで拭く
If we say "mop the floor", this can mean totally defeat someone, totally overwhelm them. Such as "We mopped the floor with our competitor this season. Our sales were much higher".
tape measure 巻き尺
hammer a nail 釘を打つ
amazing 驚きですね/素晴らしいですね
McMillan, I think, means shocking, surprising. Things like "He embezzled 5 million dollars? Amazing!" But it can also mean "wonderful", "That's impressive". Like "He's never missed the deadline? Amazing!"
驚きを表す言葉のほかの例:
unbelievable
incredible
WORD WATCH
tech-oriented lifestyle
テクノロジー重視のライフスタイル/テクノロジー本位のライフスタイル
ゴガクルの解説より:「-oriented は、その前の語が主導権、強制力、推進力などを持っていることを意味する。information-oriented society(情報化社会）、consumer-oriented marketing(消費者本位のマーケティング）、results-oriented management(結果重視主義の経営）、politically oriented youth(政治に関心を持った若者)などのように使われる。イギリス英語では -orientated となる。」
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
replace
Taking over something's function or position is to replace it. For example, "Karen has replaced Tom as head of marketing".
何かの役目や地位を引き継ぐこと
adulthood
The period of being an adult is adulthood. Such as "In Japan, adulthood legally begins at 20".
成人である期間
typical 標準的な/典型的な
Another way to say standard, representative of a group is typical. Things like "A typical starting salary in this industry is 5 million yen.
QUOTE UNQUOTE
Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight. - Thomas Carlyle (Scottish essayist and historian)
見識を欠いた行動ほど怖いものはない - トーマス・カーライル (スコットランドの随筆家で歴史家)
tap intoのところが少しわかりづらい書き方になってしまいました。ハワード先生の説明にあった、like tappin a tree to bring out sapで、ここでのtapは、「軽くたたく/タップする」という意味ではなくて、「蛇口をつける/栓をつける」という意味。ちなみにtapには樹液を取り出すという意味もあるそうです、ということです。