CONTACT:
David A. Morrison
President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 20,
2007 – Traditional incoming freshmen arriving on college campuses right now were
born in 1989. To put things in perspective, TWENTYSOMETHING Inc. has released
its annual compilation of Fascinating Freshman Factoids culled from this class’
birth year:
(1) When the Class of 2011 was born, movie theaters were showing Batman, Lethal
Weapon 2, When Harry Met Sally, Little Mermaid, and Field of Dreams.
(2) Chinese students sparked the Tiananmen Square Protest.
(3) Seinfeld debuted on TV.
(4) The first of 24 global positioning satellites (GPS) was launched into orbit.
(5) George H. W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan as the 41st U.S. President.
(6) Ayatollah Khomeini placed a $3 million bounty on the head of Salman Rushdie,
author of The Satanic Verses.
(7) Births: Michelle Wie. Deaths: Lucille Ball, Salvador Dalí, and Bette Davis.
(8) The Dilbert comic strip was syndicated for the first time.
(9) MTV was airing award-winning videos from Paula Abdul (“Straight Up”), Fine
Young Cannibals (“She Drives Me Crazy”), and Guns N’ Roses (“Sweet Child O’
Mine”).
(10) The federal grand jury indicted a Cornell University student for releasing
a computer virus – the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer
Fraud and Abuse Act.
"Our list is intended to illustrate that the incoming Class of 2011 has
fundamentally unique reference points, life experiences, and need sets," says
David Morrison, president of TWENTYSOMETHING Inc. and author of Marketing to the
Campus Crowd. "It's frighteningly easy for marketers, faculty, university
administrators, and even parents to fall into the natural seduction of drawing
on their own – largely outdated - personal college experiences." He explains
that even recent graduates are frequently shocked at how profoundly the campus
scene can change insofar as student mindset, language, attitude, and lifestyle.
"It is business critical to always remember that the college market is rapidly
evolving on so many levels," Morrison explains. "From the boardroom to the
classroom, genuine understanding is the key to optimal decision-making."
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TWENTYSOMETHING Inc. is the world's original young adult consultancy. Founded in 1991, the firm has worked with over 40 Fortune 500s including Time Warner, Pepsi-Cola, Apple, Toyota, Nokia, Kraft, Citibank, and Procter & Gamble. Additional clients include leading universities, advertising agencies, and government branches.
David A. Morrison is an accomplished strategist, speaker, research consultant, trend analyst, and author. The Washington Post hails him as the "consummate marketing insider". In 1991, he founded TWENTYSOMETHING Inc., the world's first consultancy to focus exclusively on young adults. Morrison has appeared on CBS Evening News as well as NPR and has been quoted in hundreds of international magazines and newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Nikkei (Japan), U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, Brandweek, and Advertising Age. Morrison is very much in demand as a consultant and speaker worldwide. David holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Market Strategy and Consumer Behavior).
"Marketing to the Campus Crowd: Everything You Need to Know to Capture the $200 Billion College Market" (Kaplan Publishing, hardcover, $25.00, 256 pages, 6"x9", ISBN: 0-7931-8600-5) is available at neighborhood and online booksellers worldwide. It is widely regarded as the definitive book on student marketing and has received critical acclaim. The book has been endorsed and/or praised by the Wharton School of Business, Sony Music, Advertising Education Foundation, Saatchi & Saatchi, General Motors, Best Buy, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and many others.
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