Marketing to the Dumbest Generation?

Its a provocative book.

Not sure they are 'dumb' (and adults have always thought / said that anyway) I think it is simply a different type of skill required to succeed in a culture where all information is accessible at the touch of a button. And sure - when it's all out there you'd be crazy to go into any one thing in too much detail, shallowness is an advantage.

It has implications for brands though - young people have always been seen as smart / sophisticated and the advertising has tried to acknowledge this. Thing is have you got their attention long enough to be clever? Perhaps a nice old jingle that would have appealed to an audience in the 70s would work much better...