Topic: Branding This week, we are discussing branding. Branding is a vital marketing activity that is very difficult for firms to maintain because of shifts in the influence of generations. As each generation ages, it loses influence over time and a new generation takes over. This shift of influence to the new generation begins while the new generation is adolescent. Many parents change their buying habits to satisfy their children's desires. As the new generation reaches financial independence, their parents and grandparents generation begin to decline in population and in influence. The older generations begin to hold back on making discretionary purchases as they prepare for retirement, resulting in less influence on marketers. Many firms, such as Nike, and Netflix, were slow to notice the changes in generational influence, but corrected themselves in time to avert disaster. Others, such as Blockbuster, have died. The newest generation to hold the title of the most influential generation is Gen Z. Follow this link to an article on the American Marketing Association website about Gen Z and branding: Be Fast, Engaging and Relevant to Win Over Generation Z (Links to an external site.). Review this less formal but on-topic article as well: For Gen Z, Consistent Value Drive Buying Behavior (Links to an external site.). Assignment Instructions and Materials: Having read the topic and reviewed any appropriate associated resources, in a forum post, respond to the following discussion question(s) or prompt(s): The article states that as firms tap into Gen Z's, it will become harder and harder to be appealing to maturing generations. Do you feel that marketing to maturing generations is futile? Why? Realizing that "maturing generations" refers to Gen Z parent AND grandparents generations, how would you market to them