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The Millennial Mindset: Speaking Their Language

BOSTON (CBS) - Millennials mean money for marketers!

According to Forbes Magazine, 18-to-34 year olds have an estimated buying power of $200 billion and advertisers are pulling out the stops in efforts to reach them.

Read: 'The Millennial Mindset' Series

This includes speaking their language.

This Hefty commercial is an example.

If you're having trouble deciphering the message, then one has to ask - how great is the generational divide?

We asked four WBZ NewsRadio 1030 employees - Boomer Rod Fritz, Gen-Xer Ben Parker, and Millennials Nicole Romanuk, Executive Assistant to the WBZ Program Director and Ben Kelley, Marketing and Promotions Coordinator.

For instance, Rod Fritz and Ben Parker did not know 'paw' in texting means "parents are watching." Rod thought it might mean"walk the dog."

On the generational flip side, Nicole and Ben had never heard of Brylcreem.

Nicole explained the phrase "throwing shade" means don't ruin my day.

She also likes to say "the struggle is real" when she's standing in a long line for coffee on a Monday morning.

Ben said "bye Felicia" essentially replaces "talk to the hand."

He also said it takes two to "Netflix and chill" and it does not mean watching a movie.

Nicole says online dating and using smart phone apps like Tinder are horrible.

"Now you get rejected on so many different levels," she said.

In Part 6, we'll look at more changing social trends.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mary Blake reports

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