Calvin Klein's Technosexuals: Just Another Term For The Tech-Reliant Generation Y, and a Made-Up Target Audience Definition for Its in2u Fragrance.

Is it possible to trademark a generational handle? Gen Y, Gen X, and Millenials are all in the public domain, but Calvin Klein had the gall--or foresight--to trademark the buzzword "Technosexuals" last year.

And now, Calvin Klein is using that term, and the interest it has generated around it, to launch it's new fragrance called "in2u." Targeted at the hip 20-somethings of the MySpace generation, even the name draws on text message shorthand used by technosexuals.

"We have envisioned this as the first fragrance for the technosexual generation," CK president Tom Murray told The New York Times.

The Sydney Morning Herald says the cylindrical white plastic and glass bottles - the brainchild of famed New York designer Stephen Burks - clearly draw inspiration from the iPod, which itself has become a generation Y icon.

The fragrance's creator, Ann Gottlieb, described it to The New York Times as being a "spontaneous and seductive" sequel to the '90s grunge youth hit CK One.

A magazine ad for "in2u" shows a male and female model leaning against a wall - he grabs a handful of her hair while she tugs on his unfastened belt. It supposedly symbolises a generation Y hallmark, connection without commitment.

The biggest challenge in all of this, is whether the marketing-jaded Generation Y will respond positively to such a direct, message from such a mainstream brand. CK's hoping that satire will work:

A typical line from the press materials for CK in2u goes like this: “She likes how he blogs, her texts turn him on. It’s intense. For right now.”

From The New York Times:

Few consumers like being marketed to less than 20-somethings, and Calvin Klein and Coty know this because, as part of their development of CK in2u, they interviewed young consumers thought to be typical of their generation, including ones in the Dumbo and Williamsburg sections of Brooklyn.

“They have less brand loyalty,” said Lori Singer, a vice president for global marketing for Coty, referring to 20-somethings. “They don’t want to feel that they are being marketed to or spoken at. They are much more empowered, but they are unshockable. They have seen everything from 9/11 to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears without underwear. They see everything instantaneously that goes on in the world.”

One way of measuring that is through the number of people CK entices to sign up to its new social network, whatareyouin2.com. Launching on March 28 with functions similar to MySpace and Facebook, the site promises to help users "ignite", "participate", "explore" and "discover who else is IN2 what you are IN2".

The frangrance launches on April 1--April Fool's Day.