The Generation Debate

Why do some arguments always happen over and over? For some reason, I often find myself in the middle of the debate over which generation is which. And not that it really matters, or that the definitions are not flexible—but defining a few of the parameters may help you focus on what’s really important. Here goes, and remember, different sources will provide different dates and numbers, so give yourself (and me) a little wiggle room.

Generation Z (born around 2001 to present)

Z’ers represent about 42 million people in the US.

Also known as the Internet Generation and recently alternatively named the New Silent Generation, for some reason–most possibly because the younger part of the generation was born during the recent global financial crisis.

No memory of (or nostalgia for) pre-Internet history.  Z’ers are highly connected, and digitally sophisticated, despite their youth.

Generation Y (born about 1980-2000)

About 27.8% of the U.S. population, or around 79 million people.

Also known as “Millennials,” “Echo Boomers,” and “the Internet Generation”. They’re the first generation to grow up fluent in digital technology. Y’ers are seen as confident and cooperative, eager to “fix” the world’s problems.

Generation X (born about 1965-79)

About 21.0% of the U.S. population, or around 59 million people.

X’ers were born during the so-called “Baby Bust,” a drop in birthrates after the Baby Boom.  It’s a  generation with many “latchkey kids” due to the growing number of divorces and families with two working parents.

Seen as unmotivated and intimidated by world problems that they didn’t create.  This generation is independent-minded and obsessed with pop culture.

Baby Boomers (born about 1946-64)

About 28.2% of the US population, or around 81 million people.

The “Baby Boom” began right after World War II, as millions of soldiers returned home.  Baby Boomers witnessed the civil rights and women’s rights movements, as well as the Vietnam War. They’re seen as idealistic and spoiled, used to getting what they want, and denying they are aging.

The Silent Generation (born before 1946)

42 million in the US.

These people were born during the Depression. They’re more corporate rather than entrepreneurial.  They’re also the first beneficiaries of the Women’s and Civil Rights Movements.

The GI Generation (born before 1922)

10 million in the US.

These are the folks who are over 80.  They’re patriotic with a sense of history.  They’re also entrepreneurial but with traditional values and are family oriented.

So, there you are.  Another mystery defined.  Or at least my attempt at it. Hope it helps.

Funny. They Looked Diverse.

We’ve all heard it. Advertisers want us to create campaigns that show “diversity.” It’s often the first criticism that many of our clients make about the art direction. “Not enough diversity.” What they really mean is “we don’t have enough people that look different in this ad.” But isn’t just having a variety of skin colors in your advertising so that you can feel like you embrace diversity a little short-sighted, if not kind of disturbing?

Granted, ethnic markets represent disposable income of more than $400 billion for African-Americans, $235 billion for Hispanics, and $150 billion for Asian-Americans. It’s simply smart business to show the world that you don’t discriminate their money. But it goes beyond the imagery. Truly effective marketers know that different segments of the consumer market have individual needs, and need to be communicated with in very unique ways.

And what about diverse segments that have nothing to do with ethnicity? Don’t you want to do business with them? Don’t they deserve to be treated like important market segments?

People with Disabilities. What is your organization doing to meet the needs of this population? People with Disabilities Have $220 Billion in Discretionary Spending Power. Are you reaching out to them, and treating people with disabilities like important prospects?

Sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians number between 5 million and 20 million in the US, with an average spending power of nearly $800 billion. How are you making a better connection with the gay consumer?

Older Americans. The aging of the “baby boom generation” has more than $1 trillion of spending power a year. Are you targeting your messaging in a way that makes the older consumer listen?

Yes, there are more, and I’ll probably take a hit or two for leaving out some segments–and not having a diverse-enough blog.  But you get the idea.   Be smart about how you market to individual market segments.  Find out what is on their minds—what they love, and what they hate. Uncover how doing business can make their lives better than any of your competitors can. Then tell them all about it—in whatever way they want to hear it.

Change. Evolution Or Revolution?

Why are people so afraid of change? Is it because they feel it needs to be a radical shift in practice to be considered change? In reality, it’s the gradual shift—the evolution of an idea that consistently gets better. People can wrap their change-is-bad heads around it. And it works. Progress doesn’t have to move at warp speed to be effective.

It’s the argument of Evolutionary Change versus Revolutionary Change. Which is better?

Most people are resistant to Revolutionary Change. It’s when something departs from the norm. It makes people uncomfortable and it takes work. Revolutionary change requires the development of new products (and the elimination of comfortable old products). It means a larger appetite for risk. It’s laden with process shifts, committee approvals, customer notifications and disagreement. Mention anything that sounds like it’s revolutionary, and a red flag is going straight up. What’s worse, there will always be people in your enterprise that want to see Revolutionary Change fail, and they will get in your way.

Instead, focus on change that’s Evolutionary. A consistent stream of thinking that takes what you have and consistently makes it better. Faster service. More relevant offers. Progressive product features that meet consumer demands—not production comfort zones. Remember though, to be effective in the long run, you have to keep evolving. Evolutionary Change doesn’t work if you only do it every couple of years. The IPod consistently evolves. Same for cell phones. The automotive industry has been doing it since they started. An ongoing introduction of progressive ideas that improve upon the last one. It means that you have to always be on top of what your customer is demanding—and how your competition is creeping up on you. You need to be a student of your environment, and dig deep into the sometimes unfamiliar.

Progress is critical. It doesn’t have to be radical to matter.

Who Loves You?

Casting too wide a net with your marketing efforts can be risky. When you try and communicate with everyone, you miss your best customers. And it happens all too often. Marketers think that customers will always love them, even if they are ignored. Truth is, a good percentage of your best customers are right now Googling a better alternative to doing business with you.

Know who your best customers are, and why they do business with you. Don’t just stop at the demographics. Profile your customers, and understand what is important in their lives. Uncover the emotional benefits that people get out of being your customer. Why did they connect with you in the first place? What keeps them coming back?

Really, really know where your best customers get their information. And more importantly, where do people who look just like your customers, but don’t yet buy from you get their information? Hone your media selection to communicate with people who are going to do the most business with you. It’s beeter to spend money on a smaller group of people who are more likely to make a decision, than on a larger group of people who don’t all connect with you.

Consistently reinforce the purchase decision. Use what you know about the people that buy from you (above). Make sure your messaging makes a proud statement. When your customers see your advertising, they feel good about doing business with you, and will get ready to do so again. Show the world why you’re a leader (either literally or philosophically) and why smart people choose you.

Thank your customers for their loyalty. Everyone likes to be treated like an important client. Do nice things for your customers. Show them that you appreciate your business. Special offers. Attentive service. Just make sure that they’re valuable to the end user (that’s right, ask your best customers what they like)

Remember, there are other suppliers who are working on ways to do it better than you. Cheaper than you. Easier than you. Make sure you make a concentrated effort to keep your best customers coming back. They’ll consistently buy more from you, and become ambassadors of your brand to others just like them.

The Economy. The Greatest Fall Guy.

The recession is proving to be the greatest cover for some of today’s worst marketing leaders. You know who they are. Agency heads, CMOs—whatever the title—they’re the people who had no place directing large communications budgets. For the past 10 years, they’re the people who refused to make decisions. Made bad decisions. Made you make bad decisions because they didn’t know how to lead. In healthier economies, they’d have to take responsibility for their failures. They’d have to explain why they didn’t grow. Why they couldn’t increase market share, because they were afraid to invest in new business. They’d face the fire, and realize that they didn’t do exactly what we tell clients to do: you have to spend money to make money, and if you don’t, its likely that you may disappear.

But now, they can hide behind the economy. Yep.  Stick their heads deep in the sand, and rationalize their lack of vision. “It’s not my fault—it’s the economy.” Sad. Not just because they failed. But because they found another excuse not to make smart decisions.

Tags: agency heads, decisions, leadership

The Elevator Speech

I don’t care if it’s old school. The elevator speech is one of the best tools in brand planning to articulate who your company is, and how you make a difference. But if you’re going to use an elevator speech, it’s best if you do it right.

It has to have passion and excitement. Think of it this
way—you almost never talk to a stranger in an elevator, and if you do, it’s usually for a pretty critical reason. Make sure that your elevator speech is provocative enough to make the interruption worthwhile.

It should hover around 60 words. Here’s what’s critical:

1.  What you provide (your product or service)

2.  Who you provide it for (your target market)

3.  Why you’re superior to everyone else (your competitive advantage)

4.  How it makes people’s lives better (the emotional end benefit)

Your mother should be able to understand it. Don’t over-use industry buzz words, and don’t complicate the sentence with marketing jargon.

Incorporate a hook into the speech. Think about starting the elevator speech with a question. It’s usually the way you’d interrupt a stranger. Ask a question to which your product is the definitive answer. Are you looking for a better way to (insert your product benefits here)? Or try opening the speech with a provocative fact.

If you can condense it into the typical elevator ride, and it’s meaningful to a stranger, then you’ve got something.

Bring Back The Quarterback

I can tell right away if a client values the idea of Quarterbacking.

And sadly, I’m not seeing a lot of people who are empowered in the role the way they’re supposed to be. Quarterbacks drive the project. They inspire the team. They are the lead thateveryone follows—and like it or not, looks to for direction. You really can’t operate without one. And if a project—be it a new business pitch or a multi-region research assignment—isn’t quarterbacked by someone empowered to make decisions, then the whole effort is doomed to fail.

Don’t try and kid people. Just assigning someone to the task is not the same as naming a Quarterback. That’s just identifying some poor jerk as the scapegoat when things go wrong. Quarterbacking is an art. It requires someone with drive and authority, and it is made clear throughout the company that they are in charge and will be followed. Quarterbacking is not a fun job. It is, however, critical. There are a few things to remember:

There can’t be two Quarterbacks. Only one. One person makes the decisions—and takes the heat if his ideas don’t work out. It’s the one person who can make a final call when everyone else is either unsure or lacks the power. Trying to name “co-Quarterbacks” just sounds silly, and you’re bound to run into disjointed leadership.

Don’t fool yourself that everyone will organically pitch in and pull everything together. People are, well, lazy, and if not lazy, they have big egos. No one wants to do the stupid tasks that every project requires. It’s the Quarterback—if properly empowered who can assign tasks—based on need and resources, more than what people like to do.

Don’t try and avoid Quarterbacking by telling everyone “we’re all just going to work together as a team…” Sure you are, but you still need a Quarterback to run everything, make people honor their commitments, settle petty arguments and pull everything together. I know that it sounds really trite, but it’s the Quarterback who calls the plays. Otherwise, everyone is just running around.

Don’t undermine the Quarterback. Once you’ve approved the plan, it’s their time to run it. Undermining the Quarterbacking in mid-play is just bad leadership.

Want the next big effort to run successfully. Identify the Quarterback. Then stay out of their way.

Tags: leadership, project management

Aspiration or Over-Promise?

Look, building a brand is hard work. And sometimes, the most crtitical parts of a brand positioning conflict with one another.

A brand should be aspirational. You should define who you want to be, and show the world that you’re committed to getting there. It will help drive all of your decisions. What products will we develop that support the brand goals? What kinds of service levels will we offer that complement the brand personality? An aspirational brand positioning is the connective tissue that will help you focus your employees—no matter what their job function is—in a unified direction.

Don’t be bashful. Define who you want your company to be, and dig deep to see if you can get there. Then make a promise to your target market about the special kind of experience that you know you can provide. Show people that doing business with you is going to feel better than any of your competitors. That, my friends, is being aspirational.

That’s aspirational. Not delusional. Do not promise to the world something that you know you can never deliver. You’ll know when you’re doing it. And there are simple ways to avoid the over-promise:

Have the brand positioning trickle down from the top. Way at the top. Make sure you have C-level buy-off on your positioning, and have them expect that all levels of the organization embrace the brand promise

Make sure your front line supports the brand promise. Sales. Service. Will they reinforce the brand experience? Manufacturing? Will they develop the products that embrace the brand?

Don’t try and be all things to all people. Focus your brand promise on who is most likely to buy from you, and deliver an experience that keeps them coming back.

Make sure you always know how well you’re delivering on the promise. Don’t wait until someone has to tell you’re falling short. Monitor your brand effectiveness, and be ready to refresh your promise when things are not going the way you expected.

There’s an argument that you should under-promise and over-deliver. But will an under-promise get their attention??

Tags: brand promise, brand strategy

Message Overload

Message bombardment. Think about it. It’s hairier than ever. Is what you’re saying and how you’re saying it, really breaking through the clutter?  Everyday, consumers are hit with as many as 5,000 paid print and electronic marketing messages (USA Today).
- The total of all printed materials doubles every five years
- The internet grows by a million pages everyday, adding to the hundreds of million existing
- We can expect to have almost 500 television channels in the next few years

That’s a combination of what’s delivered via the combined $160 billion America spends on print, TV, out-of-home, direct mail, online and whatever else you can think of (FIPP). That’s a lot to listen to.

And it’s going to be harder than ever to be heard.  With more people adopting more ways to communicate electronically, we continue to deliver and accept new ways to communicate with one another, and new ways to accept messages—paid and unpaid. How do you break through and not just throw your valuable ad dollars into a pool of sameness?

Step Out Of Line. Analyze what your competitors are doing, and make sure you’re saying it differently. Yeah, zagging is a little unnatural at first, but you need to interrupt people if you want to make them listen.

Be Provocative. This takes some commitment, and you have to be a little loud if you want to be heard through all the other noise. But when you think about it, that’s the job of marketing communications—to provoke a consumer reaction. So don’t be afraid to provoke. Make sure that you’re message drives some action. To think. To click. To visit. Whatever.

Make a Promise. If you want people to buy from you, you need to promise something in return. What’s the value of buying from you? How will it make the customer feel? How can they believe that you will deliver?

Say It Over and Over. Not just a mixed media plan. Make sure you’re delivering a consistent message in your PR efforts as you are in your paid communications. Same for investor relations and internal communications. A brand comes to life in every interaction with the public, not just advertising.

Remember, it’s easy to be the same. Just not always effective.

Tags: breakthrough, creative thinking, messaging, originality, overload

Green Is Good

It’s no secret that more companies want to be perceived as “green.” Problem is that many of them don’t really want to do much to actually green themselves up. From a communications perspective, it’s a problem. If you’re going to say that you’re “green” then you really have to do something to truly have a positive, and somewhat remarkable impact on the environment.

No, having recycling bins on every floor doesn’t count. Neither does using environmentally-friendly printers or using more email than direct mail to cut down on paper. They’re nice. And they’re the right thing to do. But they don’t make you “green.”

And if you try and fake it some other way, you’re going to get caught. There are hundreds of environmental watchdogs waiting to greenwash any company that claims to be green, and most people are happy to see them get nabbed. Think of GE’s Ecomagination campaign, which touted their company-wide environmental efforts. Soon after the campaign launched, GE was ranked by a leading environmental group as the 6^th most toxic company.

BP has for several years positioned itself as an environmentally-conscious petroleum company. And yet, the EPA has cited BP for “…failing to fulfill its obligations under the law, putting air quality and public health at risk.”

Significant environmental efforts cost money, and they have to have a real, and profound impact on the world around you to qualify your brand for “green-ness.”

It goes back to the fundamentals of a brand. Don’t be something you’re not. If environmental stewardship is not the driving force of your organization, then don’t try and retro-fit it for brand purposes. Yes, being truly environmental is going to cost your company money. But so will running a “green” marketing campaign that fails, because a watchdog broadcasts where you fall short on your “green-worthiness.”

Tags: corporate responsibility, environmentalism, green