Author Archive for Dean van Leeuwen

Catching Gen Y with pizza delivery

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by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 28, 2008
in General, Generation Y and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

I’ve been reading a lot of commentary recently about how differently companies need to be targeting Gen Y (people born in the UK after 1988), both as an employee and consumer. The Harvard Business Review has great commentary on the subject, and I’ve just come across a good example by the The Economist who is targeting college students in the US using pizza delivery boxes. Pizzerias around college campuses received Economist branded pizza boxes detailing world production stats on the students favourite pizza ingredients such as cheese!

It’s novel, entertaining, educational and clever…all the things that Gen Y expect from a marketing campaign.

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To Catch a Wild Pig - A Parable About Today’s Society That Offers Valuable Lessons for Leaders

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 25, 2008
in Innovation, Leadership and Trends - Current Trends
. 1 Comment

I came across this excellent article by Norman Wolife, President/CEO, Quantum Leaders, a regular contributor for Fast Company.

In it he describes how if you want to catch a wild pig you lay down corn in the forest and over a period of time build a fence one section at a time until the pigs are happy to enter through a gate in the fence to collect their “free food”. Once inside the enclosure the gate is closed trapping the pigs, they run around madly for a while but then calm down and return to the food. It takes some time to hunt like this but at the end of it you have the whole herd captured and not just one pig.

The parable is an interesting one in our western society today especially with the current financial crisis. The fence can be equated to rules and regulations slowly encircling business. Norman argues that we must guard carefully not to fall into the trap of being so dependent on the government that we lose our sense of responsibility and even worse, the very spark of life. On the other end is allowing things to run wild which has led to the financial crisis.

The trick is to find a balance between regulation and freedom and this requires true leadership. As the article points out “The trouble we have in our political system is we keep running back and forth between taming the wild pigs and letting them run wild. Wildness is good for creativity, entrepreneurialism, and the like. You want the free flow of energy to stimulate new innovation. And yet when you have unbounded flow of energy you have chaos, which then has to correct itself. As we learn to work with the powerful flow of societal energies, I believe we can learn to modulate the unbounded flow of energy while not reaching the point of constraining it to where we are limiting its flow.”

The parable’s lesson is not only for society but also for business. How many companies so over manage their projects that they miss out on the innovation and creativity of “running wild”. The lessons from the current crisis and the message for leadership is the importance of finding a balance between rules and regulations and the unbridled freedoms that lead innovation astray.

You can read the full article here

Bank of England mentions the “R” word

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 23, 2008
in Connection Economy, Generations and Trends - Current Trends
. 0 Comments

Last night in Leeds, Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, told business leaders that he is concerned about rising unemployment and falling house prices and for the first time used the “R” word… stating ‘It now seems likely the UK economy is entering a recession’.

This was not an entirely unexpected statement and now that the realities of the financial crisis and credit crunch are hitting people in the streets, we are giving consideration into what this means for the various generations. Below is a small extract from a study and article that we are currently writing:

The Silent Generation, now in their late 60’s are the only economically active generation still alive to have experienced the Great Depression. Many of them have been waiting for the next crash, for them it has been a matter of when not if. This is a generation that trusts organisations with a long historical and stable track record so it will have unnerved them that some of the most respectable institutions such as RBS and Barclays have come so close to crashing. Silents are conservative by nature but the recent events will have them hiding money under the mattress, and for the time being maybe that is the safest place.

Baby Boomers are resourceful, they are also the most in debt generation of all time. Boomers are entering or closing in on retirement. Many are going to expect paybacks in the form of pensions, shares and equity in houses that just don’t have the value they expected right now. They are the sandwich generation having to fund their kids’ education and help support their parents who are living longer than expected and eating into “their inheritance”. The crisis is going to be a stressful time for Boomers. Companies need to be focusing on helping them as employees and customers to retain their commitment and loyalty.

Generation X grew up during a period of huge turmoil that defined the 70’s and 80’s. They have been anticipating this crisis for some time and if not financially, they are at least emotionally prepared. Generation X are survivors and comfortable with change. We expect them to become more focused on themselves, their family and what is important to them. Companies should not expect loyalty or handouts from this generation, the WIFM or “what’s in it for me” factor will become even more pronounced in this generation. They will be skeptical of your “agenda”, and need to be engaged relationally.

Millennials or Gen Y has never experienced an economic downturn. They are optimistic and confident. Many may not even be prepared for the implication of a downsized economy, less money and fewer jobs. They however, will not care. Gen Y has the confidence and access to the resources from parents - and particularly grandparents - to give anything a go. Expect Gen Y to take the crisis by the scruff of the neck, drive their own agenda and be central to societies changes. Don’t back off from being ethical or green during the downturn, they won’t buy your excuses.

Discover how Generations predicted the financial crisis

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 21, 2008
in Connection Economy, Generations, Global View, Trends - Current Trends and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

The past few weeks in the financial markets have indeed been a rollercoaster of a ride! The ensuing fall out and chaos is well documented so I’m not going to comment about the crisis, but rather what I’ve found it intriguing, and something that perhaps has been missed is how accurately the crisis was predicted by Generational theorists.

Two key developers of generational theory, Harvard Professors Howe and Strauss predicted the current crisis using their generational research findings back in the early 1990’s. They mapped Anglo-American history as far back as 500 years to the war of the roses and identified a 80 year repeating cycle. These cycles, which they purported, create the generations and run on a two stroke beat of crisis’s and awakenings, each 40 years apart from the other, as illustrated in the graphic below.

The last “awakening” was the hippie revolution and the events that rocked the world in and around 1968. Frighteningly forty years… 2008 is the year their research identified as the next crisis… Many commentators argued that the events of 9/11 and 7/7 were the crisis, and for some time it was thought that Howe and Strauss had got it wrong. The key though is in their definition of a crisis, which is defined as - an event which changes the views held by society to the extent that society’s views and institutions are fundamentally different following the crisis. Using this definition 9/11 as traumatic as it was, was more of a speed bump in society than a crisis. After 9/11 society continued on as before, albeit with a ”little” war “somewhere” in the middle east. The current crisis though does have the potential to radically alter our world. Trust in the financial markets has been shaken, governments have nationalised banks and emerging economies are taking centre stage… The world is indeed changing.

As someone who is passionate about researching societal changes and the implications for businesses, I find all of this fascinating. We are currently developing a new presentation and research study on how the crisis will impact each generation at a point in time when they are all entering major lifestage changes. For example how will the crisis influence the values, attitudes and purchasing behaviours of Baby Boomers in or at retirement? We will soon be in a position to share our insights on the implications of the crisis for each generations. In the meantime if you are interested in learning more or would like to contribute to this discussion on Generations and the impact of the financial crisis please contact me at dean@tomorrowtoday.uk.com or leave a comment on this blog.

Tesco Personal Finance has lift off!

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 8, 2008
in Connection Economy, General and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

Tesco Personal Finance (TPF) was launched 11 years ago as a joint venture with RBS. They have been slowly but surely making in-roads into the financial sector, and this month Tesco plans to take full ownership of the business. This is interesting timing given the current financial crisis and even more interestingly, Tesco has big plans for TPF. Now with over 5.6 million customers TPF has it’s eye on the mortgage market. Bouyed by its half year profit results Tesco has the resources and the appetite to grow its banking operation, but perhaps it has even a greater asset in its arsenal, strong consumer goodwill and support.

While banks have focused their attention narrowly on bottom line profit and large city bonuses, Tesco has been focusing on connecting with its staff and customers and massive profits have followed. In 2007 Tesco embarked on a training course to help staff connect with people from different generations; and they are well known for championing the consumer. This is not just lip service but something that Tesco staff from junior to senior management live and breathe

So as the market forces and consumer anger forces banks to rethink their attitudes and behaviour, and the market forces reshape banking as we know it, keep a watchful eye on Tesco Personal Finance they could well be using this crisis as the catalyst and launching pad they need to redefine the future of banking into business that truly connects with customers values.

To be boring or to be entertaining?

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on September 30, 2008
in Generation Y, Generations and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

Most conference exhibitors have a stand with panelling depicting the corporate logo, a few pretty pictures, TV screen and giveaways…pens, stress balls, playing cards etc… the problem is that all the corporate exhibitors do the same thing! Unless a customer knows what you do and who you are, all exhibitions tend to blend into the same ol same ol pot! Where is the innovation? Why spend thousands of pounds trying to connect with customers at a conference but then create no unique or memorable connection?

The task of getting greater connection has become even more difficult as Generation X and Millennials become decision makers for corporate companies…mainly because people from these generations demand an experience out of your marketing…they understand the rules of the game, they know you are selling to them, so if you are going to take up their time their attitiude is you had better entertain me!

I’m at the IFP conference today at the Celtic Manor Hotel in Wales where my colleague Graeme Codrington is presenting our Mind the Gap presentation on the different generations. Two companies stand out as exhibitors who are connecting with their customers. Investec Private Bank has a virtual golf simulator…clever because the Celtic Manor Hotel is the host of the 2010 Ryder Cup and because allowing conference delegates to come and swing a club enables them to make a lasting and memorable connection, the selling is left until later.

The Santander Group is leveraging off of their sponsorship of the McLaren F1 team. They have part of a life size F1 racing car replica which you get to sit in and race Lewis Hamilton…neat…staff crewing the stand are also dressing in F1 t-shirts creating a relaxed atmosphere.

No clues for which of the two stands out of about 50 or so at the IFP conference are getting the most interest and the most people connections!

An interview with Sharon Kersten

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on September 17, 2008
in Articles and General
. 0 Comments

Return to TomorrowToday UK website | Download pdf version | Email this website link to a friend

An interview with Sharon Kersten

Sharon is a skilled and experienced business professional having worked as MD at Old Mutual’s retail banking arm Nedbank. She is also a guest lecturer at INSEAD. We interviewed Sharon to ask her what she believes companies need to be doing as recession looms on the horizon Continue reading ‘An interview with Sharon Kersten’

Help yourself…PruHealth connecting with customers

Published
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Dean van Leeuwen
on September 3, 2008
in Generations and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

Earlier today I walked out of Piccadilly Circus tube station and was feeling a bit parched. Low and behold PruHealth were there to quench my thirst with a bottle of water and signs saying. “Help yourself” …clever, now this is a campaign that will connect with Generation X!
Here are some reasons why:
- Gen Xer’s want immediate gratification… the water gave me immediate gratification connecting me with the PruHealth brand and quenched my thirst.
- Gen X love stories or lines with multiple meanings. They have grown up in a complex rapidly evolving world and have learned to view things from different angles. The strap line “Help yourself” had several meanings.
- Help yourself to a bottle of water… no questions asked no reasons given …cool!
- On reading the marketing splurb on the bottle, “Help yourself” was also referring living a healthy lifestyle and benefiting from PruHealth’s lower premiums…
- They even have a fab interactive web based tool called a pruhealth-o-meter …cool name, it’s a bit quirky and fun, try it out! click here
- Pru also handed out a miniture Frisbee with the bottle of water… I’m not sure what that was all about as I don’t think that catching a Frisbee is a very active sport…but maybe my dog will like it ?
- One quick recommendation, don’t use the get a quote button until the customer has finished playing with the pruhealth-o-meter. Gen Xers like to be entertained but don’t hit them with the sales prompt too early. They get that you are selling to them but let them have their entertainment first.
- It’s also a pity that the pruhealth-o-meter doesn’t work on my iPhone… an alternative html version would get around this, not as flash but would give Gen X connectivity all the time.

Overall a really good campaign, it’s simple, engaging hits a number of Gen X driving values and leaves the choice up to the consumer to decide if they want to help themselves.

Nice one Pru!

Silver divorces - Boomers buck the trend

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on September 1, 2008
in Boomers RetYrement, Generations and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

The Times and The Guardian reported on a very illuminating societal trend this weekend, they noted that divorce rates in England and Wales are now at their lowest level for 26 years. However, recently the number of divorces in the over 60’s category has been on the increase. This is a very interesting trend and in part explained by the fact that the oldest of the Baby Boomers or what we call “Cuspers” have been turning 60. Baby Boomers are defined as the generation born directly after WW2. They have a can do attitude, believe anything is possible and don’t settle for second best. As The Times puts it “they no longer think of it as the end of their lives but as a time of opportunity and reinvention. And in an age of psychotherapy, people get gripped by a desire to live as they really want to live rather than by someone else’s values.” Boomers led the charge to the divorce courts in the 80 & 90’s and became the most divorced generation ever. The latest trends suggest that as Baby Boomers enter retirement they are continuing to prefer to get divorced rather than head to the coast to slow down.

This has major implications for marketers especially those working for financial service companies. Whilst all other Generations show a reduction in divorce rates, Baby Boomers, because of their driving values and the windfalls they have made from the housing boom (watch this space…) feel wealthy enough to get divorced and start new lives. The products that are developed and marketing campaigns aimed at the over 50’s market need to take note of these changes in societal trends. The Baby Boomers are now making a very visible impact on over 50’s lifestages and we predict they will change retirement behaviour completely. Marketers that miss this change will quickly loose favour with Baby Boomers who move onto products and brands that continue to connect with them.

Click here to read

The Times post or here to read

The Guardian post

Marketing with a WOW factor

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on July 15, 2008
in Generation Y, Generations, Marketing and sales and Technology
. 0 Comments

Radiohead have used some fantastic new technology to record their latest single. Creativity-online.com says this about the new video “Radiohead’s latest video, for the track “House of Cards” from the In Rainbows album, uses real time 3D recording instead of cameras, utilizing highly technical structured light and Lidar laser-enhanced scanners to model lead singer Thom Yorke and provide an otherworldly narrative accompaniment to the song.”

This is cutting edge stuff and if any marketers want to do something to impress Generation X and the Millennial generation then this is it. But don’t wait as it is notoriously difficult to impress these two generations and it won’t be long before the use of this technology becomes “so like yesterday.” Act fast the application of this technology has some WOW factor something that is very difficult to create in marketing these days.

Have a look at the video

Is this the future design for companies?

Published
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Dean van Leeuwen
on July 3, 2008
in Organisational Design and Social Network Analysis
. 0 Comments

I came across an interesting article in the Mckinsey Quarterly today which argues that companies need to take the power behind informal networks and create formal networks. Their consultants state that:

- Most large corporations have dozens if not hundreds of informal networks, in which human nature, including self-interest, leads people to share ideas and collaborate.
- Informal networks are a powerful source of horizontal collaboration across thick silo walls, but as ad hoc structures their performance depends on serendipity and they can’t be managed.
- By creating formal networks, companies can harness the advantages of informal ones and give management much more control over networking across the organization.
- The steps needed to formalize a network include giving it a “leader,” focusing interactions in it on specific topics, and building an infrastructure that stimulates the ongoing exchange of ideas.

Continue reading ‘Is this the future design for companies?’

How to get young talent to notice your company

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on June 25, 2008
in Generation Y, Innovation and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 0 Comments

There is a lot of talk about targeting the next generation of new talented, graduates called Gen Y or Millennials. And for good reason, they are supremely confident, well educated, know exactly what they want and how to get it. This is presenting some unique challenges for today’s businesses.

This past Friday we were asked to shed some light on the issue and presented at the annual Bright Futures conference, an excellent organisation that helps students and companies connect. A number of top employee brands were present including HP, KPMG, L’Oreal etc. Dr Graeme Codrington presented to both corporate companies and students on Being Talented and Winning the Talent Wars.

One of the key challenges that the companies were raising at the conference was how to attract young talent and alert them to job opportunities. One of our clients a Big 4 accountancy and consulting firm is doing innovative work in this area. They are promoting their employee brand by going to the spaces where young people are congregating such as FaceBook, MySpace and YouTube. Deloitte is interviewing and videotaping employees about how great it is to work at their company in a fun light hearted way and using the clips to promote job opportunities and attracting Millennial talent. Have a look at what Deloitte is doing on YouTube.

Because you are worth it - Good example of Gen X and Baby Boomer campaigns

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on June 17, 2008
in Generations and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

L’Oreal have launched a recent TV ad campaign targeting Baby Boomers for their Men Expert Range. (see the advert here) It is a pretty good one…for Baby Boomers that is. L’Oreal have long identified the pulling power of celebrity endorsement and use Pierce Brosnan as the face of this campaign. Pierce tells us how he likes to “fight for the causes he believes in” and “find time for himself” - all good noble Boomer causes. Pierce is a great role model for Baby Boomers and he exudes the youth and vitality which are major core value for this cohort.

Contrast this with another “viewer created” advert which I found on YouTube for L’Oreal’s same product range. This spoof advert would appeal to Gen X (see the advert here) and uses humour and paradox to connect with Gen Xers.

For now L’Oreal have it right, using celbrity endorsements is the correct way to go with Baby Boomers, as their core target market, are entering their post middle age years and their obsession with staying young and looking good makes them the perfect target market for L’Oreal. However, as Gen Xers enter the mainstream I hope they pick up on the changing values and attitudes of this younger generation and ditch the celebrity endorsement angle, it just doesn’t work for Gen X.

L’Oreal give the guy who created the spoof advert a job in your marketing department he is obviously worth it!

Building Network Alliances – The future for profitability and success in turbulent times.

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on June 12, 2008
in Articles
. 0 Comments

Business world is facing the dawning of a new alliance age / revolution that will bring about a new business model more symbiotic and substantially different from the business model of today. The competitive and changing economic landscape demands a new business model…one removed from the shareholder value model to one where value for all stakeholders is created. A model where symbiosis is common place, a model where an entirely new set of rules, governances and structural design/architecture is created; a model that requires the mobilisation of every ounce of intelligence from the managers managing the relationships. In this article our UK & European Director, Dean van Leeuwen, shares with us the results from interviewing over 30 senior executive managers and undertaking a broader global research study of leading companies. The results are illuminating.

Continue reading ‘Building Network Alliances – The future for profitability and success in turbulent times.’

Good with Money

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on June 4, 2008
in Business sustainability & environmental issues, Connection Economy, Ethics and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

Our global research has long been indicating that companies who concentrate more on who they are and less on what they sell will gain the competitive edge over their competitors.

The “who you are” is defined by the values a company lives by and how effectively the company’s values connect with the talent staff that work for them and the valuable customers that continue to shop with them.

One of the values that companies need to be demonstrating today is that of being ethically conscious. And this means more than just changing to efficient green light bulbs! It means living by the value…making business decisions, both strategic and operational, against the value even if it hurts the bottom line.

I came across a company that is doing great stuff in this sphere. Have a look at their marketing campaign The Co-Operative Bank is really promoting who they are and what they stand for, and most importantly their claims are back by some substantial meaningful and significant claims. They have turned down over £700m in revenue based on ethical decisions… now that is putting your money where your mouth is and living by the values they subscribe to. Impressive!!!

I’ll be reviewing this campaign and the company’s operations over the next few weeks and trying to find out more about their results, but I’ll stick my neck out here and make a prediction that their values based campaign is having a fantastic response from the Millennial, Gen X and Boomer generations, a unique achievement.

Tories target Generation X

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on April 20, 2008
in Generations and Marketing and sales
. 1 Comment

Tories logoAccording to The Sunday Telegraph, April 20, 2008, David Cameron, the Conservative Leader is channelling considerable resources into targeting people between the ages of 29 to 40. The Tories see this group of 3 million voters as being key to their success in the 2010 general election.

Research shows this group, often referred to as Generation X, to be a demanding and less forgiving than older generations. The Tories have identified that issues such as housing, transport, the environment, crime, education and the NHS are more relevant to Generation X than tax cutting pledges of the Labour Government. This may be so but David Cameron should well consider the core driving values of this Generation especially as all their literature is aimed at them. Generation X are highly suspicious of marketing especially political marketing and if the Tories want to connect with Generation X they will need to have an in depth understanding of the formative events that shape the attitudes, views and norms of this very dynamic and constantly changing Generation. Our experience shows that research is often already out of date before the ink is dry because once you define Generation X they have an uncanny knack of changing. Understanding their core values will help the Tories to predict these changes and connect with Generation X, a generation that is coming of age and reaching positions of economic and political influence.

To read the full article see The Telegraph

Baby Boomer marketing campaign on steroids

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on March 17, 2008
in General, Generations and Marketing and sales
. 0 Comments

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Marketers have long identified that Baby Boomers are attracted to products endorsed by celebrities. Louis Vuitton the French fashion design house has outdone itself with their current “where will life take you” marketing campaign. The list of celebrities is impressive with no less than Stefi Graf & Andre Agasi, Mikhail Gorbechev, Catherine Denevue and Rolling Stone’s guitarist Keith Richards all fronting the face of the campaign! “Countless Emotions…countless journeys” Louis Vuitton also tugs on the emotional heart strings of Boomers living life to the fullest and there is even a hint of nostalgia as all the celebrities are of yesteryear. Great campaign…if you are a boomer! Not sure how many Generation Xers this ad campaign will appeal to but I can’t imagine many and yet I’m sure that as Generation X approaches the heights of their careers (the oldest of the Gen Xers are nearly forty) they would form a large proportion of LV’s target audience.

Have a look at the campaigns micro site by following this link to the Louis Vuitton
site and then click on the LV core values film

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Continue reading ‘Baby Boomer marketing campaign on steroids’

A lesson from politics…

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on January 12, 2008
in Generations, Marketing and sales and Social Network Analysis
. 2 Comments

Obama and ClintonPolitics in America is hotting up and I’ve been curious to note that with all their charisma and pedigree the Clintons have started falling behind and even though Hillary did rally in New Hampshire primary they still trail Obama. Now I’m not into politics but what did interest me was what John Sviokla had to say on a new post in Harvard Business. He has identified that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama treat their supporters differently. Clinton considers her backers as “customers” while Obama sees his supporters as “members”

For example, Sviokla points out that their two web sites differ radically. On Obama’s you received “points” for each activity you do such as creating a profile, making your profile public, logging in, or befriending a link and you can “climb” this social/political ranking by engaging more–hosting events, linking to others, raising money and many other forms of participation. To anyone in the MySpace/Facebook generation this type of functionality is expected. In contrast, joining the Clinton web site gives you an identification tag like TZ3QQ7, so that any donations can be tracked – sounds just like the old style “frequent purchaser” numbers that everyone from CVS to American Airlines uses.

Continue reading ‘A lesson from politics…’

Yuwie - earn cash for playing

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on December 21, 2007
in Generation Y, Social Network Analysis and Trends - Future Trends
. 2 Comments

The explosion and evolution of social networks on the internet is something I have been watching and participating with a keen interest especially Youtube, Facebook and SecondLife. What is great about these social networks is that around the time of the dotcom crash period most commentators said that people would not “socialize” on the web, preferring personal contact. Well I don’t think these commentators predicted the impact that the millennial generation or generation X would have on social networking! History is now proving thesm wrong, Facebook has over 50 million users and is valued at £7.5bn

With results like these imitators are of course following fast. It’s simple economics and anyone familiar with Michael Porters 5 Forces model will know that industries displaying high profits and low barriers to entry will attract competition. One of the new boys on the block is Yuwie an social network who’s proposition is to share with it’s members a percentage of the advertising revenue the company gets. According to founder Korry Rogers “Yuwie users get paid every time they log on, send a message, upload a picture or invite someone to join.” So if you visit pages, you earn money, if you invite friends, you earn money, if your friends login in, you and they earn money…sounds like a no brainer… but is it? Do people really want to earn money out of their social networking and what their friends do…Facebook believes that it’s core members don’t and the opinion of some analysts is that people use social networks to link up with friends and make new friends not to earn money out of these social activities. So will the lure of making a potential £200 or more per month be enough for users to switch from their current social networks? Personally, I like Facebook and funnily enough now feel that I have a “personal investment” and connection with the site so for me it isn’t easy to just switch. However, Yuwie launched in July 2007 and has over 350,000 members and is growing at 50,000 members a month. Seems to me that Yuwie’s proposition is working. Now of course the mighty Facebook could eliminate this threat by matching Yuwie’s offer but this would erode industry profits so they are unlikely to do so for now…But I’m intrigued enough to give Yuwie a try and who knows maybe earn some Yuwie pocket money… let’s call it a social networking experiement, I’m keen to be part of this evolution…

CO2 Neutral products are becoming “fashionable” but are new product launches enough to target the “ethical consumer”?

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on August 6, 2007
in Business sustainability & environmental issues, Ethics, Generations, Marketing and sales and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

ibuyeco, a new eco-friendly car insurance scheme that offsets 100% of customers’ CO2 emissions for the duration of their policy, was launched in the UK at the end of April 2007. The company has just started a strong above the line advertising, including television and other national media.

Created by the Budget Group, one of the UK’s leading insurance intermediaries, ibuyeco is one of the first car insurance products to offset 100% of a car’s carbon emissions. Customers pay an additional amount to their premiums. Payments are calculated on the type of vehicle and the estimated mileage, details provided by customers. Using this method, the typical family car travelling a mileage of between 10,000 and 12,000 would require an offset fee of roughly £20, for example. ibuyeco buy carbon credits through The Carbon Neutral Company who in return puts the money towards projects that reduce carbon emissions. These projects fall into different categories including: increased energy efficiency, forestry projects and renewable energy, and are based in both the UK and overseas.

The launch of ibuyeco is the result of a social trend that TomorrowToday has been researching for sometime and which we are calling the “rise of the ethical consumer”.

In November 2006 Barclays announced the first carbon neutral debit card and we’re expecting a large number of companies to follow ibuyeco and Barclays. The important issue though is, are these companies jumping onto the global warming marketing bandwagon or does carbon reduction form part of the company’s values and long term strategy? Another question is why did Budget need to launch a new company and why doesn’t it position the Budget brand as an ethical brand? Hiding behind a new brand for marketing reasons will not pay dividends unless the company itself changes.

When it comes to targeting the “ethical consumer”, made largely out of Generation Y, companies had best practice what they preach. If they don’t, this generation who is highly connected via the web will spread the word and ruthlessly weed out the pretenders.

Companies need to do more than launch new products and advertising campaigns professing to support initiatives that reduce global warming. Companies need to be taking steps towards reducing their own carbon emissions and communicating their efforts, in carbon friendly ways! Carbon reductions need to be part of the company’s day-to-day strategies and way of work. It has to become integrated into the company’s culture and demonstrated in a number of ways, from the way they employ recruits to how they run their meetings and sell their products. There is no point a company asking consumers to buy its product so that they, the consumer can contribute to carbon emissions, when the company itself is contributing to carbon emissions by making clients fill out massive application forms and accept loads of marketing mailings.

Our advice to companies thinking about targeting customers using carbon reduction schemes, is to first integrate carbon reductions into the fabric of their company’s culture before they launch new products. The new ethical consumer will buy from your company because of who you are (your company’s values) and not because of what you sell.

The best companies to work for…if you are a parent

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on July 30, 2007
in Generations, Leadership, Talent - Bright Young Things and Work-Life Integration (and wellness)
. 0 Comments

ParentNot many people think about maternity benefits when applying for a job, and yet organisations differ hugely in what they provide for parents. Some offer the bare legal minimum, others offer a year’s maternity leave on full pay. In an era of increased awareness of the importance of work-life integration, The Guardian argues, following a study of 250 organisations, that it is the smart organisations that take maternity benefits seriously who will attract and retain talented staff.

The survey discovered that companies often treat family life as being entirely separate from the workplace rather than being, as they are in the lives of most employees, tightly bound together. Very few corporations showcase strong parental benefits among their recruitment incentives or as evidence of high corporate ethics. And yet any working parent knows how damaging it is to productivity, creativity and mental health to work for organisations that blank out or are hostile to the beating family heart of its staff.

The Guardian argues that good support to parents is a social contribution as important as a companies charitable donations, recycling or carbon footprint reduction efforts.

Continue reading ‘The best companies to work for…if you are a parent’

Crowdsourcing - Getting Your Customers and Staff to develop new innovations for you

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on May 30, 2007
in Articles, Innovation, Organisational Design and Trends - Future Trends
. 1 Comment

Crowdsourcing is a technique that progressive companies are using to translate the enthusiasm of their most highly-engaged customers into valuable marketing, branding, or product-development insight. Dean van Leeuwen, TomorrowToday’s UK and European director, who has an MBA and extensive work experience in marketing, looks at this new trend and provides practical guidelines for customer-led organisations.

Continue reading ‘Crowdsourcing - Getting Your Customers and Staff to develop new innovations for you’

Get your daily Joost

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on April 30, 2007
in Connection Economy, Marketing and sales and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

Joost is the new internet TV concept being developed by highly successful entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype which they sold to ebay for $2.6 billion cash!

Joost pronounced ‘juiced’ is an interactive software for distributing TV shows and you will be able to watch whatever you want, whenever you want. Joost has signed up providers like MTV, National Geographic, The Soccer Channel, Warner Brothers Music and IndyCar Series and by the sounds of it FOX TV will soon be a partner.

Joost stands to revolutionise marketing and the way in which we watch TV. Have Niklas and Janus done it again? I have to wonder how much they will sell Joost for, it definitely appears to have all the right ingredients to be a huge success.

There is speculation that the launch is scheduled for 1st May 2007, but as clever marketers Joost is letting the internet community speculate and blogs have been set up to monitor the “countdown!”

Joost itself is not revealing when they will go live, but you can leave your email details with them and become part of their community and be amongst the first to receive the software.

Go to www.joost.com and sign up. You need to get involved in the joost community so that you can get an invite code from a community member. This invite is required before you can download the software – another clever marketing trick…Joost is getting future clients to engage with the brand on a number of different levels. There are hints on how to get an invite!! Sign up and watch out for the launch and get your daily Joost!

Dean van Leeuwen is a TomorrowToday UK partner and expert on talent, innovation and business connectivity

Cheeky companies with happy customers and even happier bottomlines!

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on April 19, 2007
in Connection Economy, Generation Y, Generations, Marketing and sales and Organisational Design
. 5 Comments

CrowdEvery business has customers who are convinced they can design a new product that is better than the product they are being sold. So the question is why not let them? Crowdsourcing is a new and innovative research methodology that allows customers to help design the products they want online. It’s a methodology that is saving companies thousands of pounds on research bills and is proving highly effective because customers are getting the chance to mould and shape the products they are going to be buying. And because products are not being designed by remote head office R&D teams the chances of product flops are greatly reduced.

MIT’s Sloan Management Review recently published a paper, written by Susumu Ogawa, a professor of marketing at Kobe University in Tokyo, and Frank Piller, a professor at TUM Business School in Munich, on the concept of crowdsourcing. This is how these two professors put it “Forecasting the demand for new products is becoming increasingly difficult in many markets. But collective customer commitment (crowdsourcing), a new method to decrease the flop rate of new products, offers a solution by integrating customers deeply in the innovation process and asking for their commitment to purchase before development is finalized and manufacturing starts.â€?

Incredible, can you imagine the benefit in cost savings of getting your customers to design the products they want and then getting them to pre-order the product before it’s manufactured? 

This really is harnessing the power of the “connection economy!�

Continue reading ‘Cheeky companies with happy customers and even happier bottomlines!’

UK house prices ‘nearly tripled’

Published
by
Dean van Leeuwen
on October 28, 2006
in General
. 0 Comments

A leading mortgage lender in the UK has released a study saying that house prices in the UK have nearly trippled in the past ten years! That’s great news for Baby Boomers and Silent generation cohorts and less so for first time buyer Gen-Xer’s and Millennials

 In contrast wages have only increased by 54% during the same period. While Xer’s and Millennials are having to fund the Boomer’s retirement pool and struggle to get onto the housing ladder, Boomers are heading of to SKI (spend their kid’s inheritance)…generational conflict can only grow.

For those of you with money to invest visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6090972.stm and http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/property/ for some good tips