Mind the Gap in Fairlady magazine
Graeme Codrington was recently promoted in the South Africa Fairlady magazine, with an article focused on the generation gap. Read it online here, or below.
Graeme Codrington was recently promoted in the South Africa Fairlady magazine, with an article focused on the generation gap. Read it online here, or below.
Today is Nelson Mandela’s birthday. An international icon.
But this is not about Madiba. He’s never been mayor. He has been President of South Africa, and leader of the African National Congress (ANC), but never Mayor.
This is a video interview worth watching about Hazel McCallion, who’s 88 years old and been mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada for 30+ years. She’s been re-elected 11 times in the 6th biggest city in Canada, and runs a city that’s debt free with cash reserves of $700 000 000.
It struck me while watching, that we’re a world that’s become so ‘young people focused’, that we so easily miss and don’t appreciate the value and contribution that ‘much’ older people do make, and can make in our private and public worlds.
So happy birthday Madiba and wow Mayor McCallion. Don’t stop teaching us. May we never stop learning from everyone we meet.
An amazing article appeared in the Business Day on the 8th July 2009. It was a Business Day interview with the former Anglo American deputy chairman, Graham Boustred, 84. It was an interview at his request in order for him to share his views on the current state of Anglo American. What follows has one suspiciously looking for the candid camera equivalent of the print media! Boustred states that Xstrata’s proposed bid for Anglo American is simply a mechanism for getting rid of current Anglo CEO, Cynthia Caroll who he goes on to describe as “hopeless”and implies that she is sexually frustrated. The then illuminates why it is difficult to find a female CEO: “It is because most women are sexually frustrated. men are not, because they can fall back on call girls, go to erectile dysfunction clinics. If you have a CEO who is sexually frustrated she can’t act properly”.
Boustred talks about the possibility of having an exit strtaegy should the wheels come off in South Africa. His prefered safe haven? The Isle of Man. His reason being that on the Isle of Man “there are no Muslims, no blacks”. There were compelling other reasons such as a good health care system but these are all too sane to be taken seriously.
The tone of Boustred’s ranting as reported is self-centred, arrogant, dogmatic, bigited and plain insulting. He represents a perplexing case study in past leaders grown old and begs the question of just how much of the present characteristics and opinions were in evidence during his leadership reign? He is aptly described in the interview as an “old man of South African business” where his world is “an anachronism that is growing smaller all the time”.
Oh yes, and the answer to Anglo’s current “disaster”? Well, for Boustred to return of course! reading to full article will have you queing to help the pensioner pack.
If you’re interested in the generations, and how intergenerational issues might look in Africa, then here’s a conference you might be interested in. I am not involved, and don’t know the researchers personally, but this looks good.
HSRC Seminar Series in collaboration with the Capacity Development Division
The following seminar will be presented in Pretoria, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal (See Details below).Is it time to renegotiate an intergenerational ‘contract’? The state of intergenerational relations in South Africa.
Presented by Dr Monde Makiwane Senior Research Specialist, CYFSD, and Ms Christine Jesseman Head: Research Depaertment, South African Human Rights Council.Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town: see below
Date: Tuesday 28 July 2009
Time: 14H15 for 14h30 – 15H30
Thanks to my friend Bev from SimonSays Communications for this link.
The Sunday Times announced it’s ‘Times Generation Next’ cool brands survey results on 28 May 2009.
5000 tweens, teens and young adults between the ages of 8-22 were polled on their coolest brands, and Coke came out on tops with it’s Brrrr campaign.
Bizcommunity.com covered the results, and one interesting comment relating to the attitude of this segment and the economic downturn according to Jason Levin (MD of HDI Youth Marketeers) was,
“Young South Africans, unshaken by economic downturn, are as brand conscious as ever. Although there were some interesting shifts in the top rankers in some categories, we see growing similarity in votes by region, gender, race and sometimes even age around the coolest brands.”
For the rest of the results read the full article here. Nokia, Samsung, Nike, Puma, Sun City, Edgars, SAA, Mango, D&G, Levis and others all had a mention in achieving top spots or moving down the list from previous years.
It’s always difficult convincing an adult audience, that from a Generational perspective, the so-called ‘Millennials’ (Gen Y, Echo Boomers) are going to be more civic minded, more conservative (whilst being more aware), and focus on rebuilding the planet (amongst other things). Mostly because their example of a Millennial is often one of their own kids. And let’s be honest, what parent thinks their own kids are going to be some of those things? Their kids are teenagers, and generally speaking teens are going through a life stage in which pushing the boundaries and experimenting are part and parcel of what they have to do in order to develop into healthy contributing adults.
So it’s with a smile of satisfaction that I point you to some research coming out of Canada (Project Teen Canada headed up by Reginald Bibby, a University of Lethbridge sociologist) that shows that today’s Millennial Generation are reversing some trends that you probably wouldn’t expect them to. Sex, Drugs, Family Values, having children, smoking.
This reversing trend has been captured beautifully in a short video clip entitled ‘Lost Generation‘. If you’ve not seen it, it’s worth a trip to YouTube see get a first hand view.
There are some thoughts about the role parents are playing in the reversing of these trends, but the article is summed up like this:
In the end, the kids will likely follow their own instincts. While they might be taking silent cues from their parents—and might even seek help in times of crisis—they’ve little time for adult authorities who worry about their futures. Jesse Lupini, the 17-year-old from Victoria, summed up the sentiment in a recent guest column for his local paper. “Adults have generated a number of teen stereotypes,” he writes. “Teens are irresponsible, untrustworthy, rude, sexually obsessed, loud, inclined to drink to excess, take drugs, eat badly . . . ” But how about the adults who lie, drive drunk and do drugs, Lupini asks? What about the corporations run by adults that market junk food and sexualized clothing to youth? What about the parents who buy that stuff for their kids? “Frankly,” he concludes, having worked up a rather adult-sounding rant, “it’s a wonder we’re coping as well as we are.”
TomorrowToday has been researching, exploring and communicating Generational Theory through our edutaining presentation ‘Mind the Gap‘ for 7 years now. We’re still as convinced as ever that it’s a framework every organisation needs to include in the multiple frameworks it uses to understand people dynamics and interactions.
I’ve just come across this print advert campaign by Harvey Nichols, the high end clothing retailer. It’s a cracker and one of the best print campaigns I’ve seen in a long time. The first time I looked at it I don’t get it, but the vivid colours and imagery drew me in, further capturing my attention and making me think. The symbolisms that can be interpreted from the association between the dress and the “rockets” is subtle but brilliant… the advert rockets with innuendos… On further investigation I discovered that there is a complete range of 8 different adverts using the same creative concept. This is an awesome advert for the Generation X and Y generations… Look at the rest of the campaign and consider the symbolism behind each advert… Great ad campaign
In tough times, people matter. Ensuring your staff are passionate and focused is a critical leadership task right now. One of the most effective techniques for motivating your younger staff in particular is to provide ongoing development for them, especially providing access to senior leaders and mentoring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of such mentoring relationships.
It has recently incurred to me that the fundamental difference between Boomers and Gen Xers when it comes to social networking technologies is a fundamental difference in interpretation. Boomers see such technologies as bringing them a flood of information that needs to be managed. “Why would you want to know that?”; “What will you do with that information?”; “Who cares?” are the standard responses that reveal such a stance.
However, Gen X sees this ‘information’ as the means to ‘relationship’. The filtering and processing that occurs as a result of this fundamental difference is pronounced. YouTube, FaceBook, Twittering and the like do not provide information, they are the portals to relationship.
Therein lies the difference…and it is significant as it is applied to the why, what and how of these social networking technologies.
From the BBC News website, 20 April 2009.
Drive to break down age barriers
Young and old people will be brought together in new schemes to be funded by the government in England.
Ministers say the generation gap is widening, with young and old spending less time together. They have pledged £5.5m to support schemes designed to break down barriers and strengthen communities.Minister for Children Beverley Hughes says the schemes help older people to see that young people are decent and law-abiding, “not yobs and hoodies”.
Councils, working with local groups or charities, will bid for some of the money – which will be divided between 12 schemes. Some organisations already run such schemes, funded by the National Lottery, the government or charities.
Great TV ad for Earth Hour. Gets everything right from a Gen X and Gen Y perspective… connects with their values, entertains and keeps them intrigued…(which is important because as adverts go it is long…a 90 seconds ad!) leaves them hanging on to find out more, very good use of music. Well done leo burnett and WWF… getting fab customer reviews on you tube too
I was working through old archives, and found this fun test. It is NOT a psychometric test, nor even is it one you should take seriously. It is fairly focused on the US market. But, with all of those caveats, it’s still a bit of fun, and makes a good point about different generations.
Have fun. Which generation are you?
A business colleague, Julien Salvi, owns an excellent company, Teneo, that runs European talent management and employee engagement conferences. You can see details at their website – especially see their upcoming conference on employee engagement.
He sent me the following information recently. It’s really interesting what some top talent managers are focusing on at the moment.
Julien moderated a panel of senior talent development officers representing three very different industries and diverse geographies: Deb Wheelock of Mercer (a high-end professional services firm, recruiting highly educated knowledge workers), Pamela Stroko of The Gap (a retailer faced with the classic industry challenges of creating a differentiating employee proposition and enhancing retention of its large workforce), and Sujaya Banerjee of the Essar Group (a diversified India-based enterprise participating in a variety of industrial sectors, including steel, energy, and communications).
Julien reports that even with this diversity of perspectives, they found their views on today’s top talent challenges to be surprisingly aligned. Here are their ten top views:
Here is the second article from The Spectator of last week. If you haven’t heard about Julie Myerson, you may want to do a quick Google search to get some background – or read this news report.
I don’t necessarily agree with Rod Liddle (on this, or almost anything else), but the man has a point. He claims that as a society, we are “concerned, consensual, caring, socially libertarian: in the abstract, when it doesn’t bother [us]. When it does bother [us], [we] are less consensual, caring and libertarian. When it bothers [us], [we] turn into fascists.” I’d like to make sure I don’t, so a story like this is worth reading every now and again – as an innoculation.
And, if you can make it through the first 10 paragraphs, the final two paragraphs make the article sharp and insightful in the extreme. Is the Boomer generation really the worst generation in history? And will their legacy in history really be of the generation who selfishly mucked it up completely? You decide…
Read The Spectator article here, or below.
It’s great to follow the online trends for each generation. Pew Internet recently completed a report called Generations online in 2009. You can get the full report here but I’ve copied the key highlights for you below:
Generation Y, aka the “Net Generation,” does not dominate every aspect of online life. That revealing statistic and many others like it come from Pew Internet and American Life’s recent “Generations Online” report which takes a look at how the different generations of users – from Millennials to the G.I. Generation – use the internet.
The web is still largely populated by younger generations as over half of those online are between the ages of 18 and 44 years old. But these days, larger percentages of older generations are going online and they are doing more activities while there.
According to Pew’s research, Generation X is most likely to shop, bank, and look for health information online, but boomers are just as likely as Gen Y to make travel reservations online. Even the older Silent Generation is competitive when it comes to email, although that could point to the fact that email is an activity that is trending older.
Who Uses Email?
It’s true: email is for old people – at least it is now. Today, 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making it the most popular activity in this group. Meanwhile, email usage among teens is dropping. In 2004, 89% of teens said they used email. Now that number is 73%.
Social Networking Dominated by the Young
Teens and Generation Y (18-32*) are the most likely to use the internet for entertainment and for communicating with friends and family through social networks. They’re also more likely than others to play online games, watch videos, send instant messages, hang out in virtual worlds, and download music. In other words, they’re the most likely to use the net for fun.
The favorite online activity for teens, however, is not social networking – it’s game playing. 78% of 12-17 year-olds play games online, but only 50% of Gen Y does.
Older Generations Research, Shop, and Bank
It’s not really surprising to discover that the older generations use the internet less for socializing and entertainment and more for research, email, and shopping. Generation X (ages 33-44) remains the leader when it comes to online shopping with 80% using the internet to buy products online, compared with 71% of internet users ages 18-32.
What is surprising is that users age 73 and up use the internet just as frequently for doing health searches as does Gen Y. In fact, researching health information is only the third most popular online activity for seniors, after email and general online search.
However, when it comes to online banking, it’s Gen X that dominates. 67% of this age group does their banking online. Gen Y will most likely do more banking online as they grow older. You can see the activity trending up in their group from 38% in 2005 to 57% in 2008. As Gen Y ages, this number will continue to increase, as does the percentage using the net for booking travel. In 2005, 50% of Gen Y booked travel online and today 65% do.
Published in the New York Times over the weekend, here is an interesting piece looking at generations in the USA.
By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: March 7, 2009, New York Times
IN 1951, Time magazine set out to paint a portrait of the nation’s youth, those born into the Great Depression. It doomed them as the Silent Generation, and a generally drab lot: cautious and resigned, uninterested in striking out in new directions or shaping the great issues of the day — the outwardly efficient types whose inner agonies the novel “Revolutionary Road” would dissect a decade later.
“Youth’s ambitions have shrunk,” the magazine declared. “Few youngsters today want to mine diamonds in South Africa, ranch in Paraguay, climb Mount Everest, find a cure for cancer, sail around the world or build an industrial empire. Some would like to own a small, independent business, but most want a good job with a big firm, and with it, a kind of suburban idyll.” The young soldier “lacks flame,” students were “docile notetakers.” And the young writer’s flair “sometimes turns out to be nothing more than a byproduct of his neuroses.” (This even before Philip Roth, born 1933, had published a novel.)
Graeme Codrington recently spoke at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust conference in Birmingham, England. The audience was over 2,000 head teachers of secondary schools in the UK. He was asked to adapt his “Mind the Gap” presentation for a 20 minute keynote on the implications of the Millennial generation for leaders in schools.
The session was videod and is available online here.
Pepsi have an excellent understanding of the driving values of each generation and they have produced a number of great adverts over the past few years. We often use Pepsi in our marketing workshops as case studies. I recently came across this new Pepsi advert which has great Generational appeal…
One of the most common criticisms of generational theory is that it is nothing much more than pop psychology. While it is true that many people use generational theory in its crudest forms, applying it when all they know about it is what they heard in a one hour keynote session at a conference, this does not mean that the theory itself has no substance. It is also true that some people use it as a “blunt instrument” – applying it with no regard to other dynamics and segmentation models. Again, just because some people use it badly, doesn’t discredit the theory itself.
There are many formal research projects on generations, and almost all of them confirm the basic theory and its findings. A recent study now focuses on the younger generation, known as Generation Y. The global survey was conducted by the Economist Business Intelligence Unit and Genesys, an Alcatel-Lucent company. It looked at how consumers born between 1982 and 2001 will impact the customer experience, asking C-level and senior executives from around the world how they are creating a customer experience to attract and retain Millennials. Of the 164 executives who took part in the survey, 29% came from North America, 31% from Europe, 30% from Asia-Pacific and 10% from the rest of the world. Participants represented 19 different industries. One-third of respondents’ organisations had annual revenue greater than US$1 billion and just over one-half (51%) had less than US$500 million in revenue. Board members and CEOs comprised 30% of respondents. CFOs, CTOs and other C-level executives made up an additional 19%. The remainder was split among other senior and middle management functions.
The headline results and executive summary of the findings is very interesting:
… Continue Reading
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.
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.
There is a mountain of media wordage about “generation y” at the moment. This group of young people has been variously defined as those born from 1978, 1984, 1989 and 1990 until present (or year 2000). However you define them, this is the youngest generation of employees and customers impacting the world of work at the moment. Their earliest generational memory was of the momentous shifts that shook the world in 1989 (Tiananmen Square, the Berlin Wall comes down, Romania is freed from dictatorship, the Communist Party is banned in Russia, America invades Panama – just to name a few. Oh, and Nelson Mandela was released from jail in February 1990). The Internet and mobile phones have been ubiquitous in their lives as long as they can remember, and the world has become increasingly “hot, flat and crowded” in their lifetime.
So, it’s vital to understand them as potential employees and customers. A Google search – or reading entries on our blog – will get you started. You can also check out our presentation on Making the Most of the Millennials.
But, and this is important, there is one other VERY important reason to take them seriously. They are already starting their own businesses. They are likely to be the most successful young entrepreneurs of all time. And you need to be aware of who they are and how they will compete with you over the next few years.
Probably the best article written on this comes from Inc magazine’s October 2008 edition. Read the article, Cool, Determined & Under 30. This is how they describe the piece: They are running businesses in fields as diverse as Wi-Fi and fashion, blogging and music. Combined, they manage nearly 600 employees and have raised more than $100 million from investors. They have graduated from (and, on occasion, dropped out of) some of the very best schools in the country. They are collaborative, creative, and — above all — confident. And here’s one more fact: All of them were born after October 31, 1978.
One of my favourite PodCasts is Business Week – Cover Stories. Editor John Byrne interviews the author of that week’s cover story. On 14 August 2008 the cover story was to do with research Business Week had completed on the most common workplace problems. I particularily liked this one because ‘generational differences’ came up as one of the biggest and most interesting issues.
TomorrowToday in South Africa and the United Kingdom has been researching and working with companies around generational challenges for over 6 years now. We’ve gained a large amount of insight and experience with some very big, medium and small companies, around the world, as they find solutions to the different world views and value systems that each generation brings to the workplace.
Today I enjoyed listening to yet another perspective. I identified with much of what was discussed (although I wished they’d said more). I continue to hold the view that many companies still fail to recognise that generational theory is at the heart of many of their people challenges (talent included). Of course it’s not the only one, but gaining a full understanding of this theory, holds the key to some effective solutions.
To listen to ‘On-the-Job Woes‘ PodCast follow this link.
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!
Generational theory is for all intents and purposes deceptively simple yet the effects of intergenerational differences on training within the workplace are anything but simple and increasingly are having a profound effect on the roll-out of training in organisations. This is prompting those responsible for the training portfolio to reassess how to train, how often and in what subject.
Gone are the days of pure technical training where the outcome is centered on learning a skill intended to directly improve performance on the job. The need for increased emotional intelligence in the workplace has brought about a far greater need for programmes that offer development in areas like assertiveness skills, negotiation and how to handle difficult conversations which are aimed at Engineers and Sales Consultants alike. So while course content needs to be relevant to the job at hand, it should also bear relevance to personal lives which are as, if not more, important.
Traditional classroom learning too is being tossed out of the proverbial window. The new buzz word is impact learning, which requires trainers and teachers to act as facilitators – knowledgeable experts who, while imparting course content, develop relationships with their delegates, entertain and are able to adapt their personal training style and techniques to the requirements at hand.
Within this context and conscious of the changing profile of those sitting in the training room, it is important to have an understanding of the different generational attitudes to training and development. Without this framework the ability to connect and appeal is defunct. … Continue Reading
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!
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.
The Times post or here to read
The Guardian post
It seems that just about everyone is talking about generations and how to manage the mix of generations in the office these days. I was sent this interesting summary of generational values from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association Office of Diversity (USA).
It’s a bit simplistic, but it’s a nice summary.
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“Baby Boomer”, “Generation X”, the “Millennial generation”, “Generation Y” – these and other similar terms to describe groups of people of different ages have become fairly well known and well used in recent years. These terms arise from a theory that attempts to explain how different generations develop different value systems, and the impact that this has on how younger and older people interact with the world around them and with each other.
This understanding of different generations and the “gap” between them has many applications in all areas of life, from parents interacting with children, to sales people selling to younger or older clients, to managers who work with teams of people of different ages.
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
The 11 March 2010 edition of the TIME magazine had a great cover article on “10 ideas for the next 10 years“. In the same edition, Nancy Gibbs (who has often written on generational issues for TIME), wrote an interesting short piece on how young people perceive the generation gap these days. It’s [...]
A report under this title appeared in the New York Times on 12 March 2010. It’s a great example of a few things, but especially of the power of social media, and the fact that innovation (and competition) can come from anywhere these days.
Read the story of how technology developed in the aftermath of [...]
For years banks and credit card companies have held a strangle hold over the movement of money and charged exorbitant rates for doing so. Now this is changing and fast.
Michale Ivey the founder of Twitpay has devised a system, using code that PayPal made available to him, that allows people to make payments [...]
In the last few hours the 10 billionth tweet was tweeted on Twitter. As one would imagine there was all kinds of hype and excitement, as Tweeps with the necesary skills attempted to predict the time it would happen, and I imagine even be ‘the one’?
My last tweet was 9999989724. Wild. Will be at 10 [...]
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