Last week I turned off NBC Nightly News right in the middle of the newscast. I could not weather through another word presented as news.
Now I do hold a college degree in Journalism. In fact, even when I went through classes during the 1970s, the idea of unbiased news reporting was still something being stressed in the classroom.
I am the first one to tell you… that is not how journalism is presented in many classrooms today… certainly not in the classes taught by the Baby Boomer academics.
In the last 3-4 months, the Boomers have had a “come to Jesus”… although, the train did leave the station a while back.
Much of their retirement Nirvana faded as their retirement funds took a dive and their home values dwindled.
Any hope of being able to retire from their career job and open up that organic-based, solar-powered retail shop met the challenge of little-to-no business start-up loans available.
Already the Global Warming hype had to wear the new label of Climate Change.
And while the passage of Obamacare was a time to celebrate for many, others knew that the winds would not be blowing Blue in the soon-to-come election.
Just before Christmas, the snowstorms hit literally coast-to-coast and north-to-south.
Then even before the last of the College Bowl Games kicked-off, another round of record-breaking cold and snowfall literally paralyzed the last few whispers of Global Warming.
Shoot, even large groups of birds dropped dead from the sky with no coal-burning powerblast, traffic CO2 or nuke plant to blame.
In the midst of the snow storm this past week, I read an article in the Atlanta newspaper that in 2011, more than 10,000 Boomers will turn 65 every day.
That’s right. Right next to their “Make Love Not War” wallet card will be their AARP card in their wallets and purses. And right next to their Sierra Club Newsletter will be their Social Security check in the mailbox.
No question. The Boomers will find something to rally around next.
“Sustainable” is their buzz-word… actually, for many, sustainability translates to their own sense of immortality.
It might be a full abandonment of the political and social platforms, for a back to mother earth, communal existence.
Maybe the idea of a continual care retirement community where people still reside in their homes will take on a new role and be packaged slightly different.
They will have a communal place to eat locally grown foods, write letters for demanding global human rights and recycle paper and plastic found in their neighborhoods
Moving to Palm Springs, Ft. Meyers or Taos is probably out, since selling the home in Boston, Chicago, LA or Atlanta is probably out… at least for now.
Maybe they will rally around a more neutral cause like literacy since books have since shifted to electronic screens for many of their peers and YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for their grandkids.
Although something tells me that they will work to have libraries carry the same books in Spanish as they do in English.
Funny… many of librarians that I remember growing up had gray hair and more often wore utility shoes versus heels.
The problem is, Boomers are beginning to come to terms with the fact that they just now may be out-numbered.
2011 promises to be an interesting year leading into the presidential race of 2012.
There are smart marketers out there that already are taking their brands and repositioning and re-launching them to reach the generational change-wave of Millennials.
There are also some brand management teams that continue to perceive Baby Boomers fueling politics, media and the arts. There are also other brand management teams that believe that the Baby Boomers are now entering their “senior retirement” years.
If you are thinking about re-structuring what remains of your IRA, avoid companies headed by brand management teams like these.
If you are a marketing consulting firm, you might want to pick up the phone and rattle the corporate cages…and you might… just might…get a call to come back!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Some Things Simply Will NOT Change
Nearly all of my blog-logues are about change.
In fact, the 2011 Trendcast even includes five CHANGE WAVES that are the Tsunami agents rattling the marketplace.
But this blog-logue is different.
It’s about some things that simply do not change.
Like car dealer marketing and advertising.
While car brand advertising might change some – like the Kia Gerbils! – dealer marketing and advertising remains the same.
Ask any person on the street, “when you think of bad advertising, what do you think of?” and I will put a $100 on the table that at least half of them will say car dealer ads.
Being the end of the year, the car dealers are becoming similar to the political candidates the week before election day.
Last week, I got a letter from the dealer where I purchased my Jeep earlier in 2010.
The letter began with a paragraph saying that the owner of the dealership was “just a few cars away from getting his big bonus award” and “was asking a select few customers to come buy a car to help.”
I am not joking. This is what the dealer sent.
I called the dealership and asked to speak to the owner. The owner was “out on a holiday vacation.”
I asked to speak to the head of sales.
When he picked up the call, I told him about the letter I received in the mail. He asked me when was I coming in to purchase a new Jeep.
I asked him if he had been drinking a bunch of spiked eggnog already that day.
I then told him that I found the letter insulting and could care less if the owner of the dealership got a bonus or not.
He said he did not understand.
Some things simply do not change.
Then there are the newspaper writers and articles about new government release statistics.
In yesterday’s Atlanta Journal Constitution, there was a front-page article titled “Mableton Mirrors Atlanta At-Large.”
It was about the newly released 2010 US Census stats.
The article compares four radically different suburban hamlets based on median age, ethnicity and income and claim that they are all mirror one another as well as metro Atlanta as a whole.
One of those communities is a firmly middle-class suburb; another one an area of urban Generation X “gentrification”; another a “good ole boy” exurban community that is becoming a bedroom community for professional African-Americans.
BUT… according to the article… they are all the same. In fact, all the same and comparative to all of metro Atlanta.
Statisticians seem to live in the gray-zone of averages.
They also live in the past and present. They get itchy and uncomfortable living in the future.
One of my clients has been working with a senior housing developer that has brought in a young statistician to evaluate the investment opportunity of a building site.
After reviewing reports I put together of interesting market trends, community profiles and generational changes, the statistician has boiled down his assessment to similar comparative stats just like the guy at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
You know what, they might be brothers.
In fact, he has even ruled that a bedroom executive community and a small North Georgia town at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains post mirror image population statistics.
He also has ruled that the area is not likely to grow despite double-digit five year projected growth rates re-estimated in 2010 to take into account the economy and new business starts.
According to the statistician, the area has posted limited new home starts in the past 12 months.
Okay.
I know that I preach that change is inevitable. That the paradigm of business has changed. That to survive, marketers need to employ innovative strategy and challenge historic perspectives.
But I was partly wrong.
Some things simply will not change.
In fact, the 2011 Trendcast even includes five CHANGE WAVES that are the Tsunami agents rattling the marketplace.
But this blog-logue is different.
It’s about some things that simply do not change.
Like car dealer marketing and advertising.
While car brand advertising might change some – like the Kia Gerbils! – dealer marketing and advertising remains the same.
Ask any person on the street, “when you think of bad advertising, what do you think of?” and I will put a $100 on the table that at least half of them will say car dealer ads.
Being the end of the year, the car dealers are becoming similar to the political candidates the week before election day.
Last week, I got a letter from the dealer where I purchased my Jeep earlier in 2010.
The letter began with a paragraph saying that the owner of the dealership was “just a few cars away from getting his big bonus award” and “was asking a select few customers to come buy a car to help.”
I am not joking. This is what the dealer sent.
I called the dealership and asked to speak to the owner. The owner was “out on a holiday vacation.”
I asked to speak to the head of sales.
When he picked up the call, I told him about the letter I received in the mail. He asked me when was I coming in to purchase a new Jeep.
I asked him if he had been drinking a bunch of spiked eggnog already that day.
I then told him that I found the letter insulting and could care less if the owner of the dealership got a bonus or not.
He said he did not understand.
Some things simply do not change.
Then there are the newspaper writers and articles about new government release statistics.
In yesterday’s Atlanta Journal Constitution, there was a front-page article titled “Mableton Mirrors Atlanta At-Large.”
It was about the newly released 2010 US Census stats.
The article compares four radically different suburban hamlets based on median age, ethnicity and income and claim that they are all mirror one another as well as metro Atlanta as a whole.
One of those communities is a firmly middle-class suburb; another one an area of urban Generation X “gentrification”; another a “good ole boy” exurban community that is becoming a bedroom community for professional African-Americans.
BUT… according to the article… they are all the same. In fact, all the same and comparative to all of metro Atlanta.
Statisticians seem to live in the gray-zone of averages.
They also live in the past and present. They get itchy and uncomfortable living in the future.
One of my clients has been working with a senior housing developer that has brought in a young statistician to evaluate the investment opportunity of a building site.
After reviewing reports I put together of interesting market trends, community profiles and generational changes, the statistician has boiled down his assessment to similar comparative stats just like the guy at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
You know what, they might be brothers.
In fact, he has even ruled that a bedroom executive community and a small North Georgia town at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains post mirror image population statistics.
He also has ruled that the area is not likely to grow despite double-digit five year projected growth rates re-estimated in 2010 to take into account the economy and new business starts.
According to the statistician, the area has posted limited new home starts in the past 12 months.
Okay.
I know that I preach that change is inevitable. That the paradigm of business has changed. That to survive, marketers need to employ innovative strategy and challenge historic perspectives.
But I was partly wrong.
Some things simply will not change.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Are You ReadyMade Ready?
Over the past few weeks, I have been immersed in the Millennial Generation and how it relates across a wide spectrum of personal health insurance to flooring and home décor.
When I tell clients that the group is real… they pose a puzzled look on their face.
“Who are these people?”
“Those are the Generation X aren’t they?”
“Okay…the college student market, right?”
My response is very simple.
The Millennial Generation is 71 Million strong. The leading edge of that generation turns 31 in 2011. They will change the American landscape even more than the Boomers did 30 years ago.
I then follow quickly and ask if they have every heard of ReadyMade Magazine.
Few raise their hands.
ReadyMade Magazine should be required reading from the CEO to the advertising assistant to the local sales rep.
The current issue should function as a fundamental support post for any 2011 forward brand platforms.
The contents and stories will make you smile.
The Millennials take what life deals them, reframe it, remold it, reprogram it and move on.
They may be ADHD, but in many ways, it is a condition that gives them an advantage.
There are great recipes in the issue.
There’s a great story about a Boomer couple that lives like a Millennial.
There are stories about cheap travel destinations
My favorite is a story about a Millennial Entrepreneur and his mobile restaurant that he runs out of a trailer.
The article is complete with a template of the business plan he used to start up the venture.
This past year, I met with the former Chief Operating Officer of a 500+ location restaurant chain. We met at least a dozen times.
This guy was going through a Baby Boomer re-birth and was pursuing the idea of starting up a mobile restaurant brand.
The idea never came to life.
Too bad the guy could not take on the Millennial head set… and just do it.
Instead, the baggage of the MBA past and Corporate America created so many walls that the concept idea never made it to trial.
If you have never read an issue of ReadyMade, you owe it to yourself to do so.
It is sold in Borders, Barnes & Noble and even the local Krogers.
You have no excuse.
And when you get home with it. Turn to page 58 and make yourself a glass of the Mardi Gras Indian Winter Toddy.
Cheers!
When I tell clients that the group is real… they pose a puzzled look on their face.
“Who are these people?”
“Those are the Generation X aren’t they?”
“Okay…the college student market, right?”
My response is very simple.
The Millennial Generation is 71 Million strong. The leading edge of that generation turns 31 in 2011. They will change the American landscape even more than the Boomers did 30 years ago.
I then follow quickly and ask if they have every heard of ReadyMade Magazine.
Few raise their hands.
ReadyMade Magazine should be required reading from the CEO to the advertising assistant to the local sales rep.
The current issue should function as a fundamental support post for any 2011 forward brand platforms.
The contents and stories will make you smile.
The Millennials take what life deals them, reframe it, remold it, reprogram it and move on.
They may be ADHD, but in many ways, it is a condition that gives them an advantage.
There are great recipes in the issue.
There’s a great story about a Boomer couple that lives like a Millennial.
There are stories about cheap travel destinations
My favorite is a story about a Millennial Entrepreneur and his mobile restaurant that he runs out of a trailer.
The article is complete with a template of the business plan he used to start up the venture.
This past year, I met with the former Chief Operating Officer of a 500+ location restaurant chain. We met at least a dozen times.
This guy was going through a Baby Boomer re-birth and was pursuing the idea of starting up a mobile restaurant brand.
The idea never came to life.
Too bad the guy could not take on the Millennial head set… and just do it.
Instead, the baggage of the MBA past and Corporate America created so many walls that the concept idea never made it to trial.
If you have never read an issue of ReadyMade, you owe it to yourself to do so.
It is sold in Borders, Barnes & Noble and even the local Krogers.
You have no excuse.
And when you get home with it. Turn to page 58 and make yourself a glass of the Mardi Gras Indian Winter Toddy.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Brands That Need To Move On
Oaky… I think that we can all say in unison that the political campaign ads this year sucked.
Not just poorly written, but horrible across the board.
And the fact that the politicians and those producing the ads believe the more we see the ads, the more we will love the candidate says to me that they were likely smoking those California cigarettes!
My last Blog post cites the top trends that will rattle the market in 2011.
After all the number crunching, observations and conclusions… I have to release my frustrations of what hits my flat screen while I watch television at night.
Here are five examples of the Brands That Need To Move On!
Progressive Insurance
Okay enough of the white dressed, white faced, big red lipstick woman.
I think we need to nominate Flo for What Not To Wear!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0
After the premiere of AFLAC and the Duck, the insurance industry has gotten itself hooked on coming up with some icon that people will recall along with the brand name.
Even good brand equity like Allstate is getting slashed with iconic Mayhem.
The dogma of the category has become addicted to cutesy character stories.
The corporate marketing teams must have been weaned on Cap’n Crruch.
Fidelity Investment Advisors
I would love to sit in on the focus groups and watch the facilitator get the participants to like these ads.
DO AS I SAY!
In a time when consumers are taking charge…when trust in BIG BUSINESS is about at the same level as congress…when stock market investments translate to retirement loss…
I cannot imagine participants in a focus group saying that they search high and low for the financial consultant that will lead them on a pathway like a pup on the dog walk.
Dear Fidelity CMO… go Google your ads on YouTube and watch the Green Line parody series.
CLICK HERE. NOW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0KqEMaR0BU
DirecTV
Thanks to AT&T, my tube at home receives the signal through a DirecTV dish in my backyard.
As a DirecTV subscriber, my preferred nets include HGTV, FOX News, ESPN and The Food Network. I never watch FX, SYFY or HBO Extreme.
The CMO of DirecTV must be going through male menopause. Either that or the guy has psycho underlies that are beginning to take hold.
The violence in the new DirecTV ads is niche targeting, but not sure whether that niche reached will result in much revenue. Last I heard, the jailhouses don’t offer satellite TV.
Maybe we need to really blame ourselves.
I mean, we should have seen it coming when the CMO decided to play off of the Green Bay country gal confessing to the priest about what she delivered to the neighbors who subscribed to DirecTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFrloFdSxm4
Okay, I will admit that these ads are at least better than the ones that feature the duel between the DirecTV and the Dish Network flat screen sets, but it is time to move on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EAboZFq05s
FEDEX
Here is my bet.
The original FEDEX 1970’s brand marketing management team has since retired and there is a new CMO that recently brought in a new ad agency.
Want to see strength in a good brand line. Text a friend and ask them what is the FEDEX brand line.
Another bet. They will text back "Absolutely, Positively Overnight.”
(The last time anything close to it was used was 1995)
Now ask them if they can describe the latest FEDEX television ad.
Third bet. They likely cannot.
That’s because the latest ads say NOTHING about neither what FEDEX does nor what the brand means.
Instead it’s a story about a guy masquerading as an exchange student in China.
Check out the 2010 FEDEX ads… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xtr3j-DuM0
Fourth bet. The copywriters writing these ads are cousins with the Progressive copy team.
New 2011 Car Ads
Let me say right up front. This commentary is not about Kia ads. Kia is the heretical brand that is not Viagra dependent.
Instead, it’s about the new car ads for brands that run the gamut from Jeep to Audi to Ford to Hyundai.
It doesn’t matter what’s their price point or whether American, European or Asian made.
They are all about power, speed and endurance.
To get a feel for these ads, just type in “2011 Car Ads” on the YouTube Search bar and click on down the commercials that pop up.
If you don’t have time to watch YouTube… trust me, if you watch any of the bowl games in the next 3-4 weeks, you will see a ton of them.
When the client waves those $200 Million+ budgets, those ad agencies that have survived the Great Recession are the last ones to say, “enough is enough.”
Maybe when the 2011 sales don’t quite hit the sales goals, the CEOs will not just fire the agencies, but also clean house internally as well.
There Are Those That Get It
I end this Blog by saying that the T-Mobile ad is still one of my favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLU2_w91QEU
It evoked a sense of culture, it was simple and it appealed on an emotional level.
There are brands that do “get it.”
When I saw the new Advil commercial that premiered about two weeks ago, I immediately connected with it.
Congrats to their CMO. Congrats to their creative team.
No question that it differentiated their brand and did so without one bit of copy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPa7ltzJXXQ
I just hope that other CMOs and MBAs get it… and the Ad Agencies have the balls to tell them when they don't!
Not just poorly written, but horrible across the board.
And the fact that the politicians and those producing the ads believe the more we see the ads, the more we will love the candidate says to me that they were likely smoking those California cigarettes!
My last Blog post cites the top trends that will rattle the market in 2011.
After all the number crunching, observations and conclusions… I have to release my frustrations of what hits my flat screen while I watch television at night.
Here are five examples of the Brands That Need To Move On!
Progressive Insurance
Okay enough of the white dressed, white faced, big red lipstick woman.
I think we need to nominate Flo for What Not To Wear!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRecos7TcA0
After the premiere of AFLAC and the Duck, the insurance industry has gotten itself hooked on coming up with some icon that people will recall along with the brand name.
Even good brand equity like Allstate is getting slashed with iconic Mayhem.
The dogma of the category has become addicted to cutesy character stories.
The corporate marketing teams must have been weaned on Cap’n Crruch.
Fidelity Investment Advisors
I would love to sit in on the focus groups and watch the facilitator get the participants to like these ads.
DO AS I SAY!
In a time when consumers are taking charge…when trust in BIG BUSINESS is about at the same level as congress…when stock market investments translate to retirement loss…
I cannot imagine participants in a focus group saying that they search high and low for the financial consultant that will lead them on a pathway like a pup on the dog walk.
Dear Fidelity CMO… go Google your ads on YouTube and watch the Green Line parody series.
CLICK HERE. NOW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0KqEMaR0BU
DirecTV
Thanks to AT&T, my tube at home receives the signal through a DirecTV dish in my backyard.
As a DirecTV subscriber, my preferred nets include HGTV, FOX News, ESPN and The Food Network. I never watch FX, SYFY or HBO Extreme.
The CMO of DirecTV must be going through male menopause. Either that or the guy has psycho underlies that are beginning to take hold.
The violence in the new DirecTV ads is niche targeting, but not sure whether that niche reached will result in much revenue. Last I heard, the jailhouses don’t offer satellite TV.
Maybe we need to really blame ourselves.
I mean, we should have seen it coming when the CMO decided to play off of the Green Bay country gal confessing to the priest about what she delivered to the neighbors who subscribed to DirecTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFrloFdSxm4
Okay, I will admit that these ads are at least better than the ones that feature the duel between the DirecTV and the Dish Network flat screen sets, but it is time to move on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EAboZFq05s
FEDEX
Here is my bet.
The original FEDEX 1970’s brand marketing management team has since retired and there is a new CMO that recently brought in a new ad agency.
Want to see strength in a good brand line. Text a friend and ask them what is the FEDEX brand line.
Another bet. They will text back "Absolutely, Positively Overnight.”
(The last time anything close to it was used was 1995)
Now ask them if they can describe the latest FEDEX television ad.
Third bet. They likely cannot.
That’s because the latest ads say NOTHING about neither what FEDEX does nor what the brand means.
Instead it’s a story about a guy masquerading as an exchange student in China.
Check out the 2010 FEDEX ads… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xtr3j-DuM0
Fourth bet. The copywriters writing these ads are cousins with the Progressive copy team.
New 2011 Car Ads
Let me say right up front. This commentary is not about Kia ads. Kia is the heretical brand that is not Viagra dependent.
Instead, it’s about the new car ads for brands that run the gamut from Jeep to Audi to Ford to Hyundai.
It doesn’t matter what’s their price point or whether American, European or Asian made.
They are all about power, speed and endurance.
To get a feel for these ads, just type in “2011 Car Ads” on the YouTube Search bar and click on down the commercials that pop up.
If you don’t have time to watch YouTube… trust me, if you watch any of the bowl games in the next 3-4 weeks, you will see a ton of them.
When the client waves those $200 Million+ budgets, those ad agencies that have survived the Great Recession are the last ones to say, “enough is enough.”
Maybe when the 2011 sales don’t quite hit the sales goals, the CEOs will not just fire the agencies, but also clean house internally as well.
There Are Those That Get It
I end this Blog by saying that the T-Mobile ad is still one of my favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLU2_w91QEU
It evoked a sense of culture, it was simple and it appealed on an emotional level.
There are brands that do “get it.”
When I saw the new Advil commercial that premiered about two weeks ago, I immediately connected with it.
Congrats to their CMO. Congrats to their creative team.
No question that it differentiated their brand and did so without one bit of copy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPa7ltzJXXQ
I just hope that other CMOs and MBAs get it… and the Ad Agencies have the balls to tell them when they don't!
Friday, November 5, 2010
The BrandVenture 2011 TRENDCAST!
This past year, I got a chance to get out even more into the field and talk with people one-on-one.
With retail clients in our roster, I went into malls and shopping centers as well as delved deep into what is emerging on the retail horizon.
From global trend tracking sources to the new release of the Yankelovich Monitor, there are trends emerging the will fuel innovation success in 2011 and beyond.
The economic challenges of the last few years have made long-term impact on how key generational groups like Boomers, GenXers and Millennials move through their life-stage experiences.
Here is an overview of the 2011 TRENDCAST TOP 10…
1. The Power Of The Grass Roots – The November election not only showcased the power of the grass roots; it was another set of reinforcements of consumers taking back control. Perhaps ignited by the Bank of America credit card revolt, there is a power shift taking place as you read this. From YouTube to Blog Posts, word-of-mouth has grown from a form of commentary to a new version of mass media. With the national election looming in 2012, the new power of the people will not go away.
2. The Qualification Of Value – The past marketing mantra of good quality product and service is no longer receiving blind consumer acceptance. Likewise, low price alone does not lead to immediate sales. With consumer savings on the increase, the demand for demonstrated quality will become magnified beyond the Groupons and Sunday coupon inserts of 2010.
3. Family Management – Where technology has changed the way that we manage the home, the economy has changed the way that many households manage bearing kids. From when to have them to how to pay for them to what to do with them…financial issues are now impacting the Millennials as they quickly move into their child-bearing years and postponing the kids is moving full speed ahead into 2011.
4. The Greening of The Eco-Class – The nicknaming of Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck has moved from the organic tomatoes to the new luxury line of dining, housing, décor and automotive brands. The redefined consumer mindset has driven the high price points of produce sold at the weekend farmer’s markets. The empowerment of going green is quickly defining a new high-income eco-class that will pay the premium price of a neutral carbon footprint left by the eco-friendly designer shoes!
5. Personalized Celebration – While we will continue to celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries and the conventional holidays, a cross generational mix is now celebrating a customized set of new anniversaries and achievements like holding onto a job for a year, a clean bill of health, the kids finally moving out of the house and improvements in the credit scores! It is opening up opportunity for restaurants, hotels, Champaign merchants, florists and online greeting cards!
6. The Parental Transition of Service – Thanks to the likes of AT&T, Comcast and the mega-banks, the mass packaging and programming of customer service is quickly leading to customers abandoning their brands. And thanks to the Boomer parents and their Millennial kids, the need for the surrogate parent drives who we seek out to manage the purchase experience hands-on before, during and after engagement. The new model of service sought will impact everyone from the travel agent to the personal banker. The mechanics and personality of service that cements brand loyalty will emerge as a market transformer in 2011 and beyond.
7. Recast Entertainment – The article in this morning’s edition of the Wall Street Journal talked about the new growing decline of cable subscribers as well as folks ”dishing the dish.” Last year’s TRENDCAST Trans Tech was right on target with what is now being labeled as the High Tech “Cloud.” In 2011, the impact of the Internet and the “at our finger tips” smart phones will recast everything from the channels of access to the entertainment format of what we previously called “broadcast” programming.
8. High Touch Gaming – The early sell-out of the 2011 Super Bowl ad time provides a snapshot into the increasing popularity of competitive sports and personal achievement. From amateur leagues to college games to professional teams to the virtual world of Wii, both players and fans are able to compete and win…something that posts limited outcomes at best in the real world of business, romance and work.
9. Heath Care Tune-ups – Just like we bring in our cars to get that oil change and tune-up in 30 minutes or less and then hit the road for another 20,000 miles, technology is quickly moving medical care into the same mode of thinking. However, in 2011 time impact of computer robotics, bio-engineering and minimally invasive treatments will reach the tipping point. Serious threats of the past spanning the spectrum from cardiac to neurological to cancer will be treated quickly and effectively as the automotive tune-up. The result? Watch how the classic retirement option gets literally thrown out the door by the emerging Baby Boomer “senior” market group!
10. The Outing Of The Home – Any of you living in those “mid-century” historic homes who think that the sliding glass door is just retro cool will be surprised that a close comparative will become an in-the-now trend of 2011. The name might change from sliding glass doors to sliding glass walls, but as the roof-over-the-head square footage continues to shrink, outdoor living space is becoming hip and fun. In 2011, we will see outdoor living space move from urban chic to mainstream just like granite counters became as accessible at IKEA as they were among the high-end design teams. Outdoor kitchens and showers are old news as everything from media rooms to overnight sleeping space is moving outside under the stars.
If your mind is spinning, that is good. There are opportunities to tap and strategies to employ.
If you want more information about the trends, the stats behind them and how they are influencing brands like yours, call me at 404.245.9378 we can set up a time to review in more depth.
Businesses that embrace the change will not only survive, but also excel!
With retail clients in our roster, I went into malls and shopping centers as well as delved deep into what is emerging on the retail horizon.
From global trend tracking sources to the new release of the Yankelovich Monitor, there are trends emerging the will fuel innovation success in 2011 and beyond.
The economic challenges of the last few years have made long-term impact on how key generational groups like Boomers, GenXers and Millennials move through their life-stage experiences.
Here is an overview of the 2011 TRENDCAST TOP 10…
1. The Power Of The Grass Roots – The November election not only showcased the power of the grass roots; it was another set of reinforcements of consumers taking back control. Perhaps ignited by the Bank of America credit card revolt, there is a power shift taking place as you read this. From YouTube to Blog Posts, word-of-mouth has grown from a form of commentary to a new version of mass media. With the national election looming in 2012, the new power of the people will not go away.
2. The Qualification Of Value – The past marketing mantra of good quality product and service is no longer receiving blind consumer acceptance. Likewise, low price alone does not lead to immediate sales. With consumer savings on the increase, the demand for demonstrated quality will become magnified beyond the Groupons and Sunday coupon inserts of 2010.
3. Family Management – Where technology has changed the way that we manage the home, the economy has changed the way that many households manage bearing kids. From when to have them to how to pay for them to what to do with them…financial issues are now impacting the Millennials as they quickly move into their child-bearing years and postponing the kids is moving full speed ahead into 2011.
4. The Greening of The Eco-Class – The nicknaming of Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck has moved from the organic tomatoes to the new luxury line of dining, housing, décor and automotive brands. The redefined consumer mindset has driven the high price points of produce sold at the weekend farmer’s markets. The empowerment of going green is quickly defining a new high-income eco-class that will pay the premium price of a neutral carbon footprint left by the eco-friendly designer shoes!
5. Personalized Celebration – While we will continue to celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries and the conventional holidays, a cross generational mix is now celebrating a customized set of new anniversaries and achievements like holding onto a job for a year, a clean bill of health, the kids finally moving out of the house and improvements in the credit scores! It is opening up opportunity for restaurants, hotels, Champaign merchants, florists and online greeting cards!
6. The Parental Transition of Service – Thanks to the likes of AT&T, Comcast and the mega-banks, the mass packaging and programming of customer service is quickly leading to customers abandoning their brands. And thanks to the Boomer parents and their Millennial kids, the need for the surrogate parent drives who we seek out to manage the purchase experience hands-on before, during and after engagement. The new model of service sought will impact everyone from the travel agent to the personal banker. The mechanics and personality of service that cements brand loyalty will emerge as a market transformer in 2011 and beyond.
7. Recast Entertainment – The article in this morning’s edition of the Wall Street Journal talked about the new growing decline of cable subscribers as well as folks ”dishing the dish.” Last year’s TRENDCAST Trans Tech was right on target with what is now being labeled as the High Tech “Cloud.” In 2011, the impact of the Internet and the “at our finger tips” smart phones will recast everything from the channels of access to the entertainment format of what we previously called “broadcast” programming.
8. High Touch Gaming – The early sell-out of the 2011 Super Bowl ad time provides a snapshot into the increasing popularity of competitive sports and personal achievement. From amateur leagues to college games to professional teams to the virtual world of Wii, both players and fans are able to compete and win…something that posts limited outcomes at best in the real world of business, romance and work.
9. Heath Care Tune-ups – Just like we bring in our cars to get that oil change and tune-up in 30 minutes or less and then hit the road for another 20,000 miles, technology is quickly moving medical care into the same mode of thinking. However, in 2011 time impact of computer robotics, bio-engineering and minimally invasive treatments will reach the tipping point. Serious threats of the past spanning the spectrum from cardiac to neurological to cancer will be treated quickly and effectively as the automotive tune-up. The result? Watch how the classic retirement option gets literally thrown out the door by the emerging Baby Boomer “senior” market group!
10. The Outing Of The Home – Any of you living in those “mid-century” historic homes who think that the sliding glass door is just retro cool will be surprised that a close comparative will become an in-the-now trend of 2011. The name might change from sliding glass doors to sliding glass walls, but as the roof-over-the-head square footage continues to shrink, outdoor living space is becoming hip and fun. In 2011, we will see outdoor living space move from urban chic to mainstream just like granite counters became as accessible at IKEA as they were among the high-end design teams. Outdoor kitchens and showers are old news as everything from media rooms to overnight sleeping space is moving outside under the stars.
If your mind is spinning, that is good. There are opportunities to tap and strategies to employ.
If you want more information about the trends, the stats behind them and how they are influencing brands like yours, call me at 404.245.9378 we can set up a time to review in more depth.
Businesses that embrace the change will not only survive, but also excel!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The CHANGE WAVE of SELF CONTROL!
I know that I promised the 2011 TRENDCAST unveiling in two weeks. I made that claim on September 12th a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, the unveiling will be delayed yet another week or so.
Note that I said fortunately!
In that September 12th blog post I shared several of the trigger points that are driving the 2011 CHANGE WAVE titled RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER.
Since that posting, I have received a series of calls from businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and politicians – yes, even politicians – that are stepping back and saying in unison… “THERE IS A BETTER WAY.”
Since that posting, the impact of RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER has crossed the tipping point in the historic media world.
The conventional news nets and cable news nets along with the news-rags across the US are now daily reporting on the CHANGE WAVE that will take place on November 2nd Election Day.
Today, CNN is posting a lead story titled, “What went wrong for Democrats” with a picture of our president and speaker of the house looking grim to say the least.
Note that this story in posting on CNN…not on FOX News.
In the current issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, there is a great article about how businesses are routing around banks and finding new ways to fund their aspirations.
Two years ago the politico staked their branding in a platform using the word CHANGE.
Today, the marketplace is not staking a claim…but instead, is taking action.
Which leads into another 2011-Forward CHANGE WAVE!
THE ACQUISITION OF SELF-CONTROL.
The Tea Party Movement provides only a glimpse of what is really taking place in the marketplace.
Parents are doing it with kids. Franchisees are doing it with their restaurants. Community groups are doing it with their city blocks. Job seekers are doing it with their career paths. Physicians are doing it with their practices mechanics.
Back in 2006, Yankelovich reported how individuals they surveyed mentioned frustration with “the system” and, as a result of the frustration, how they were seeking direction more from friends and family.
Yankelovich attributed this frustration to a combination of the impact of terrorism and the unknown as well as the continued task automation of technology.
Yes…the Millennials drove the results of the 2008 election, but unlike the media packaging of it being a rejection of the past and a call of change, many Millennials that I interview in On-the-Streets and Coffee House Chats describe the election as an extension of their “leaving the home” and claiming a sense of self destiny.
From Millennials to Boomers to Mature WWIIers… the events experienced over the last two years have only poured gasoline on the sparks and now are igniting an explosion of self-destiny.
This past week, I moved part of my business back into the city. Part of the week I will work out of a nice farm cottage in a small college town and part of the week from an intown Atlanta office or coffee house.
Does this fit the model of small business dynamics? No. Does it fit with how business is defined by the Chamber of Commerce groups? No. Does it fit with the way the IRS defines small business? No.
And to be honest, I don’t care.
On my drive from Athens to Atlanta, I usually stop at either a Starbucks or a QT gas station to pick up a coffee or soft drink.
A couple of observations at Starbucks…
• Most of the customers order a custom coffee and I give the Baristas kudos for not only making the drinks on a custom level, but even remembering many of the personal concoctions
• More than half of the customers use standard descriptors when referring to the size of their drinks instead of “tall,” “grande” or “venti”
A couple of observations at QT…
• When customers go in to get a soft drink, they often mix different soda options together into a personal concoction that is all their own
• QT offers flavor enhancers that can be added to any soda options
• Customers do the same thing with coffees, flavored crèmes and even with mixing mochas and lattes with standard coffee
I realize that these observations seem trivial and some of you reading this may even say that the observations simply illustrate the desire for customization… but I believe that the driver behind the actions is much broader and rooted much deeper than what appears on the surface.
Businesses and entrepreneurs who have called me over the last couple of weeks do see opportunity opening up.
And when I ask what is driving the need to dig into the dimensions of their visions, their brands, their market and their customers… they nearly all say in unison…
“If we are going to move forward, we are going to have to do it ourselves.”
This is not something that we will see limited to the November Election. This is not something that we will see limited to 2011.
This is a CHANGE WAVE that is going to drive the Baby Boomers into their retirement years and drive the Millennials for the remainder of their lives.
If you want to glean more insight into the CHANGE WAVES… go to our website www.brandventure.net and there are snapshots of the five CHANGE WAVES that are re-scripting the paradigm of our marketplace, consumers and brands.
I promise…and I will make sure it is kept… in the next blog post in a week or so, I will post the 2011 TRENDCASTS! Promise!
Fortunately, the unveiling will be delayed yet another week or so.
Note that I said fortunately!
In that September 12th blog post I shared several of the trigger points that are driving the 2011 CHANGE WAVE titled RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER.
Since that posting, I have received a series of calls from businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and politicians – yes, even politicians – that are stepping back and saying in unison… “THERE IS A BETTER WAY.”
Since that posting, the impact of RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER has crossed the tipping point in the historic media world.
The conventional news nets and cable news nets along with the news-rags across the US are now daily reporting on the CHANGE WAVE that will take place on November 2nd Election Day.
Today, CNN is posting a lead story titled, “What went wrong for Democrats” with a picture of our president and speaker of the house looking grim to say the least.
Note that this story in posting on CNN…not on FOX News.
In the current issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, there is a great article about how businesses are routing around banks and finding new ways to fund their aspirations.
Two years ago the politico staked their branding in a platform using the word CHANGE.
Today, the marketplace is not staking a claim…but instead, is taking action.
Which leads into another 2011-Forward CHANGE WAVE!
THE ACQUISITION OF SELF-CONTROL.
The Tea Party Movement provides only a glimpse of what is really taking place in the marketplace.
Parents are doing it with kids. Franchisees are doing it with their restaurants. Community groups are doing it with their city blocks. Job seekers are doing it with their career paths. Physicians are doing it with their practices mechanics.
Back in 2006, Yankelovich reported how individuals they surveyed mentioned frustration with “the system” and, as a result of the frustration, how they were seeking direction more from friends and family.
Yankelovich attributed this frustration to a combination of the impact of terrorism and the unknown as well as the continued task automation of technology.
Yes…the Millennials drove the results of the 2008 election, but unlike the media packaging of it being a rejection of the past and a call of change, many Millennials that I interview in On-the-Streets and Coffee House Chats describe the election as an extension of their “leaving the home” and claiming a sense of self destiny.
From Millennials to Boomers to Mature WWIIers… the events experienced over the last two years have only poured gasoline on the sparks and now are igniting an explosion of self-destiny.
This past week, I moved part of my business back into the city. Part of the week I will work out of a nice farm cottage in a small college town and part of the week from an intown Atlanta office or coffee house.
Does this fit the model of small business dynamics? No. Does it fit with how business is defined by the Chamber of Commerce groups? No. Does it fit with the way the IRS defines small business? No.
And to be honest, I don’t care.
On my drive from Athens to Atlanta, I usually stop at either a Starbucks or a QT gas station to pick up a coffee or soft drink.
A couple of observations at Starbucks…
• Most of the customers order a custom coffee and I give the Baristas kudos for not only making the drinks on a custom level, but even remembering many of the personal concoctions
• More than half of the customers use standard descriptors when referring to the size of their drinks instead of “tall,” “grande” or “venti”
A couple of observations at QT…
• When customers go in to get a soft drink, they often mix different soda options together into a personal concoction that is all their own
• QT offers flavor enhancers that can be added to any soda options
• Customers do the same thing with coffees, flavored crèmes and even with mixing mochas and lattes with standard coffee
I realize that these observations seem trivial and some of you reading this may even say that the observations simply illustrate the desire for customization… but I believe that the driver behind the actions is much broader and rooted much deeper than what appears on the surface.
Businesses and entrepreneurs who have called me over the last couple of weeks do see opportunity opening up.
And when I ask what is driving the need to dig into the dimensions of their visions, their brands, their market and their customers… they nearly all say in unison…
“If we are going to move forward, we are going to have to do it ourselves.”
This is not something that we will see limited to the November Election. This is not something that we will see limited to 2011.
This is a CHANGE WAVE that is going to drive the Baby Boomers into their retirement years and drive the Millennials for the remainder of their lives.
If you want to glean more insight into the CHANGE WAVES… go to our website www.brandventure.net and there are snapshots of the five CHANGE WAVES that are re-scripting the paradigm of our marketplace, consumers and brands.
I promise…and I will make sure it is kept… in the next blog post in a week or so, I will post the 2011 TRENDCASTS! Promise!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Leading 2011 CHANGE WAVE!
In two weeks I will be unveiling my 2011 BrandVenture Trendcast.
It is one of the earliest unveilings of the annual Trendcast to-date…but there is movement in the marketplace that is shaking the foundations of brands and organizations alike.
In addition to 10 key market trends that will affect the marketplace in 2011, there are five BIG trends that I term CHANGE WAVES.
Before I reveal one of those CHANGE WAVES… let me first share some experiences and observations.
I received an invoice for our FEDEX shipping account this past week. It was sent to an address where I occupied temporary space in the transition move from Atlanta to Athens.
Somehow that address got registered in some national database as the official address for BrandVenture.
When I called FEDEX to change the address, I was routed to three different people who each were assigned a very specific task…but not the task of changing the address on a small business account.
When I ultimately landed on the correct person and told that person that the actual street address was incorrect, the address change needed to be made in the system “at large” and I had to stay online as the changes were being made.
I was placed on hold for 10 minutes.
Over the course of the last three months, my AT&T Internet service has dropped repeatedly when I hit the web.
I can cruise online freely with no dropped service elsewhere, but here in my office, the service drops.
When I contacted AT&T about the service problem, I was required to go through an on-the-phone series of assessments before AT&T would consider sending a service person to the house.
More than a dozen and a half calls later, a new router box and two AT&T service visits to the house, the system still drops.
I have reached peace with the dropping of the service for now.
The last thing that I want to do is to contact AT&T and get placed again in the service loop.
My parents purchased a pair of those high tech new washer and dryers about two years ago from the nearby Home Depot.
Two weeks ago, the dryer started beeping like a smoke alarm and the only way that my father was able to get the noise to stop was to hit the circuit breaker.
My father is 82 years old.
When he called Home Depot, they asked him a set of questions and then, in turn, sent him over to a separate service center. Again, they asked him a set of questions and ultimately connected him with a local service rep.
It turned out that the service rep has been doing appliance repairs for more than 35 years. When he and my dad spoke, the guy said that he immediately knew what was not working, but before he could order the part needed; he had to assess the product onsite.
When the service rep finally got to the house a week later, he spent more than hour contacting a home base and going through a set of dialogue with a person on the other end of the phone.
Finally the assessment was complete.
Next they had to order the part and then schedule a second visit to install the part and again go through an assessment set of questions before the dryer was given the green light to use again.
What the service guy immediately knew was exactly what was wrong, but unfortunately the service guy could not order the part and then schedule a simple visit to replace the part.
He had to abide by the system and the process.
The last story I will share is a phone call I had with my friend and colleague Hope Schultz.
Hope is now working as a senior VP with a top New York marketing research firm.
She told me about a current project with a showcase brand in the consumer packaged goods body-moisturizing business.
This client has spent a lot of money doing some great work to delve into the behavior sets and related headsets of consumers.
But despite all of the investment and insights discovered, the client is still insistent that the research firm must come back with the engineering of just how the company is going to convert over light users to heavy users.
When I asked if they had ever thought that such a conversion was not likely and that instead should dig into just when light users use the product and how to play off the emotions that ignite the use…Hope said that they have it engrained in their headsets that there is a way to convince the consumers to use it more.
All I did was laugh and asked if the client knew that “build it-buy it” is dead.
The stories I share are only a very small sample of the depth of stories shared everyday in dialogue off-line and on-line. Stories posted on Facebook and stories shared in checkout lines.
All of these stories have a common thread.
And furthermore, that common thread has been further fostered, feed and bred by corporate cocooning and the cultivation of a controlled system.
All are also very representative of the mindsets of business, non-profits and governmental organizations.
The common thread is the result of the MBA-boom of the 1980s and 1990s.
A mindset that seeks to contain discourse, dialogue and relationship into organized systems and processes.
A mindset that clings to the belief of build-it-they’ll-buy-it consumers who can be translated into numerical statistics and financial models.
A mindset that thrives on a visual mirage sense of control.
One of the 2011 CHANGE WAVES is what I term as RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER.
And the agent of that change will be the Entrepreneur and Innovator who will take over the limelight where MBAs and Tech-heads found fame and fortune in the past.
And this CHANGE WAVE along with four others will embrace a new platform of technology and shake the very foundation of the workplace and marketplace as we define them today.
It gets me excited and pumped… and those that embrace it will be the winners!
If you are interested in learning more about the 2011 Trendcast and would like to schedule a presentation to your team…place contact me at 404.245.9378 or mkooyman@brandventure.net.
It is one of the earliest unveilings of the annual Trendcast to-date…but there is movement in the marketplace that is shaking the foundations of brands and organizations alike.
In addition to 10 key market trends that will affect the marketplace in 2011, there are five BIG trends that I term CHANGE WAVES.
Before I reveal one of those CHANGE WAVES… let me first share some experiences and observations.
I received an invoice for our FEDEX shipping account this past week. It was sent to an address where I occupied temporary space in the transition move from Atlanta to Athens.
Somehow that address got registered in some national database as the official address for BrandVenture.
When I called FEDEX to change the address, I was routed to three different people who each were assigned a very specific task…but not the task of changing the address on a small business account.
When I ultimately landed on the correct person and told that person that the actual street address was incorrect, the address change needed to be made in the system “at large” and I had to stay online as the changes were being made.
I was placed on hold for 10 minutes.
Over the course of the last three months, my AT&T Internet service has dropped repeatedly when I hit the web.
I can cruise online freely with no dropped service elsewhere, but here in my office, the service drops.
When I contacted AT&T about the service problem, I was required to go through an on-the-phone series of assessments before AT&T would consider sending a service person to the house.
More than a dozen and a half calls later, a new router box and two AT&T service visits to the house, the system still drops.
I have reached peace with the dropping of the service for now.
The last thing that I want to do is to contact AT&T and get placed again in the service loop.
My parents purchased a pair of those high tech new washer and dryers about two years ago from the nearby Home Depot.
Two weeks ago, the dryer started beeping like a smoke alarm and the only way that my father was able to get the noise to stop was to hit the circuit breaker.
My father is 82 years old.
When he called Home Depot, they asked him a set of questions and then, in turn, sent him over to a separate service center. Again, they asked him a set of questions and ultimately connected him with a local service rep.
It turned out that the service rep has been doing appliance repairs for more than 35 years. When he and my dad spoke, the guy said that he immediately knew what was not working, but before he could order the part needed; he had to assess the product onsite.
When the service rep finally got to the house a week later, he spent more than hour contacting a home base and going through a set of dialogue with a person on the other end of the phone.
Finally the assessment was complete.
Next they had to order the part and then schedule a second visit to install the part and again go through an assessment set of questions before the dryer was given the green light to use again.
What the service guy immediately knew was exactly what was wrong, but unfortunately the service guy could not order the part and then schedule a simple visit to replace the part.
He had to abide by the system and the process.
The last story I will share is a phone call I had with my friend and colleague Hope Schultz.
Hope is now working as a senior VP with a top New York marketing research firm.
She told me about a current project with a showcase brand in the consumer packaged goods body-moisturizing business.
This client has spent a lot of money doing some great work to delve into the behavior sets and related headsets of consumers.
But despite all of the investment and insights discovered, the client is still insistent that the research firm must come back with the engineering of just how the company is going to convert over light users to heavy users.
When I asked if they had ever thought that such a conversion was not likely and that instead should dig into just when light users use the product and how to play off the emotions that ignite the use…Hope said that they have it engrained in their headsets that there is a way to convince the consumers to use it more.
All I did was laugh and asked if the client knew that “build it-buy it” is dead.
The stories I share are only a very small sample of the depth of stories shared everyday in dialogue off-line and on-line. Stories posted on Facebook and stories shared in checkout lines.
All of these stories have a common thread.
And furthermore, that common thread has been further fostered, feed and bred by corporate cocooning and the cultivation of a controlled system.
All are also very representative of the mindsets of business, non-profits and governmental organizations.
The common thread is the result of the MBA-boom of the 1980s and 1990s.
A mindset that seeks to contain discourse, dialogue and relationship into organized systems and processes.
A mindset that clings to the belief of build-it-they’ll-buy-it consumers who can be translated into numerical statistics and financial models.
A mindset that thrives on a visual mirage sense of control.
One of the 2011 CHANGE WAVES is what I term as RE-THINK, RE-FOCUS, RE-ENGINEER.
And the agent of that change will be the Entrepreneur and Innovator who will take over the limelight where MBAs and Tech-heads found fame and fortune in the past.
And this CHANGE WAVE along with four others will embrace a new platform of technology and shake the very foundation of the workplace and marketplace as we define them today.
It gets me excited and pumped… and those that embrace it will be the winners!
If you are interested in learning more about the 2011 Trendcast and would like to schedule a presentation to your team…place contact me at 404.245.9378 or mkooyman@brandventure.net.
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