The Generational Struggle

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The Generational Struggle From the Inside
Out Blueprint for Success Brown Bag
Session January 9, 2008 Kari S. Gabriel, M.Ed,
APR VP of Communications Interact
Communications
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Why Its Important

• Multiple generations serving four generations in
  the marketplace
• We recruit, serve and depend on multiple
  generations
• Different values, experiences, styles, and
  attitudes create
• Misunderstandings
• Frustrations
• Disconnects
• Our biggest mistake is marketing to OURSELVES

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Workplace Effects
Increasing job pressure Increasing
complaints Vote with your feet mentality
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Outreach Effects
Disconnect between what you love and what your
target audience loves
Difficult getting them to embrace the Our Tools
(which are the correct tools)
Frustration with media preparation values
Frustration with messaging creation (how to make
them care)
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Part One Whos Who
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The Generations
Traditionalists Born 1925-1945 75 Million
Baby Boomers Born 1946-1964 80 Million
Generation X Born 1965-1980 46 Million
Gen Y / Echo Boom Millennial Born 1980-2002 76 Million
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The Generations
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Critical Issues
You are being held prisoner by Traditionals and
Boomers
The I AM the Audience Syndrome
You are being held prisoner by old concepts of
communication
The Field of Dreams Syndrome
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Who They Are
Traditional Boomer Gen X Millennial
Generation as Team We Generation as Icon US Defining Generation Generation as Individual I Rebels/ Influencers Generation as Philosophy ALL Conscience
John Wayne Movies (All of Them) Star Trek (All of Them) Seinfeld The Simpsons Blossom Dawsons Creek
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What They Experienced
Traditional Boomer Gen X Gen Y
World War II Korean War Pandemics Cold War Great Depression Radio Rock Roll Protests/Riots Space exploration Vietnam War Racial Divides Sexual revolution Television Divorce Driven to independence AIDS Era Maturity Crack/Gangs/ Violence Downsized parents Information explosion Cell Phone Integration Understand Multi-layered information Brought up in the era of brands Unity Optimistic Reared in the era of psychology Recycling The Web
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What it Feels Like
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Part Two Reaching Them
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Traditionalists
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Traditionalists
Age 63
Senior staff management
Significant voting population
Parents/Grandparents
Major donors
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Icons
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Iconic Sayings
Its not the easy thing, but its the right
thing Do the Right Thing
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The Problem With Them Is They want it the way
they want it. They were raised in a waste-not
want-not world so they dont want things that are
cheap, wild or edgy
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Marketing Inside
Process, Protocol AND Reasons Spelled
Out Always keep them informed Explain in terms
of competition - they understand competition
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Marketing Outside
Its for the children, the future Its not the
easy thing Pass it on - magnificent obsession
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How to Reach Them
Television News
39 of the audience
Newspaper Print
40 of the audience
Opinion Leaders
2 out of 5 social/civic organizations
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Speak to Their Sense of History
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Speak to Its Not Too Late
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Baby Boomers
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Boomers
Ages 44 - 62 Senior management
staff Rebels/Influencers Largest purchasing power
generation The parents of Gen X Y (49 of them)
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Influential People
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Iconic Saying
Make a Difference
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The Problem With Them Is They think everything
should speak to them they ARE the
audience. Many of them delude themselves with
the idea that they are still cool
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Marketing Inside
New Unique - Individualistic High ideals,
setting the standard Puts them in the know
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Marketing Outside
Leaving a legacy Still blazing trails, still
rebels The role model
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How to Reach Them
Television News
44 of the audience
Newspaper Print
40 of the audience
Opinion Leaders
2 out of 5 social/civic organizations
Direct Mail
Most likely generation to read their mail,
their kidss
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Speak to Their Rebel
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Generation X
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Recognize They Are Tired
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Influential People/Events
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Iconic Sayings
Show me the money So not worth it Greed is
good
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The Problem With Them Is They dont trust you,
because its all baloney They actually are still
cool and they know the rest of us are not They
think most of us are chumps
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Marketing Inside
Ask their opinion - and then do it Give them
unique opportunities Use direct, clear
communication Reciprocity - You go first
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Marketing Outside
Savvy, cynical messages No hyperbole Pragmatic-
prove it Sarcasm - throw stones at glass houses
talk to their inner monologue
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How to Reach Them
Television News (On the Comedy Channel)
Gen X and Y are gt78 of the audience
Web
gt86 are web savvy
Lifestyle Events
Family events cultural currency events
Permission Marketing
You deliver first
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Speak to their world-weary, get their own way
cynic
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Speak to their practical (take no prisoner) side
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What They Like(87 of Gen X)
Broadband (50) Surf for Content (Travel
Banking) Health (84) IM (52) TM (44) Function
not fun Content consumers Dropping landlines in
record numbers
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Big Issue
Their lives are overly complex so looking for
simplification and function Offer them products
services that simplify
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Market Death

• Make them stand in lines

• Be condescending

• Warm fuzzy media

• No cookie trails in websites

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Gen Y
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How Different?

• Gen Y versus Gen X

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How Different?

• Gen Y versus Boomer

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Influential People/Events
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Iconic Sayings
Been There. Done That. Got the T-Shirt Think
Globally, Act Locally SNF (hint so
not.) Seriously? Seriously.
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The Problem With Them Is They trust you, but
they HAVE to go where their friends are
going. They are partly passive and party
assertive think light switch
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Marketing Inside
Group events focusing on the herd - think
social Digital communication - rather than
F2F Make it FUN
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Marketing Outside
Two-fers Value No hyperbole Fun, clever,
authentic Build on cool and control Experiential
versus safe
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How to Reach Them
Television
Absolutely target (By cable/by show)
Web
lt10 are not web-dependent
Permission Marketing
Offer value in groups
Digital World
They are the leading producers of digital content
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Speak to their Imagination
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Big Issue
Their brains are wired for .
complexity
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What They Like(87 of Gen Y)
Y-rless Surf for fun (younger
greater) Integrate web cell IM (75 do it
66 do it daily) TM (54 do it 60 do it
daily) Interactivity (games) Instant
gratification Self expression
personalization Males are mobile and hard to reach
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What They Like (Specifically)
47 download music 15 maintain a blog 71 online
banking 9 pod or vod cast 68 have multiple
emails 42 keep their .edu active 64 look for
viral video 73 prefer an email/web alumni NL
2005 Y2M
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Market Death

• No web service or web based messaging

• No complexity in website

• Traditional media

• One2One messaging that ignores the group

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Mindset List
Beloit College - Wisconsin www.beloit.edupubaff/m
indset/
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The Class of 2011

• The Berlin Wall - whats that?
• There has always been Diet Coke
• They have always had cable
• Thongs no longer come in pairs and slide between
  the toes
• Michael Jackson has always been white.
• They have always had email
• Nelson Mandela has always been free
• Stores have always had scanners at the check out
• Jack Nicholson is mainly known as The Joker
• Bill Gates has always been worth a billion
  dollars (or so)

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Your Dilemmas
Marketing to multiple generations
Consistent messages across multi-generations
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Cross-Generational Marketing Elements
Strategic ambiguity
Constructive ambiguity
Identity is based on existing attitudes in
audience
Differentiation is based on reframing
It must inspire internally
It must stick - in different dark minds
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How to Rule
Convince the insider Boomers to listen (and be
fair) Segment your message and media Make your
website using PODs Be strategically
constructively ambiguous
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Statistics on Media Usage From Interacts
Annual Media Preferences Study www.interactcom.co
m
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Recommended Reading
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(No Transcript)
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Thank You! Kari S. Gabriel, M.Ed., APR Vice
President of Communications Interact
Communications kari.gabriel_at_interactcom.com 406.25
7.4213 - o 406.249.7800 - c www.interactcom.com
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Panelists
Roberta Smith (Traditionalist) is a Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselor and Supervisor for the
State of Montana, DPHHS. She has been with the
Department for 3.5 years, but in the
Rehabilitation field for 23 years, since
obtaining CRC. Her specialty is providing
services for hearing impaired/deaf
individuals. Ron Pilsch (Traditionalist/Baby
Boomer) is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
for the State of Montana and has provided his
expertise for 20 years. For the past 30 years
he has owned and operated an excavation company
and is also a Vietnam era veteran. Chanda
Hermanson (Generation Xer) is a Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of Montana
and has worked in that capacity for the past 2
years. She recently completed her Masters Degree
in Rehabilitation Counseling from Utah State
University. She works with individuals in
Flathead and Lake Counties who have disabilities
and barriers in regards to employment.