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Tag Archive: Generation Y/Millennials

How Will Gen-Y Change the World: A Gen-Y Mini-Series (Part 4 of 5)

Written on June 4, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

Smart phones, pads/tablets, apps, social media, social networking, laptops, wifi and 3G are all commonplace aspects of everyday life. And literally everyone is effected in one way or another by these characteristics of “personal” technology. I say “personal” simply due to the fact that we most often use these aspect for our personal self’s. Although everyone is part of this technological revolution, it’s one thing to be involved and it’s something completely different to be growing with it. Gen-Y and all Millennials are growing with this. As both technology and this generation grow along side one another, they will undoubtedly have overwhelming effects on each other.

“Personal” Technologies

As social beings, it is no wonder why these “personal” technologies are absolutely booming right now. We are networking, connecting and living off apps more now than ever before. And Gen-Y is thriving off this. While commuting, walking or waiting we’ll cross something off our “to-do” list with the press of a few buttons. We’re always doing something. Emailing, updating, sharing, BBMing, banking, shopping and the list goes on. There are few things you can’t do while on the go. And as our personal lives interact with the world, we’ve become fine with sharing information that we willingly put “out-there”. But we do have some issues with information taken from us and put out “out-there”.

That’s another reason why I call it “personal” technologies because we very willingly broadcast and share a lot of our personal information that would have never been known otherwise. How would someone have known what we “liked” before. The online privacy issue is only an infant dilemma that Facebook has begun to realise. Our issue is not about what we are sharing but what information is being taken from us and shared unwillingly. If there was such a thing as copyrights for each individual, these rights would have been broken. As serious of an issue this is, it won’t cause Gen-Y to “offline.” A Millennial brought Facebook to us while four Millennials are also bringing the opposite, the Anti-Facebook known as Diaspora, to us. It should be no surprise that Gen-Y is leading the social media and networking realms. (Here’s an interesting side-note: Obama’s online marketing campaign was headed by a co-founder of Facebook, who is also a Millennial. Obama absolutely dominated the Gen-Y vote in his presidential victory.)

Is It “Status Update” Worthy?

Gen-Y absolutely loves to share everything about themselves. But we don’t just share anything. We share on the basis of being responded to. We share to be “cool”, “funny” and anything else that would make us look good. But we also share on a “I can relate to that” basis. So don’t be surprised to see Gen-Y share a sense of failure. We’ve all done poorly on a test so in turn that failure turns out to be something we can all relate to and joke around about. Anything we share is on an “inclusion” basis and goes back to what I wrote in Part 3 about “groups” think. If something seems to fit these characteristics, it is definitely “status update” worthy for Gen-Y.

What’s interesting about this is we’re all looking for something to share. The great thing about sharing is we expose the world around us. We have the ability to create movements at the press of a “tweet”. There is great power to be harnessed on the online world. Whether it be informing everyone about the Iranian student protests, donating to victims of Haiti or demanding action for the BP oil spill, our technological generation can have a huge impact. But this impact can be both positive and negative.

Technological Reliance – A Gen-Y Problem

There is no doubt that technology has positive and powerful impacts to better our lifestyles. However there is an issue that Gen-Y will have to address as we move forward and that is our reliance on technology. Technology itself does not make the world a better place, its what we choose to do with that technology that makes things better. Having the ability to SMS donations for Haiti relief was truly amazing. But have we so soon forgotten the devastation that occurred. Who is helping now? And what about an equally devastating earthquake that occurred in Chile not too long after. Why didn’t we SMS relief for them. These are only but two issues where we think somehow everything will take care of itself. And I fear our reliance, especially on technology, will be a serious problem with Gen-Y.

We already feel helpless when we are without our smart phones for a few days. How many phones numbers do you remember? But the upside is, I don’t have to waste money on something someone else shared on how “bad” it was. And asking for help is a “share” or “tweet” away. But what kind of help are we willing to give? Will Gen-Y help the world or just each other? Are we just “status updaters” or actual doers? Many of these questions will answer themselves as we go forward into the future simply due to the fact that this relationship, although vast and large, is fairly new. However, it is certain that Gen-Y will continue to rely on technology and its “personal” abilities as we continue to update every step of the way.

We’ve come to the magical point in the Gen-Y Mini-Series as only the final part remains. On Monday I hope you tune into Part 5 and what will be the answer to the question “How Will Gen-Y Change the World?” Stay tuned, for just one more time…

How Will Gen-Y Change the World: A Gen-Y Mini-Series (Part 3 of 5)

Written on June 3, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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“Entitled,” “multi-taskers,” “driven,” “optimistic,” “still live at home,” “connected” and many other characteristics have been used to describe Gen-Y. They are also supposed to reflect the mindset of many of these Millennials. And these characteristics often reflect our perception of Gen-Y. There are both positive and negative undertones to this dialogue. But I’m not here to defend popular option. Rather I’m going to look at what all these characteristics truly mean. We’re going to break the walls down and examine the “why” in understanding Gen-Y (I know, it’s corny and overused but it like it).

Individuals in “Groups” Think

Gen-Y is a series of individuals in “groups” think. As the streams of communication continue to open up and as our ability to connect grows, we all become part of an increasing number of different groups. As individuals, our mindset takes on the role of appealing to the group. Rather than being individual’s with “individual” thoughts, we are individual’s with “group” thoughts. And I know some of you are thinking that we as individuals are unique, and I haven’t said that we weren’t unique along with everything else that implies being an individual. What I am pointing out is that we, Gen-Y, are individuals in a “groups” mindset.

The “groups” mindset is really simple actually (it’s more difficult to put it into words). What makes the “groups” mindset truly functional is the way we connect with everyone. We will text each other when we’re watching something “great” on TV. Share something “funny” and “cool” on Facebook to get everyone’s attention. Make sure we all buy something different when we go shopping together. Play on Xbox Live rather than walking down the street to play. All these scenarios can happen simultaneously with different people almost everyday. And when you think about it, a lot of what we do doesn’t make sense to how things traditionally were. It all seems so easy.

Generational Jealously

And in a sense it is easy. Gen-Y has so much to fall back on. Networks are growing endlessly. Education is abundant. And our parents want the best for us. Better than they’ve had. It’s no wonder there are such negative undertones associated with us. “Entitled”, “lazy”, “still lives at home” and so on. There definitely is a strong sense of generational jealously involved. Gen-Y is wearing designer labels, walking around with smart phones (the AP says its “smart phone” and not “smartphone” so I’m going with it) and not taking jobs because we think we deserve better. We want to live the dream-life now and everyone else before us had to work long and hard to get it. So ya, jealously is clearly involved.

To be quite honest, we’re not going to stay in the same jobs for years. And we do have busy lives, its part of our “groups” mentality. Does any of this suggest that we do truly deserve everything we want? Of course not. That’s the irony in the situation. We love to conserve a lot, communicate and share, why not ask us what makes things work. And I’m sure we can prevail together. We can’t feel sorry for the fact that the world is an increasingly better place now than before. Do we have ourselves to blame for our ways? Certainly. Being inactive and wanting a dream won’t happen. Life isn’t Hollywood, although we all think we’re in the star role. I think as individuals, many of us would have given in to the ways of the old. But with group support, we’ve got ourselves into the Gen-Y conundrum. At the same time as we can do more, we really can’t do everything.

Everything merely seems to be a matter of discontent and disconnect. But what I find most fascinating is that if the current system only slightly bought into the Gen-Y group ideal, we could quite frankly have a series of different and better circumstances. Rather than being jealous of our laid back and easy lifestyle, why not embrace it and reinvent what is currently happening in the greater framework of things. Whether we like it or not, Gen-Y will one day “takeover”. And we’re bringing all our “group” ideas with us.

As we’ve hit the mid-point of the Gen-Y Mini-Series, the article itself is a lighter read. Do tune into the rest of the series as we continue to explore how Gen-Y is changing the world…

How Will Gen-Y Change the World: A Gen-Y Mini-Series (Part 2 of 5)

Written on June 1, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Yesterday we took an interesting look at how Millennials are drastically changing the consumer scene. The Gen-Y consumer is one based on lifestyle brands, which in itself is creating consumer horizontalization across all segments. To go along with this, Gen-Y is having an overwhelming effect on education and the workforce. And as we continue to explore and answer “how will Gen-Y change the world,” we will look at what these effects are causing not only to Gen-Y but the greater whole of society.

Gen-Y and the (De)value of Education

Education is a privilege, opportunity and experience few of us get to enjoy. It’s an absolute accomplishment and should never be taken for granted, especially in a world where only few get to truly enjoy it. And as powerful and important and necessary as education is, it seems to be taking on a dramatic turn in the Western world. Something that will seriously affect Gen-Y.

The value of education is extraordinary. And we’ve seen it’s positive impact across the globe for those who encounter it. For Gen-Y, education was the promise of a better life. “You’ll always have something to fall back on” or “get ready to start your career” and even all other opportunities that education historically offered are disappearing. As Gen-Y flocks to universities and colleges and as those organizations look to increase enrolment, the institution of education is increasingly devalued. And don’t be mistaken here, the education itself is still great and consistently carries the same educational value. The dilemma lies in the fact that having an education is simply not worth the same as before. And this will have profound effects.

As a Millennial myself with a Double Major Bachelor Degree and a Postgraduate Program Diploma, I can’t land a job. It’s ironic to think that after 5 years of solid education that no one is willing to hire me. This is a plague that all Gen-Y will have to endure. The global effects are even more overpowering. This means that as the rest of the world is trying to catch up in the simplest terms of providing education, we are entering an Era of the Masters Degree.

The Era of the Masters Degree

Education seemed to be the answer to getting a job before. Even the parents of Gen-Y believe this. As our Bachelor Degrees decline in value and we sit around waiting for jobs, two things occur: 1) we are enticed by our parents and ourselves to take further education or 2) we are enticed into pursuing the same level education but in a different category. This has caused the Era of the Masters Degree. As option 2 will just place you into the same boat as you currently are in, option 1 or pursuing the Masters Degree seems to be the right choice.

“Bachelors Degree required. Masters Degree preferred” is an increasingly used qualification that is beginning to trend, and something Millennials all cringe at seeing. What’s interesting with this is that you require higher levels of education for jobs that previously didn’t require it. What’s more interesting than that is the people that currently do that job or are hiring for it, don’t necessarily meet the qualifications themselves. I can almost see why Gen-Y feels they are entitled to more than they receive. And what’s even more interesting is the broader implications more education will have.

More Education = Less Work Experience

There is no doubt in my mind that the amount of Masters Degrees will increase considerably within Generation Y in comparison to previous generations. And I mean the numbers will be mind blowing, as anywhere at least between 15-25% of Gen-Y will graduate from a Masters program (note: I gathered this number from observations based on a variety of factors such # of job postings asking for, # of Gen-Y I’ve seen take on further education, and forecasting for the future). As Masters Degrees become more prevalent, we will see three implications begin to rise severely:

1) The amount of debt taken on by Gen-Y as a result of Bachelors education is quite large. To satisfy the Masters qualifications this debt will only increase. And this is only one of many debt issues Gen-Y will face.

2) The more education we receive the less work experience we gather. What’s interesting with this is that you need work experience to get a job but to get that experience you need a job. And on top of that you need higher education. It’s a catch-22 situation Gen-Y will constantly face.

3) There already seems to be a sense of joblessness as the ratio of graduates does not equal the amount of jobs available. As Gen-Y stays longer in school, they will face issues such as living at home longer and starting families later amongst other things.

Gen-Y will be more educated and less work experienced than any previous generation. As qualifications go up and jobs don’t equal the amounts of Gen-Y graduating (even as Baby Boomers retire many jobs are simply lost because they don’t exist anymore. Companies fail, jobs are lost, “we are doing more with less” are all aspects of jobs not equalling graduating Gen-Y even though Gen-Y will represent a serious number in the workforce in the next 5-8 years), we will see the entrepreneurial lifestyle emerge further. As a society, we will see education become increasingly commercialized. And the value of it will decline, as the Era of the Masters Degree looms. The fascinating and problematic issue is going to be whether previous generations are willingly to help us out or will we have to endure “that’s life” and “life is tough” responses. Maybe our best hope is in ourselves. Maybe Gen-Y will have bailout Gen-Y and fulfill our promises to a better life.

So stay tuned. If you haven’t read Part 1, I suggest you do. Otherwise, watch how Gen-Y is changing the world…

How the Millennials Can Help Us Understand “Viral”

Written on May 25, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Becoming the next big thing, hit, fashion, trend or fad is always easier said than done. Having a great product, a damn good advertising campaign or simply the virtue of great marketing dynamics can get you there. But even that seems to be hit and miss. That might only get you the market share you deserve with the same year-over-year results. The same profit margins. The same awareness. The same product. The same use to be good enough. But with increasing competition and products that are virtually the same, something different might not necessarily be the answer. Something “different” is too obvious. The “same” is ordinary and so is the “different”. Do something “extraordinary”.

By ::: Radar Communication :::

Going viral has become such a clichéd idea. As strong as a theoretical idea it can be, it’s so unmistakably weak. It can be quite glorious when it works. But who’s to say it would actually work. In any case, there is no better time than now for the viral effect to work. Not simply due to social media and our greater ability to connect, which only plays a secondary role here. More importantly, it has to do with the generational attributes of the Millennials.

Trying to get a “viral effect” is still very much a marketing effort. But the viral effect is something beyond marketing and even the product. The viral effect is about the people. And even though in another context I would sound like a politician, the people are the answer and key to all successful things viral.

From Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point, to Doritos’ Viralocity and aspects of WOM (word-of-mouth), going viral can be the composition of everything and nothing. And if you really break it all down, understanding the characteristics behind it makes it somewhat simpler.

Some of the most successful viral campaign’s that have occurred seemingly go unnoticed but they have become billion-dollar industries in themselves. Specifically, it has to do with major global consumer interest in Texas Hold’em Poker and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). In a matter of years, these two industries transformed from small areas of interest to global phenomena. What is more interesting is the Millennial characteristics that lay beneath.

In a blog post I wrote on idaconcpts.com (a terrific blog by Damian Davila) called How to Market to Millennials, I write about an idea called “viralability” (viral-ability). The idea of viralability involves understanding how to relate to a group of people (Millennials in this case), making it something that involves them and providing some sort of payoff. I bring this up because it characterizes three distinct attributes that represent the Millennials along with making something successfully viral:

The idea at hand has to concern not only the individual but the group around that individual. Although the idea is meant for the individual, it’s true functionality incorporates that individual and the group.
The idea involves the individual at the benefit of the group ultimately satisfying the individual and the group.
The idea has to have a distinct payoff to the individual and group involved. There has to be value beyond the notion of possession and perceived use of the idea involved. It is more of an investment with a return scenario rather than a purchase and expense.

To add something further, the idea involved has to ultimately satisfy the Millennial’s need and sense of “living the dream lifestyle”. That’s why Texas Hold’em Poker has become so dominate, especially within the emerging Gen-Y population. Please note that I’m not promoting gambling in any way however it should be noted that winners of the World Poker title in recent years has been won by 21-year-olds consecutively (very interesting since the event is held in the US and the US legal gambling age is 21). And although gambling has always existed, it’s interesting and frightening to see this continually growing trend amongst Gen-Y males.

There really is no simple formula to understanding how to make something go viral. But what we can do is understand some characteristics that can successfully lead to a viral effect. And although marketing, social media and the product/service itself play a role, they play a secondary role. The primary role is in understanding the Millennials and the notions of viralability I presented. I don’t guarantee that this will make your idea the next “big thing”. But it might, just maybe give it some success. Just remember being “different” isn’t good enough. Doing something “extraordinary” would be a start.

A Question for Gen-Y: Are We Holding Ourselves Back?

Written on May 19, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Over the last few days I’ve been on a web-hiatus taking care of a few things. We sometimes forget that there is so much more going on in the world around us. But I must say, it was definitely a refreshing experience. And it got me thinking about a few things that are quite frankly more than just interesting. It raised a question that I asked myself and one I ask to everyone else in Gen-Y: are we holding ourselves back?

At first glance, the question seems very open. You could answer it in a more than a few ways. However, what I’m trying to root out are some fundamental issues that exist within the Gen-Y way of life. What I came up with even got me going a little. And the only reason I actually started thinking about this was because I started reflecting on my own job-hunting situation.

By alles-schlumpf

After reflecting and mulling over this for more than I would’ve liked, I came up with a few realizations that we as Gen-Y and Millennials must to go over. Here are 3 issues that every member of Gen-Y can resonate with. And something all of us in Gen-Y have to go over, even realise.

Riding the Coat-tails of Our Parents

Being a Gen-Y kid has been a smooth ride. It seems almost too smooth. Thanks to a Baby Boomer generation that seemed to have did all the hard work and suffering, Gen-Y can live life a lot easier. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate what my parents have done and everyone else should appreciate what their parents have done for them. But I and all of Gen-Y have never really had to live a life where we had to take all of our decisions seriously. We’ve always had our parents to bail us out. They were there when we needed something. And they’re there now while we do our Gen-Y thing. So what’s the rush to do anything, right?

“Entitlement”, “Deserving More” and “Don’t Settle For Anything”

Our parents have lived a harder lifestyle than we might have ever conceived and that has put some interesting thoughts into our heads. A combination of us wanting to live better lives than our parents and our parents wanting better for us has put us in a “don’t settle for anything” frame of mind. We think we are better than entry-level jobs. We think we deserve more than entry-level jobs. We are self-professed experts. We want the world. We are entitled to the best. Are we delusional? Definitely not. But we haven’t lived a life past generations have and we are lacking a clear understanding of many aspects of it.

The Dream Life

Rather than working towards a dream life, Gen-Y wants to live the dream life now. We want to travel the world now. We want that Benz now. We want that managerial job now. We want the wealth now. Forget about working for anything. How many of you didn’t apply to a job position because you believed you were better than what the job description offered. Well I certainly have. Is it a mistake to pass these positions up? Absolutely. Where else will you get the experience.

And even though there are newer versions of “experience” opening up thanks to technology. One thing is for sure, the majority of us will have to climb the ladder to get where we would like. Not to say we aren’t great minds. But the fact of the matter is that there are millions of great minds that you have to compete with just for the simple jobs. You can’t put yourself above them unless you have proved to be above and beyond great.

So I come back to the question: are we, Gen-Y, holding ourselves back? I would say we most certainly are. I wouldn’t say that the way we think is a fatal flaw. However, most of us have never had to live a life where we have had to make serious decisions. Or work any job because we had to pay for bills and feed the family. Or live in a sense of urgency and uncertainty. We aren’t entitled to more and we don’t deserve more. I’m not saying you should go out and just take any job. But if the opportunity does present itself and it involves what you would like to do in the future, it would definitely be a stepping stone to fulfilling the dream you want.

There are definitely a few exceptions to this but not everyone can be the exception. Neither am I saying that nothing is possible. I think anything is possible. But you have to realise that previous generations have spent their entire lives working to get themselves anywhere close to their dreams. What makes us so special that we’ll get that without really doing anything…

Entering the Golden Age of Advertising

Written on May 13, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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This last week has been anything sort of amazing for advertisers. In a series of articles on Nielsen Wire, Mashable, eMarketer and Retailer Daily, every one points to a very positive future for advertising. And it really shouldn’t be a shocker that mobile advertising is leading the way. What is shocking though, contrary to popular belief, is that TV advertising is reaching 85% of viewers daily. This equals up to an astonishing 73 minutes a day.

What is even greater is the willingness of smartphone users to accept and directly act on mobile ads. All the numbers suggest that mobile ads even out-perform online ads. And instead of repeating all the numbers and stats, I suggest you read the articles linked above. If and after you do read them, you’ll see why advertisers have a lot to smile about.

By splorp

The purpose of this article is meant to go deeper than simply the numbers. Numbers are great and the research is necessary. But you have to understand what’s happening beyond that. I’ve previously written about future insights into advertising and the emergence of lifestyle brand strategy, but here I will go further. Here I will write about what every advertiser and marketer dreams of: reaching every consumer, customer, buyer, individual possible.

Segmentation

Segmentation by no means is a new concept. But is it something we’ve hardly perfected. And it wasn’t something we couldn’t perfect because we didn’t understand the concept. Rather, it was something we couldn’t perfect simply because the means weren’t there before. The best we could do was clump categories and target certain audiences but even that hasn’t advanced our abilities as much as we would’ve have liked.

The problem has always been that a specific segment could only be reached by targeting the larger norm of that audience. TV, newspaper, radio and magazine ads have all-evolved significantly since their inception however not everyone watching, reading or listening was part of an ad’s consumer target or base. The broadcasting has always been too large. Online and more importantly, mobile ads have completely changed this.

Traditional vs. Post-Social Media Advertising

The greatest problem traditional advertising has had to face was customer engagement. There was no real way to tell how quickly people were reacting (unless there was an absolute boom in sales). And it was nothing that drove them immediately to jump into their cars to follow-up on that “great” deal they just saw or heard. The time of “action” to “reaction” (that’s even if there was a reaction) was quite frankly to far apart. And there were issues of how you would get people to remember and spread the message, etc.

In a post-social media environment, I would say things are drastically different. And I say post-social media as opposed to post-internet due to the fact that although the internet has advanced many aspects of advertising and our greater ability to make purchases, it faces similar issues that traditional media has faced. Social media is almost reinventing advertising.

Not only is social-media connecting directly with the consumer at the consumer’s will (though I must say Facebook is really messing this up with all it’s privacy shenanigans) but it’s engaging people immediately. The consumer response can potentially be quite powerful. With the overflow of apps and smartphones, it has never been easier to reach someone when they are in the purchasing process. And off the top of my head, I can of think a number of methods, systems and metrics that would satisfy all parties in the transaction.

It would be an understatement to say mobile advertising is taking us somewhere we’ve never been before. The reality of the situation is that it works. Customer engagement will be at an all-time high. Not only will this be a great time for consumers, it will be great for businesses. You can’t deny the fact that you wouldn’t love some kind of mobile ad giving you a great offer on something you were going to buy anyways. This will thrive with the Millennials. We love “exclusive” offers. And I don’t at all mind receiving the ads. Just don’t make the same mistakes email marketing has. No spam please, just the offer.

Introducing Lifestyle Brands: The Emerging Branding Strategy

Written on May 10, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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My blog post today has been inspired by the feedback I’ve received from two previous posts that I’ve written. And I’m going to expand on the ideas and insights a little further (free of charge of course). Not too long ago, I wrote a blog post called 4 Insights Into the Future of Advertising that has received some buzz. The article itself addressed what the future of advertising will look like. And I highly suggest you read it before or even after this article.

Not too long after that article, I also wrote a guest blog post on idaconcpts.com called How to Market to Millennials, which received some significant buzz. It dealt with the mysterious issue of marketing to the Millennials (or Generation-Y) demographic. Again, I highly suggest you read it before or after this article.

By Christopher Chan

The idea behind today’s article originally stemmed from a comment left by Carol Phillips but involves ideas from both articles. She suggested a 5^th insight into the future of advertising where it “may be the beginning of the end for the ‘product brand’ and a golden age for ‘lifestyle brands’.” And I completely agree with her on this. Either brands will have to transform or it will be the end of them.

Previously, brands have been an aspect of life. Something we interact with and use but most important, something we did not necessarily need for life. It seems that there is a shift occurring where brands are becoming a part of our life, representing a style of life. Some brands have all along had this aspect of “lifestyle brand” (for instance Virgin, as brought up by Carol). But there are some outlier brands that are taking this type of brand strategy serious.

Apple would definitely be the simplest and easiest one to dissect. And it’s a brand that is quite frankly apparent to everyone, regardless if they are an Apple product user or not. The fact of the matter is that Apple is simply not selling a product, it’s selling a lifestyle. A lifestyle that is being pushed by the Millennials. A lifestyle that is putting outlier brands into the mainstream.

Imagine for one second if you couldn’t use your iPhone, iPod, MacBook or iPad. The brand is not simply reflecting your lifestyle. It is becoming your style of life. We are making these products more necessary to life than they have previously been.

Though, Apple is simply a small piece in a pie that is getting larger. In a recent article, Chanel and BMW were considered top brands by Gen-Y amongst others. One thing all these brands have in common is that they are not selling you a smartphone or a purse or a car. Rather they are selling you an iPhone, a Chanel accessory and a BMW 6 Series. And it’s an aspect that dominates the Millennials way of thinking.

Rather than waiting to buy products that they can truly afford (and when I say truly I mean they are not simply working for the next thing they want to buy but actually have the capital to live that lifestyle), all Millennials want to live their dream lifestyle now. And it doesn’t really have to do with the products being luxurious. It has to do with the products being part of a dream lifestyle. It has to do with the product representing who you are and how you want to be perceived.

In the next five to ten years, we’ll all be witnesses to lifestyle branding. Some of these brands have always set themselves in that category. And there are plenty that are emerging. However don’t be surprised if you start to see less obvious brands take on this different role. After all, they are all trying to sell to you.

Work Experience vs. Capability: A Gen-Y Problem

Written on April 29, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Since 2008, we’ve all seen and experienced the consequences of the economic meltdown that occurred. In one form or another, it has had some effect on our lives. Although I won’t be going through all the characteristics of the “crisis”, I will be talking about employment. And not so much about the loss of employment. That’s all too much a common topic and event, especially when things seem to go bad. What I would like to talk about is actually getting a job, especially for the thousands and thousands of fresh Gen-Y graduates that have nowhere to go.

The Catch-22

Getting a job has always been a catch-22 experience. To get a job you need work experience. But to get work experience you need a job. It’s really an interesting dilemma. Especially for all the college and university grads who were told that getting an education would give them a better shot at life and jobs. And I’m not devaluing education. I think post-secondary education is a privilege and an accomplishment. Considering the amount of people around the world that will never have that privilege and the countless numbers throughout history that would’ve never even come close to the experience of education.

By kevindooley

So now, as a graduate with a Bachelors of Arts, Honours Double Major plus a graduate from a Postgraduate Program, ironically enough my work experience prevents me from getting jobs I am highly capable of doing. And in no way am I suggesting that I am entitled to extraordinary positions but an individual’s capability should in no way overshadow their lack of experience.

Experience vs. Capability

I’ve been mulling over this subject for a while. Because personally, people that have experience are not at all capable of certain positions. But experience is king. And if I might be just as capable, less capable or even, maybe, more capable, my lack of experience automatically disqualifies me. And there are definitely ways around it. But getting around it has put me into another quandary.

The Gen-Y Problem

With networking, blogging, researching, volunteering and doing just about anything to get ahead, I’ve found myself to be in a position where people have told me I would be bored in lower positions but I’m not qualified for higher positions. I seem to be in employment purgatory. This is something me and the rest of Gen-Y will face. And I do feel sorry for the generation behind us.

It’s no wonder we’ve seen a boom in entrepreneurial activity. Along with the divide that’s growing between those of the older generations with jobs in comparison to the Gen-Y that don’t have them. It was even suggested to me that the way I think is a fatal flaw to my own success. So maybe I should stop reading the 20 or so articles a day. Maybe I should sell my books. Quit blogging. Stop specializing in social media, Generation-Y, mobile communications, technology and all things trending now. And the many other things what will be trending in the years to come. Maybe I should start thinking like “everyone” else. Give up my unique ideas, marketing strategies and keep my conversations to myself…

I had you going there, at least for a second. I’m not changing anything and neither should you.

4 Insights Into the Future of Advertising

Written on April 22, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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The future of advertising is going to be an exciting thing to see. As more and more avenues open up, advertisers and marketers will have an extraordinary reach to what seems to be heading towards “everyone”. Thanks to social media, smartphones and anything else that might be considered “online”, we as marketers will be heading into a virtual candy shop. Here are four insights into the future of advertising.

1. Online Ad Revenue Growth

Online ad revenue is nothing new. It’s been around as early as the internet’s beginnings. But it’s still growing immensely. We will see online ad revenue grow by 21 percent this year in TV segment, amounting to nearly 1.4 billion dollars in value. Not to mention the unforeseen potential that exists in different forms of social media, online content like YouTube and the boom of the App market.

2. Smartphones, Pads and all things App

The amazing growth of smartphones and the App market has put a tangible value on every individual using them. What this means is that everyone is literally within reach. Not only does it provide a direct connection to the consumer but it also provides a direct message that can be tailored to a specific segment that uses the specific App. With the introduction of Pads (Pads for iPads and all similar products), not only will the App market grow but there will be greater growth allowing for more direct advertising and segmentation. It’ll give advertisers more control over the dollars they spend.

By Johan Larsson

3. Multi-Platformed Advertising

With the number of media platforms growing, advertising and marketing of products will have to be more strategic and precise. Wanting to overload all platforms will be a mistake and take away from the true consumers of the product. But that is not to say that multi-platform advertising won’t be necessary. Recall rates grow considerably, by as much as 18 percent, when ads are placed both on TV and online versus simply on TV. Equally, online video outperforms TV ads in brand, general and message recall along with likeability. The right combination of TV and online media could prove to be extremely valuable.

4. The Millennials

The Millennials are taking charge in the online TV segment. Under 25’s are watching as much as 83 percent of some TV online as opposed everyone else at 64 percent. Multi-platform use accounts for a comparable 54 and 51 percent respectively. But intriguingly, under 25’s lead the way by watching most or all of TV online at 29 percent versus everyone else at 13 percent. Currently, only a few minutes of ad’s fall within a 1 hour of online TV content. This will undoubtedly increase, as the combination of higher ad tolerance and large potential for ad space still exists on the net.

The online segment still exhibits significant potential for advertising. Though, it shouldn’t be mistaken that since online video ads outperform TV ads that TV is not an important way of reaching the consumer. The best results seem to be coming from a multi-platform combination. So it would be wise when trying to reach your audience not to waste valuable advertising dollars on a media spaces they don’t use. It’s not a matter of using everything, its a matter of using the right thing.