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Tag Archive: Internet

Leveraging the Millennialness of Millennials

Written on May 16, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

In an increasingly competitive world, the slightest edge, the smallest advantage could have profound effects. Understanding the possible impacts behind any and all characteristics has become a very notable trend. No percentage point is too insignificant. No behaviour goes unnoticed. No industry model is left unused. Every marketer, leader and manager should be leveraging everything they can get within their grasp. But, are they leveraging what is right in front of them?

The Millennials are an incredibly interesting and unique set of individuals. At a time of extreme change and transformation, they have been able to adopt, excel and adapt to a rapidly moving fluid environment. And it seems they just about lead every category in one manner or another. Whether those be technological, behavioural or demographic statistics. Driven by dreams, fuelled by connectivity and maintaining an optimistically unprecedented thought process, the millennialness of the Millennials is often left untouched and misunderstood.

Fascinatingly, this group of individuals exhibit something powerful, different and fresh but at the risk of damaging their perceptions, very few have made any significant attempt to leverage their innate abilities. Something of which almost seems ludicrous when everyone is trying to get ahead and these young, highly intelligent and savvy individuals are being left behind and not used to their fullest potential. Something that should be noted as traditional and conventional societal structures are now being tackled by untraditional and unconventional societal shifts.

Understanding these master multi-taskers wouldn’t be easy by any measure. It’s not merely a notion about taking on multiple tasks at once. Rather, it’s about understanding the multi-dimensional thinking and thought process that actually occurs. It’s about uncovering and bringing to the forefront the different behavioural patterns that are becoming commonplace. This can be accredited to everything the Millennials have been exposed to and the multitude of these aspects that they have incorporated into their daily lives.

It has created a very fluid process and ability to transition between Facebook, their smart phones, maintaining a series of conversations and just about anything else without significant interruption or setback to the tasks at hand. They have embraced the tools of their environment. They have evolved the environment itself. And they have created a social paradigm that has drastically changed the world from the pre-Facebook and pre-smart phone one no one can remember to what it has become today.

The resulting impact has manifested an extraordinary set of circumstances for the Millennials surroundings. They have become significantly influential to everything and everyone around them. Who’s opinions are heavily weighed and considered. Always pushing certain ideas to the forefront while deterring others. From dictating the purchasing decisions of their parents to the inclinations of social influence and the ability to sway groups of peers with the justifications of their decisions.

The constant flow of information and increasing growth of communication channels has created, allowed and dictated extensive swings every which way possible. And that applies to acceptances of technologies, web based activities and purchasing decisions. This is an age of very savvy adopters. They have the uncanny ability to spread both the good and the bad. Depending on who you are that could be used to your advantage or determent. They are the savants of our advancing society.

This is not about the Millennials having all the answers to all the situations that exist. But seemingly, they carry a set of circumstances that everyone wants though few have chosen to approach or risk in it these supposed murky waters. Since many argue that they’re just like the youth of old, right? Anyone would be wise to leverage these natural attributes. Much of everything that is happening today highly exemplifies the millennialness of the Millennials. After all, leveraging master multitasking thinking abilities with the high influence and savvy adoption of these individuals would hardly be worth the effort. Or, would it be?

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The Rise of Social Television

Written on April 19, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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A couple years ago, every indication pointed to social media being the killer of traditional media. Everyone was caught in the hype. En masse we all seemingly believed that life was going to change as we knew it. It was going to be the end of email. The end of print media. The end of TV. And the start of a new age. The age of online video. The age of free content. The age of social media. But what happened? What change really occurred?

Well, for one, the flames of traditional media are still burning. And buring bright. Yes, print media has taken a hit. And the music and film industries haven’t quite been the same. But social media and other new age media have hardly conquered the traditional medium. Or any medium for that matter other than their own. The new world is undeniably reshaping and redefining everything we knew before us, however much has to be said to the adaptations and manifestations that are occurring within the traditional media realm.

The writing itself is on the wall. If advertising dollars are an indication of anything, they are an indication of audience size. Although internet advertising is posed to grow over the coming years from $25.8 billion in 2010 to $44.5 billion in 2015, TV still leads by a significant margin and will continue to lead by a significant margin growing from $59 billion in 2010 to $68 billion in 2015. If you can understand where the advertising dollars are heading, you can ultimately understand where our eyes are, where we are, spending there fair share of time.

And though online content and social media are claiming their territory on daily life, TV still remains a fundamental aspect in our everyday activities and decisions. It’s power and influence is uncanny and profound. So much so that there is very notable deviations on the strength of impact that TV has on us versus that of our online behaviour. To paint a clearer picture, TV advertising has the most impact on buying decisions at 83% versus online at 47%. Those are numbers you simply can’t shy away from.

Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the TV viewing experience has advanced exponentially. Further, with a massive shift away from remote desktop internet access to mobile access in the form of laptops, smart phones, tablets and even onto television sets themselves, it has increased usage of multiple media channels and experience that occur at once. The fascinating correlation here is that although the internet age might have moved us away from our wood paneled TV-sets and meagre cable access in favour of the web, advances in technology have brought us all back into one room. Watching and accessing multiple screens at once.

The convergence of multiple media access points will have profound effects on who we are. The social media phenomena has made 1 out of every 11 people on this planet a Facebook user in just over half a decade. Twitter has become the impromptu information outlet and real-time opinion hub. And the usage, users and time spent in these mediums only seems to be on the rise. Social media has recharacterized the online world and established a growing social paradigm. One that is far reaching.

Television and social media have been always thought to be on course to collide, creating an impact that would deeply change everything as we know it. It was to be an impact so colossal that destruction of one or the other would be the only suitable and evident outcome. Mistakenly and blindly we believed this. Television and social media are not opposing forces. They are inherently drawn to one another. They harness an attraction that only further amplifies itself and recontextualizes what it is to be television and social media.

The attraction between the two has acted as a catalyst in creating something that is truly enlightening, social television. This emerging collaborative nature encompasses both the participation of real-time televised experiences while participating in real-time social conversations. Conversations that are not only directed at friends and family but ones that are open to a world of opinion, judgement and decision.

One is just as crucial as the other. Social television will continue to thrive simply because it feeds off of our behaviours to be part of something greater while at the same time creating a very active viewing experience. It provides the content and breaks the ice. And will grow to a greater influencer and facilitator capacity. It’s up to us to interpret, decipher and enjoy what it is at hand. Make no mistake, social media is not the TV killer nor will it ever be. They are two forces of nature that will further continue a very beneficial self-perpetuating cycle as they increasingly become drawn and attracted to each other.

The rise of social media and the enhancement of the TV experience has formulated an advanced dynamic. From the encouragement to use Twitter hashtags during live programming to the content focused Facebook status updates, social television will play a greater inclusive, integrated and real-time role. It was never really a matter of when one would overwhelm the other. It was about understanding the intricacies and impacts they have and will continue to have on each others relationships. It is about the harmoniousness existence between the two.

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Why We’re Selling Web Content All Wrong

Written on April 17, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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The internet has become synonymous with the vast expanses of information. It’s the world wide web. It’s where you go to find the answers to all and any questions you have. It’s all knowing and all seeing. Seemingly, it’s where everything is and where everybody is spending their time. And most importantly, it’s perceived to be free. Whether that be in one capacity or another. With unlimited access to just about anything, the growing social media paradigm, expanding consumerism and escalating mobile access, it’s becoming the mainstream alternative to, well, everything.

Depending on who you are, this alternative could have very serious consequences. In fact, it already has had very serious consequences. Music, news and print media have had their hands full in recent years battling the free pandemic. The film industry, TV and a series of other segments are experiencing the same growing issue. All, fascinatingly, part of a dichotomy where we pay for something in the real world in one instance but not pay for that same exact thing in the online world. So, why would anyone pay for something if they can get it for free?

Free, however, does not come with out it’s own significant setbacks. First and foremost, everything does have an actual cost attributed to it, whether we choose to believe that or not. Much like TV, the freeness of the web is in large part backed by exponential advertising dollars. And haven’t we all just become so fond of ads?

The free paradigm further instils a mode of thought that presumes we are entitled to free. And we will go on vast web crusades to find free. And why would we bother using the web other than to access the free. Forget about today’s youth, the Millennials, paying for what is or what they’ve grown to know as free. The user, the internet and advances in technology catalyze the free paradigm. They are the proponents that created and manifested this dynamic.

Unfortunately for business, the emerging realities easily suggest that we will not pay for a slew of web based activities. Unfortunately for us, the emerging realities easily suggest that we will have to pay for various web based activities. Wholeheartedly, this is fine and something we will have to deal with in one circumstance and the other. But why try and solve problems in an untraditional environment with traditional solutions? Why approach environments of the real world and online world as if they are the same environment?

The monetization of the web is occurring. And it will attempt, try and continue to occur. The reason why it fails and continues to fail is in large part based on the real world approach taken. This doesn’t allow for sustainability within the online world. When you buy something at the local convenience store, you purchase actual goods that are tangible and physical and they represent what we know as something real. The same effect can’t be said for everything digital, online or web based.

Our pricing models have to evolve to represent our web behaviours. They have to represent our web activities. Though random is hardly an easy aspect to predict, there are profound correlations to how we approach and live on the web. There is evident significance to all this beautiful chaos. And if you’re trying to sell web-based content, your strategy must reflect this.

In an ideal world, free would be king. In a world steeped in business, this is evidently not the case. And in fact, there really is nothing wrong with one or the other. But why not approach an untraditional problem with an untraditional approach? Why are we trying to sell something that is unlimited as something that is limited? Supply and demand models hath no place here. The indicators, behavioural information and essence of the web are more than apparent. So why do we continue to sell web content all wrong? Why do we sell as if there was only a real world mindset to selling? Think web. Sell web.

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Social Media and the Amplifier Effect

Written on March 16, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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The internet and it’s introduction into commercial use profoundly changed the world we live in. So much so that many of us could hardly remember a time pre-internet. It has engulfed our daily lives. It has transformed the way we go about everything. And most uniquely, once we follow the chronological time line of communications, we experience the vast ambiguity and grandness of unlimited information and access to it.

Just as previous methods of communications amplified information, stories, news, products and celebrity, the internet has undeniably been acting in the same amplifying manner. Well, at least to the degree that is has continued down the previously established path communications has taken to amplifying information stories, news, products and celebrity. But then something significant happened. Something manifested in the commercialization of the internet.

Chris Anderson in The Long Tail would say this is the effect of democratization of the web. Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point would effectively describe it to that titled effect. With Nassim Taleb’s Black Swan taking due part in explaining the truly unprecedented existence and nature of it. And though the internet increasingly became an amplifier of everything the world had to offer as a result of easy-access, the sudden increase of amateur creations and exposure to a seemingly infinite world, social media has established itself as the ultimate amplifier.

Social media essentially represents the manifestations and the evolution of our behaviours and actions within everything online, digital and web-orientated. And it has allowed everything to become online, digital and web-orientated. When I say everything, I literally mean everything. The good, the bad, the useless, the insightful, the profitable, the embellished, the lucky, the emotional have all been amplified. The amplifier effect bares no bias. Nor does it give privilege or favour anything directly. It’s sole purpose is to amplify, everything. It is everything we are in this social media world. It is everything we perceive to be through are own perceptions.

The further we continue to use social media extensively, the further we will continually see an unprecedented levels of growing social media manifestations. From the growing precedence of measuring influence and significant effects of social authority on search, to the gamification and brandification of our social presence, the amplifier effect will impose behaviours of amplification on to our social media actions activities.

The resulting impact of this has glorified, popularized and hyped events, actions and individuals that were ordinary, everyday and commonplace pre-social media into something beyond wild expectations and possibility. It promotes existence and creates validity. Social media itself has fallen victim and benefactor to the cruelty and kindness of this effect. Ubiquitous and transient, as it pushes you forward towards unlimited opportunity with one hand, it drags you into nothingness with the other. An on-going cycle of self-perpetuation and metamorphosis.

The reality of the is situation is that the majority of what occurs within social media and the world around it really has no definitive explanation, other than the information we borrow from existing disciplines. The greater our intelligence grows and the more we become capable of doing the more our understanding of everything around us seems to lessen. In fact, much of anything we have today can be credited to a series of random, lucky and unexpected occurrences and manifestations. The cause of this lays in the very essence of the amplifier effect. Think about everything you’ve done, witnessed and completed to this point. What brought you there? Why were you drawn by it? What conveyed you to this present time? We are all active proponents of amplification, whether you choose to believe it or not. We are effected by it and the amplifications surrounding us.

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4 Strategies To Consider When Marketing to the Millennials

Written on March 11, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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Trying to market in today’s environment has become quite an interesting task to say the least. With opportunities constantly opening up and new possibilities appearing everyday, figuring out what to do, what you need and what it would take to implement a successful marketing strategy has become increasingly complex and challenging.

Traditional marketing is still an aspect of the game. New-age methods and mediums are firmly gaining territory, while becoming obligatory and commonplace. Then you have the hybrid between the two. Traditional advertising combined with social media. Amplified social media activity during televised events. And the list goes on.

All this and more only makes the lucrative 18-34 year-old demographic trickier to reach. The digital natives, the Millennials, are everywhere but nowhere. Their environment, though unmistakably similar to those before them, functions in a vastly different manner thanks to the internet, social media, mobile technology and so on. As a result, we shouldn’t be applying the same standards, mindsets or thoughts to today’s youth. Here are 4 strategies to consider when marketing to the Millennials.

1. Content is not always king

“Content is king” is undoubtedly one of the most overused and clichéd phrases in the marketing and advertising industries. Don’t get me wrong, content is absolutely imperative when you’re dealing with visual, auditory and literary aspects. However, content is by no means the deal-marker when Millennials make a purchasing decision.

In fact, the phrase itself undermines many fundamentals Millennials undertake towards the products and brands they’re drawn to purchase. From the strategic values they hold towards brands, to the affordability and quality of the product, content is not always king by any means. The “Old Spice Guy” campaign is considered to be one of the best content campaigns in recent memory. Other than some minor growth, tens of millions of views have led to a few funny moments while leaving many, including the Millennials, unconvinced. Oh, and the purpose of the campaign was to rebrand Old Spice to something more youthful. How many Millennial men do you know that were convinced by this and switch to Old Spice?

2. “Join us on Facebook and Twitter.” Now what?

It’s evident that social media is everywhere. And if you’re a Millennial, this has been evident for the last 5 years. It’s a very natural place for us. So natural in fact that intrusion by marketing and advertising forces has only taken some significant shape recently, through events such as the brandification of your social presence.

Absolutely everyone wants your attention. And many have gone as far as bribing you with some incentive to get you there. But, then what? Nothing! The majority are just happy with the numbers game often resulting in the vast majority of actions starting and ending with the “like” and/or “follow”. When’s the last time you followed up on your own actions? Me – hardly ever. We gave you our attention. Do something creative, innovative and useful with it. Why bother asking us to join you then?

3. We’re savvy but we don’t like all technology, web or social media aspects

Millennials are easily the savviest individuals when it comes to technology, the web and social media. Leading a significant majority of the categories that make up these groupings, it’s incredibly rare to find a Millennial not in this dynamic. The stats speak for themselves. We LOVE our tech, web, socially savvy lifestyle and are not afraid to live it online.

But with all that being said, marketers and advertisers are constantly trying to find the next cool thing and miss the mark with Millennials. And the reason they miss the mark is due to the reason that we embrace our savviness on a level of simplicity, resulting in small minority of Millennials living this savvy lifestyle on an advanced level. QR codes are a very cool and interesting idea but even our love for our smart phones has hardly enticed many Millennials one bit.

4. Cultivating the relationship beyond the purchase

Without question, this is the age of the consumer. With growing competition and an increasing amount of options opening up courtesy of the easily accessible online world, one would think they would be vying for our dollars. Keeping us as their own. The current reality is that this is hardly the case to anything beyond some mediocre loyalty programs. But there never has been a time where you could keep such essential relationships with your customer base.

There is no denying that maintaining these relationships is easier said than actually being able to do it. But isn’t that the aspect of every relationship? To put some work into it to make it great? Well, Millennials, they want to have these relationships with you. Why not grow and cultivate something remarkable that would be beneficial for both sides? After all, we’re young and hardly set in our ways. Wouldn’t you rather have a lifetime relationship with us rather than a few random bump-ins?

These 4 strategies are hardly the only ones. Nor would they ring true in absolutely every circumstance. However, they do provide a mindset and outline to what it would take to give you an advantage when marketing to Millennials.

What are your thoughts? What would you add or change in these strategies?

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The Majority of the Few and the Minority of the Many

Written on February 18, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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From the very beginnings of mass media and even prior to that, strength, significance and importance was placed into the notion of reaching everyone. The reason behind this has often resided in the fact only the few had this ability. The same few who often harnessed the power and capability to control and achieve this. Our societal beliefs, structures and economies have been undoubtedly built on these foundations of “mass”, “majority” and “everyone” modes of thought.

Much of this was based on the virtues of the time. There was few print media but it reached everyone in that locality. Radio allowed us to evolve and participate in the same media as everyone else on a grander scale. And everything ultimately culminated with the introduction of TV. The whole country tuned in to some of the highest rated TV series we haven’t seen in decades since the 60s and 70s.

The golden years of advertising were premised and built on this. Let’s be realistic. It’s easy to sell something when you have literally everyone watching, reading or listening to you. And for the last century, this has been the prevailing mode of thought. More = better = success. This is common sense, isn’t it? A world based in economies of scale. We are looking for that one thing to be sold a million times. But what about selling a million things once?

Without a doubt, it’s an odd thought to have. However, to do one is just as difficult to accomplish as the other. Seemingly, it’s nearly impossible to sell “more” of anything today. Just about every field, industry and area of society has seen an increasingly levelling of the playing field in many respects. All of which can be attributed to the many advances we’ve experienced. Everything from the many tech gadgets available to the internet and social media, growing competition, along with the psychological and sociological elements of our needs, wants and personal discovery.

Although we still see many examples of the best-sellers, they are decreasing on a rapid scale. We are in the midst of extensive niche, sub-segment, fringe and speciality growth. We are entering a time where the minority of the many is just as lucrative a space as any one best-seller. We can customize, “build-your-own” and “do-it-yourself” more now than ever. It’s not that these notions hadn’t existed before. Simply, the opportunity and ability to do it wasn’t there. We had no choice but to conform. Conformation was involved in much of anything we could do.

The world is open to a ever-growing number of possibilities. The reason iTunes is so successful is not due to the fact that it simply sells a few items in massive numbers. Rather, it is due to the fact that it sells everything else. Those million different things that it sells only once. Our tastes, options and choices are expanding. At no other time in history has the opportunity to reach everyone been more possible and impossible at the same time. An issue that clearly lies in our ongoing belief to chasing the majority of the few versus chasing the minority of the many.

One would assume that with the unprecedented growth and usage of social media, the ability to reach mass audiences with a mass message would be just as simple as it always was. The reality of the situation could not be further from the truth. Although we as individuals have shared and similar commonalities of life with each other, something that has always existed, social media and the internet drives and compels us to be more different and apart from each other. After all, how many people do you know on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn that have a significant level of similar profile characteristics other than the layout itself. I would venture to say not many.

Traditional marketing and advertising efforts are becoming undeniably futile. TV, print media and radio are not losing their audiences due to lack of great content but due to the dilution of that content through other means and wants. Everything is thinning out thanks to the internet. And social media is hardly here to save the day in this situation, especially not with a one-mass-message approach. If you examine it closely, social media is actually a catalyst to greater fragmentation on all levels. This is a profound new age. Welcome to the majority of the few. This is the time that favours the minority of the many.

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Is Gen-Y A Generation of Opposites?

Written on November 27, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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The more I read about Gen-Y and the more I observe my own actions and those of my fellow Millennials I can’t help but wonder how utterly different we are. Though everyone in a sense represents of a series of attitudes and actions and ways of life, it’s those minor and smaller factors that are having an extraordinary impact on just about everything that defines us as Gen-Y and Millennials.

Over the last week, 3 articles in particular stood out. And they stood out in a way that is quite opposite and contradictory to how this same age-group grew up within previous generations. “Opposite” itself might not be the best used word here, but it does allow us to take on an interesting viewpoint.

The reason why these 3 articles stood out will be more than self explanatory. And I’ll let the titles initially speak for themselves.

A Millennial Vintage: 7-Eleven Fills in Proprietary Wine Line-up with Cherrywood Cellars Varietals

There has been a significant surge and boom within the Millennial generation for the want of wines. Call this what you want, a sense of differentiation, sophistication, vintage elegance or nostalgic effect. The reality is Gen-Y is definitely purchasing wines in a continuing and growing trend. So much so that your local convenience store is specifically targeting them.

Survey: Half of Gen Y would rather text than drive

It’s nothing new to see that cars and Gen-Y don’t mix. It’s very much an oil and water relationship. Gen-Y are buying cars significantly later in life simply because cars don’t mean the same thing they once did in generations past. Aspects of environmentalism, financial circumstances, a different sense of freedom and a mindset that believes and wants to do more with their time are all imperative characteristics into why Gen-Y is choosing to drive less. For Gen-Y, cars are an item in their rear-view mirror. Yes, pun intended.

Opera: Gen Y screaming ‘encore’ for the mobile web

Gen-Y and the web are an ying and yang relationship. You won’t stray too far from one without encountering the other. What’s absolutely fascinating is the manner in which Gen-Y is accessing the web. The mobile web is increasingly becoming the starting point and main point when accessing the web. Though the article here is based on a global perspective where many other issues come into play, such as mobile web access being the cheapest and most accessible means to the internet simply because broadband, laptops and PCs are not a reality for many people around the world. The mobile web, in a reciprocating relationship with smart phones and tablets, are becoming Gen-Y’s preference.

The intriguing reality is that these are but a few examples. There is a plethora of characteristics and examples that define Gen-Y as a very different and unique set of individuals. Don’t get me wrong here, these actions are not exclusive to only Gen-Y. The most important factor here is the differentiation that exists within our wants, thought processes and beliefs of freedoms. In a sense, it’s all very much a sense of “opposites” to what it all once was.

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Yes, I Read Weekly Flyers. Why Traditional Marketing Won’t Simply Disappear

Written on November 19, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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We’re in a great time of disruption and innovation. Old ways versus new ones. Traditional versus non-traditional. And the list goes on and on. Much of this can be seen within the Millennial generation and their perspective on the world. An increasingly online, social and mobile life is more than evident. But what about everything traditional?

There are more times often than not when my technologically based life has to resort to traditional means to get answers, information and everything I need. And though, the internet has been around for some time and though we’ve been able to accomplish some absolutely extraordinary things, I’m amazed when the Best Buy weekly flyer is a far superior experience than the Best Buy website itself.

As a Millennial that is more savvier than many, there is an assumed oxymoron at play here. To observe a blogger, tweeter, avid BlackBerry user and someone that could hardly be pulled away from their laptop take a seat at the kitchen table and look through my bundle of weekly flyers is, well, a paradox.

The unmistakable reality and dilemma here is that technology has not reached that point where it has replaced everything. The resulting factor of this is that I’m forced to use traditional methods simply because sometimes they are significantly better, simpler and more efficient than their technological realities and variants.

Often, most of us are simply looking. If we do need something specific, internet search is king. But for the sake of simple browsing, exploring, comparing and seeing what’s out-there, there is no social media, online or mobile experience that is as simple and seamless as flipping through the flyer that is delivered to your door. And of course there are exceptions here. Though chances are, and good chances at that, I will take a look at the flyer. I can’t reciprocate the same mutual feeling towards the same technological elements.

Much of this same thinking can be applied to any method of traditional media and marketing. I watch TV because it’s a far superior experience than it’s online counterpart. Why wait to watch it after unless I really have to? I read books because e-books lack the functionality of being a book you can flip through back and forth.

The dilemma here is that Millennials, such as myself, are looking for the most optimal and best experiences in everything. And though technological and digital means have created some very good alternatives and new creations, they have yet to truly replace traditional methods. Don’t get me wrong here, I completely understand traditional methods are losing ground. But that’s only a natural aspect that occurs when something new is introduced into an existing environment.

A great example is that I enjoy reading newspapers simply due to the fact that I can quickly glance over everything and see all the articles at once. However, unless an interesting tweet or Facebook share came across my way, I can hardly say I would take the same approach to even read it online. Like with anything else, the internet has had a significant impact on the industry. But it has to be understood that the internet has simply provided a series of new and different experiences, not replacements. Everything traditional still very much exists.

Don’t be fooled here. The Millennials shouldn’t be assumed to be just like everyone else. We are quite different. But the quandary we face and introduce is that we do respond to traditional methods and means simply because our online, social and mobile world is clumsy, clunky and a serious hassle to get through sometimes. For that reason, we are forced to use traditional methods. Like many Millennials, I’m waiting for traditional innovation to really occur and for true technological extravagance to take place.

I’ll hardly follow Best Buy on Twitter, “like” them on Facebook or even visit their website unless I’m looking for specific answers or unless I mistakenly threw out their weekly flyer. It’s not because I don’t want to. I have no need to most of the time. The weekly flyer is the best, simplest and most seamless approach we have available both in-home and in-store. I’m not denying a fascinating new-age is upon us and people won’t embrace that. But as someone with all the savviness, social media understanding, online presence, digital know-how and gadgets, I’ll happily be reading this week’s flyer before I even think about doing anything else.

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Are You Ready for the Millennials and the Social Workplace?

Written on October 22, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Yesterday morning, I had the absolute pleasure and delight of being a panelist for IBM’s Smarter Leaders vPanel. The topic at hand and discussion to follow was based around the idea of whether we are all ready for the impact that the social web and social technologies will have in the workplace.

Aptly titled “[Are You] Ready for the Social Workplace?”, the panel was consistent of 3 brilliant individuals and myself, the “rock-star” Millennial. And since I was given that characterization, I guess I’ll take it! Here are the panelists:

Jennifer Okimoto – (moderator of panel) Associate Partner, IBM Strategy & Transformation at IBM Global Business Services, Organization & People
Dr. Jennifer Deal – Senior Research Scientist at Center for Creative Leadership
Sameer Patel – Partner at the Sovos Group, Enterprise 2.0, Organizational Leadership & Collaboration Strategist
Josip Petrusa – Me, just being myself as a Gen-Y and Millennial Blogger here on my blog.

Looking at the social workplace takes on a different tone when you begin to involve the Millennials and how social computing has not only changed the workplace but how there has been a drastic transformation occurring as a result of it. It’s not a matter of whether companies can adjust and innovate effectively to such deep changes in the nature of work. Rather, it’s truly and simply a matter of when and how these companies will change.

There has been a few competing ideologies here. The first suggests that Millennials in fact will regress into the typical and traditional worker. The worker and employees we’ve always known. The second suggests, and the one I most certainly resonate with, is that Millennials will have a significant influence to the workplace. And for better or worse, we will undoubtedly change the dynamics of everything work related, in one degree or another.

Hyperconnectivity and disruptive innovation will be the catalysts that alter our viewpoints of collaborative natures and employee relationships in the workplace. Equally, many elements of the personal and professional divide are being forever redefined and blurred. Much of which can be attributed to what encompasses the very essence of the Millennials.

Organizational cultures are being challenged. Collaborative structures are growing. And social networking tools are increasingly becoming strong elements of the every day workplace.

As tribal and group thinkers, Millennials will create a level of unprecedented efficiency. We really do want to work. We also really want to do a great job. And in the midst of economic crisis, our mindset has forever only cemented this mindset even further into what only represents our young careers.

Over the next 5 years, the Millennials will represent a significant portion of the work force. And over that time, we’ll have to adjust, readjust and innovate the operation of every structure, as the Millennial mentality will constantly question it. We have to embrace and channel their abilities in order to achieve mutually beneficial results.

The workforce itself won’t simply represent a large mass of Millennials keen on social networking all the time. Rather each Millennial and each aspect of the social web will rise to a particular situation and dictate it within a certain manner. As we can hardly use every element of the social web at once, simply because it’s not practical, and as all Millennials will not represent the same strenghts, the growth of mass collaboration, crowdsourcing and collective intelligence will dictate results and reward individuals accordingly.

However, before much of this can even begin to take place, necessary recourse is absolutely imperative into understanding who the Millennials are. Rather than focus on over-emphasized negatives, current corporate cultures can not simply impose on a down ward scale. Yes, we Millennials believe in having fulfilling relationships with those older than us. And yes, we will have conversations with you and share our thoughts whether you agree with it or not. This will continue to take place whether it’s right or wrong, and regardless of if you like it or if you don’t.

Not only will mentoring be an essential aspect to creating a positive environment, reserve-mentoring will be arguably the most crucial aspect of all. Millennials have exemplified that relationships are important to their very nature. This can be seen across the social world. Building powerful relationships amongst the ranks can have definitive benefits. Something that can only be accomplished if serious notions of reserve-mentoring are put into adoption and use.

Getting ready for a social workforce will take finesse, patience and embracing this new and changing world. The Millennials are undeniably living in one of the most disruptively innovative times ever experienced by our current societal structures. As Millennials continually embrace and grow with these disruptions, they will ultimately innovate as they go along. You may not be ready for the social workplace but it appears that the Millennials might already be.

For Millennials, Online Friends Are Real Friends

Written on October 21, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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It’s been exactly a week since I’ve written my last post and I apologize for that. Though you shouldn’t assume by any means that I was slacking off. In fact, I was more than busy.

Earlier in the week, I attended the Pivot Conference in New York City. And for those of you that don’t know what Pivot is I’ll explain. Pulled straight from their about page, Pivot is “the marketing conference for brand marketers that seeks to understand the style, attitudes, technologies, and preferences of the 18-34 year-old consumer.” So how could I not be there. Not only to hear what they had to say about Gen-Y and Millennials but also to represent Gen-Y and Millennials. Further, I was on a virtual panel for IBM earlier this morning representing Millennials. Stay tuned for that article tomorrow.

Not only was it a pleasure to meet many great colleagues for the first time in-person, it was an idea filled and thought provoking experience. And anyone following my #pivotcon tweets would’ve realized this. So without further adieu, today’s blog post, inspired by those many great online colleagues I met.

From the early days of social media, well the early days of Facebook, many of our so-called “friends” equated to people we’ve always known. In fact, the very purpose of Facebook itself was created as a means to literally keep up with friends. And one-by-one, we all started requesting virtual friendship with our friends.

Then, something truly significant started to take place. Facebook friends weren’t simply reserved for friends anymore. Old acquaintances, classmates and co-workers entered the mix. And once those resources became exhausted, the slightest of relationships and introductions warranted virtual friendship. From individuals you commonly see but have never met, to people you’ve met on vacation and anyone you bumped into at a bar. A simple hello was enough to justify Facebook friendship.

Once you add the dynamics of Twitter, everything seems to be even stranger. And how could it not be strange, with complete strangers following complete strangers. Doing the same in person would make you a creeper, stalker and psycho. Even enough to get the police and authorities involved. Our evaluation of real life relationships would definitely question our online ones.

And they have been questioned. There has been considerable criticism on this topic. How can anyone possibly keep up with thousands of new and emerging online relationships? And why would you bother if you can hardly say you’ve met any of them. Simply, many of our friends, followers and connections are just egotistical aspects of the numbers game.

The more the merrier. Right?

The real friends vs. online friends argument is one based on value, legitimacy and our traditional understandings of friendship. And depending on what side of the fence you are on, this is all either non-sense or the beginning of a brave new-world.

The emerging reality is this difference, this distinction between “real” and “online” doesn’t matter anymore. At the very least, it’s mattering less and less. Something that is very prevalent amongst Millennials.

For Millennials, online friends have become real friends. As the online world blurs into and becomes the real world, friends of various natures are becoming, well, friends. As our world broadens, as our communications continually advances we begin to truly enter a world where friends and friendships are not simply defined by someone we’ve met in person. Rather, meeting in-person, though something that is still truly valuable, becomes a method of communication as opposed to a defining characteristic.

I can already hear the naysayers, traditional believers and those fearful of our new and emerging world disagreeing frantically. There are more than a few negative impacts that come with extensive communications growth. But it shouldn’t be misunderstood that these negatives don’t already exist within the everyday world. And just as we learned to avoid and watch-out for certain signs of dangerous situations in the real world, we will equally learn to live online in the same manner. It won’t simply turn into a fearful world of predators and prey.

Unfortunately, there will be some circumstances that will be glorified to show how evil the online world is but this false perception should in no way dissuade or discourage individuals from creating very meaningful relationships online. Relationships that are genuine, great, caring and real. Though it would be a pleasure to meet everyone in-person, online communication is the most defining substitute ever created to cultivate real relationships anywhere in the world.

Social media has unknowingly established and created more than a few negatives and positives. And by no means should we all be scared to travel down this road in an orderly fashion. I have many relationships with individuals that I’ve known for years that are absolutely amazing. I also have many relationships that were created online that are equally as amazing.

As you read this I have 350 Facebook friends, 1327 Twitter followers, 576 LinkedIn connections and 106 Facebook Fan Page likes. Many of which I’ve met. Many of which I haven’t met. Though I’ll admit I haven’t sustained extensive relationships equally with everyone, the growing number of those I’m continually engaging with online are just as incredible as many people I’ve known in real life.

When I went to New York City for the Pivot Conference, I went not ever having met anyone in-person. Once there, we all met as if we were friends for sometime. It’s because we have been friends for sometime, only separated by the physical distance between us. Friendship is not defined by real or online conceptualization. Friendship is defined by the very essence as our abilities as human beings to interact with each other whether that be a lifelong relationship or someone you’ve come to know on Twitter.

Life online is still very much an infant idea. And many individuals incorporate traditional barriers within the online world. The fact remains that many of us, especially Millennials, are beginning to have more and more friendships created online. For us, the online world is part of our real world. For us, our online friends are real friends.

(Photo credit)