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Tag Archive: Technology

The “We” Economy

Written on November 16, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

Over 100 years ago, one of the most significant societal, economic and culture changes forever changed life around us. It created industry, populated urban areas, created the employee, introduced the theory of selling your time for monetary value and for better or worst, it, the Industrial Revolution, manifested and proliferated a ‘Me’ Economy. And until recently, that has remained relatively the same.

Over the past decade, a drastic shift has been occurring. Whether you dub it the Digital, Internet or most recently Social Media Revolution, this significant force is moving us into a completely new direction. One that moves us towards a group mentality. It gathers the crowd. It “benefits” us if we all choose to be a part of it. It creates a system of trade-offs that not only causes you to sell your time for some sort of value but one that asks you to sell your personal behaviour, privacy and information as well. This is the ‘We’ Economy.

The very foundations of Facebook, GroupOn, Twitter, Klout, LinkedIn, YouTube and everything that is social involves one, and the most important and underlying aspect, which is that we all choose to participate. This also extends into the current world of apps, smart phones and tablets. The reality is that it doesn’t take too much for us to participate. Who doesn’t want to see and follow their friends? Want a deal? Have a professional profile? Want to watch videos of all makes and kinds? Leverage their social activity of bragging rights, recognition or some sort of perk? Have a cool mobile product and useful apps? The We Economy needs us all to participate. And we are, willingly, participating.

Our participation validates this new business model and it validates the ideas behind it. It’s business and it’s personal. Your personal self is of significant value of which becomes quite lucrative and valuable when you and I and millions of others decide to opt-in. We are the fuel and sole purpose that moves a new world that is stepped in service. A service that is engulfed at satisfies our needs of self-gratification. Right now, we’re all consumed by this. And naturally so. From the effects of cool, new and exciting to peer and group mentalities, it’s in our human nature to pursue these endeavours. Regardless of them being deemed good or bad.

But if everything is based on business and selling a product or service, how true can our experiences really be? As Sam Fiorella points out in his blog post, I’m Taking Back My Influence; Opting Out of Klout, building your perceived online influence is ultimately a business venture based on tracking your social media information. It requires that we participate for both the sake of validity, it’s existence and business. Further, Google’s introduction of their new social network Google+ is suppose to have a direct correlation to your Google+ and search results. Not to mention it’s frequent algorithm changes, most recently, for “fresher” results. And then there is Apple’s Siri, who will ultimately change and decide things for us. Flipping many aspects like online search on it’s head.

The current mentality and one that propagates the We Economy is that we either choose to be a part of it or lose out. It is shaped by the information we provide and not the information that it is unaware of. It produces statistics, data, behaviours and algorithms that are suppose to be deemed real, relevant and accurate. It is one that unknowingly shapes us more than we know or acknowledge. It tells us and forces us to believe what we see is what we want. We do not care about or acknowledge the unknown. So we become biased to everything we see online, in our profiles, in searches, in conversations, et cetera. All encompassed by ‘we’.

To say this is good or bad will be truly unknown. Where one would argue that by participating in this social world we are entering an age of many issues that will inherently effect us, such as our misconception of free social media and apps (free = exposure to advertisements + our willingness to be monitored, participating and providing information). However, another would argue that based on everything we provide it will eventually lead to optimal experiences, and services, and products we truly want. And ones we didn’t know we wanted, yet.

Our human nature and intuition has become very much a participatory one, and the further intervention of business into our daily lives has created a series of circumstances that is both unfounded and unprecedented. Like anything else, the good comes with the bad and the opinions follow it. Though, what we know for certain is this, we are amidst a new-era in human history. A new way of behaving, living and thinking. One that is full of mobile devices, social networks, online activities and our ongoing participation by all of us in it. This is the We Economy.

Photo source: razorray15

Leveraging the Millennialness of Millennials

Written on May 16, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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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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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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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.

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Are You Looking for Gen-Y? Or Are You Waiting to Be Found?

Written on October 6, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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It’s becoming more obvious and apparent that traditional marketing and advertising efforts are not yielding the same traditional results. And this is something I’m been preaching for a while. We, Gen-Y, are different. It’s just that plain and simple. No matter which angle you approach it at, or what perspective you choose to believe, you would be a fool not too know that this generation is different.

For some reason, there is much dissent and debate to how strong these differences really are. And if anything at all, is Gen-Y that much different from everyone else. Truly, you would have to be blind not to understand the hurdles Gen-Y has created, both actively and passively.

The reality of the situation is that in a whole new world old tricks don’t necessarily always apply. With many aspects of the internet such as social media and video streaming, to the rapid emergence of the mobile sector and even the changing state of television, simply keeping on the same marketing and advertising path will lead you to over-expenditure of budgets compared to earlier years.

The issue at hand here is whether you are actively looking for your Gen-Y customers and consumers or whether you are simply waiting for them to come to you. Not only is this distinction imperative to understand, playing hide and seek with this generation can be extremely costly. We look where we choose to look. Not where you tell or want us to look.

We’re no longer subject to simply watching TV and waiting for the commercial to be over. If I’m not watching TV, I’m on my laptop. And if I’m not on my laptop, I’m on my BlackBerry. And if I’m on my laptop and BlackBerry, I’m not watching what’s on the TV. The most fascinating point in all of this is the only advertisement I remember is the cute one my girlfriend posted on my Facebook wall.

It’s fascinating because like most members of Gen-Y, I’m always connected with the platforms of TV, the internet and mobile. In any situation, we’re most likely on one of the three. And when it comes right down to it, I can hardly recall a time when a friend wasn’t more influential than an ad. If you want my opinion, you should hire Gen-Y to reach Gen-Y.

Nothing stands out more on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, well in any circumstance, than a personal touch. Amidst all the clutter and noise, you have no choice but to eventually become personal in your relationships. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to make that effort. It’s never good to assume anything, but just like everyone assumes the internet provides the answers to everything, everyone also assumes that everyone else is “social”. And this is slowly catching on with in the world of apps. “How come they don’t have an app?!”

So if you’re waiting to be found by Gen-Y, there’s a really good chance you’ll slip through the cracks. It’s not about presence. It’s about engagement. With everything we have technologically available, we actually know about everything before it comes out. And we’ve already made our decision before you’ve even began advertising to us. And we’ve made our decisions known to everyone around us. It’s an interesting cycle and endless cycle.

I’m not the doom and gloom type nor am I suggesting Gen-Y is unreachable. In fact, this is probably greatest moment in time when you can actually reach who ever you like. And it’s not an issue of great content. Great content has always existed. You just have to jump into a Gen-Y frame-of-mind. You have to be interesting, different and use what we use. You have to come looking for us.

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Using the Millennials to Your Uncharacteristic Advantage (Part 2)

Written on October 1, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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The Millennials have had an unprecedented impact on just about everything. Their behaviour, actions and mode of thought are significantly different from anything we’ve seen before. And as I suggested in my previous article, the strength of the Millennials is more profound than often perceived. While they create a digital gap between themselves and their parents at one moment, they at the same time close that gap by actually being the providers of technological necessity.

Though the parents of Millennials are amongst the largest growing segment in area’s such as social media, they do not hold that same inherent behaviour and savyness that Millennials bring. As I alluded to in my previous article, though you might not understand the technological behaviour of the Millennials or even agree with it, you will undeniably use their strengths when needed. And as a result, they’ve single-handedly become the biggest influencers of their parents and those seeking answers Millennials can quickly find.

Beyond this, Millennials hold an established and significant level of influence over their Millennial colleagues. From aspects such as personal opinions, shared emotions, growing networks and instant communication, their level of influence on each other is overwhelming.

The traditional friend-to-friend, acquaintance-to-acquaintance and even person-to-person influence was always reserved for those few individuals you would always interact with. Just 5 years ago, before the mainstream boom of social media and mobile devices, our group associations were smaller, more intimate and based on established relationships. But thanks to technological advances, everything has been redefined and amplified.

Though the value of relationships has stayed the same, the way we approach and build them has changed forever. Just 5 years ago, our influence would only reach those simply around us on a daily basis. Now, each individual, each Millennial is a network in themselves. At any given moment, each Millennial is being influenced by the hundreds of different networks that are encompassed within all their supposed friendships.

From the ongoing publicly viewed conservations, shared thoughts and experiences, and pure but simple personal opinions, these characteristics have become the growing and defining moments of many of our decisions. As a result, the slightest influence will either persuade or dissuade our decisions and choices. By no means should we be considered naïve. Rather, we’re merely highly informed to just about everything that happens.

This should be no wonder as Millennials lead the way in many areas of social networking and mobile phone usage. The value and significance is known. And success always sounds like stories of lore from times past, since no one has been able to truly keep a sustainable effort. There have been flashes of brilliance with viral marketing campaigns. But like biological viruses themselves, these viral successes come and go only to be talked about as “remember when…” thought pieces for the future conversations.

What we know is that Millennials connect, share and absorb. Yes, absorb. To borrow a misquoted line from the Field of Dreams, “if you build it, [he] they will come.” And as usage rates increase in just about every field with the Millennials, the analogy does relatively hold true. So how do you penetrate the Millennial mind? How do you influence these influencers from the inside?

The reality is there is no straight answer but that shouldn’t suggest it can’t be achieved. It’s rather difficult to market and advertise to us because we’re looking where we want to look and not where you want us to look. A starting point would be to think like a Millennial. Understanding what values Millennials hold would be the next step. But the underlying factor in all of this is that Millennial-to-Millennial influence can’t be de-emphasized or misunderstood. Good or bad, the Millennials networks will decide everything for you.

Everything is always just one Facebook share, one tweet, one text away from a decision.

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Using the Millennials to Your Uncharacteristic Advantage (Part 1)

Written on September 28, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Understanding that today’s youth is growing up technologically advanced really is no big secret. The boom in social media and mobile devices amongst other technological advances has not only defined a generation, it has created a generation of digital natives. And at the same time, these digital natives, the Millennials, have redefined the world we live in.

It should be no wonder that my grandfather is in awe of my incessant BlackBerry use. Nor should I be surprised that my parents understanding of the internet is significantly different from my understanding of it. What is seemingly natural to us is so obviously alien to them.

But in the midst of everything, a sense of organized chaos has begun to emerge. Though my grandfather and parents are impervious to adapting to my way of life and though they will only ever be minimalist, at best, of the things I use, they, along with many others, have found a way to effectively use what Millennials use everyday.

Naturally and historically, our learning patterns have always had a top-down approach. Our parents would teach us. Our teachers would teach us. Our jobs would teach us. Well you get the point. There was always a sense that we would learn from an already established source. With that being said, the Millennials have unmistakably become this established source that many of our elders will learn from.

Always being connected, always sharing and always absorbing information, it would be undeniable to suggest that Millennials don’t know a trick or two their parents aren’t aware of. After all, Facebook was invited by a group of Millennial for Millennials. Smart phones were once considered instruments of professional business women and men, and have since been brought into the mainstream by a generation of exuberantly minded youth.

Realistically, a Millennials way of life will never truly be incorporated by many of those older than them. However, should the need arise, of which it has become a growing and continuing need, my grandfather, my parents though themselves not inclined to many technological aspects have me as a means to an end. Millennials, and myself included, have become the biggest influencers of our parent’s generation.

And as our parent’s generation, the Baby Boomers, still represent one of the largest portions of the population with unquestionable spending power, the Millennials can bridge a gap advertising and marketing really can’t fill when it comes to all the modern advancements that are occurring. Those mediums simply create a sense of awareness. However, at that same moment, Millennials already have the inside-scoop. Forget about the sales woman or man, Millennials have become the sales personnel for their parents.

Their influence comes at a time of rapid change. To suggest that all those older than the Millennials aren’t “in the know” would be a mistake. But it would be a mistake not to know that Millennials have an unprecedented influence on their parents. After all, we’re on pace to own more materialistic objects and consume greater amounts of information than ever before. Not only have I single-handedly owned more cell phones than my parents combined, I’m aware of information and sales and deals and anything else before it even becomes a thought for them. It’s not that our parents aren’t capable of doing the same. In many instances they are. They just simply don’t have to be. Especially when we, the Millennials, are their children.

Stay tuned for Part 2, when jump into deeper, more creative and adventurous waters.

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The New Twitter is the New Standard

Written on September 17, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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This last Tuesday evening, Twitter announced a major redesign and launch of a new web interface. After watching the live-feed of the actual presentation, though I was amazed and absolutely impressed by it, I couldn’t help but think what a definitive game changer it will become. And with it rolling-out to all users over several weeks, we all had to simply wait and see.

But low and behold, by late morning Wednesday, I was amongst a “privileged” few who were using the New Twitter platform – hopefully this should show all my tweeps who weren’t otherwise convinced. Furthermore, every inclination I had to it’s game changing ability was made more than apparent. That’s when the ideas, comparisons and futurist thinking took over.

After spending more time playing around with it than anyone would be willingly to admit, of which was at least a few hours, the possibilities, opportunities and future success seemed endless. Though I won’t necessarily address all the new functionality of the New Twitter platform, I will address a series of issue that will not only bring glory to Twitter. And examine how Twitter will single-handedly change what we expect from the internet, social media and all social networking platforms.

Twitter has traditionally been known since it’s creation as a single column of incoming tweets. Other than being able to open a little profile window for tweeps within your stream, there was no sense or ability to stay on the same page after clicking a link. As the picture shows above, Twitter has created a two columned screen. The one on the left representing the incoming tweets, which also has an infinite scroll function. And the one of the right that opens into a new window when clicking on profiles, tweets and tweets marked as conversations, pictures and videos.

With that being said, one of the biggest weakness I’ve always found with anything online is the fact that you always had to move into a new window or tab after clicking a link. The New Twitter not only allows you to watch a tweeted video, but you can continue to observe tweets and send tweets simultaneously. Talk about the leveraged ability this presents to brands, advertisers, companies and everyone else tweeting their own work, photos and videos. It definitely promotes content sharing, while leveraging continuing tweeting and giving us the further ability to absorb more.

The new interface layout will definitely resonate with the Millennial generation, who are amongst the current lowest users of the site. It provides them their growing want for online content while keeping them on the same page and connecting further at the same time. Once the New Twitter becomes mainstream, get ready to see an unprecedented growth amongst this group. All the ingredients are there.

Being a Millennial myself, the New Twitter has created wants for a few more advancements, both equally within Twitter and further online. Why limited the 2nd column to tweets, conversations, profiles, tweeted videos and pictures? Why not open up the actual links within that column? I can only imagine this is the next step within Twitter’s future. But if Twitter created the capability to do this, no one would ever leave Twitter, because, well, you wouldn’t have to. Twitter could realistically become an interface network where everything runs through it. And if Twitter wants to fly me down to San Fransisco, I’d be more than glad to share an idea or two.

Interestingly, the New Twitter also highly reciprocates the a touch-pad and screen interface and functionality. There is no denying touch-screen technology is the future. And it seems Twitter is jumping on board before everyone else. Imagine the impact this will have to Facebook and YouTube. Although YouTube remains king of the video castle, I can only but wonder and believe other online video channel’s will garner significant growth from Twitter’s progress.

Equally, at a time where Facebook users are growing, there doesn’t seem to be the same coolness and overall sentiment that existed 2 years ago. Though it might be a little soon to say anything, but “Facebook who?” has become seemingly more realistic, if my just the slightest margin. But my hunch is Facebook won’t wait around but will match Twitter’s effort with the a sophisticated overhaul as well.

In the end, not only does Twitter win in this situation, but further they have set a new standard everyone else must follow. Aside from the better functionality and content distrubiton, amongst other characteristics, I can’t help but think the New Twitter is targeted towards the Millennials in hopes of getting them on board, since it offers significant aspects of what they want from an online source.

Further, this is an absolute big plus for brands, products, advertisers, companies and anyone looking to promote themselves. It encourages everyone to at least examine the tweet without missing anything and never leaving the page. I can only hope they pick up on this sense of new-age thinking and level the traditionalism behind.

And lastly, it will create a want for something greater. Why should we ever have to leave a page ever again? Why bother using anything else when everything I want is right there? Not only has Twitter raised the bar, they’ve changed the entire framework of the online game. And how we look at it. And how we think about it. And how we act on it.

So, forget about what you knew before. This is the new standard. This is the new online world. This is the New Twitter.