Category — generational marketing

I’m sure that almost everyone is aware of the media buzz surrounding the “new” facebook transition this week. The reviews have been varied, some with great emotion, but the outcome is almost certainly that progress will continue forward.  Facebook is the leader today in social networking and continues to gain ground among participants of all ages and backgrounds.

In the New York Times last week, there was a story about Facebook, its founder, his experiences and the increasing momentum building around microblogging. Microblogging is still new to me and I haven’t quite figures out how or whether to incorporate it into my online life. Do I really NEED one more thing to check on my iphone and/or that much information about anyone else’s life? I can barely keep track of my own!

The author of the NYT piece referenced a social scientist who called the appeal of microblogging “ambient awareness.” I liken this to the popularity in the 80’s and 90’s of the marketing term “top of mind awareness.” It is that sense of constantly having a product, service, idea or person bubbling just below the surface of your thought. Wouldn’t we all like to have this place in our potential customers’ minds?

I’ve heard much of late about the potential of microblogging for business and NPO business connections. Could our CEO talk about his life? Can our event and cause application on Facebook build a following? Would someone follow tweets about how much I love Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? Perhaps, I just haven’t figured out how to use it yet.

Any ideas?

The Who may have started singing about “My Generation” years ago but the issue is more relevant now than ever before. Both for-profit and NPOs are trying to tease apart the differences between our country’s generations but also appeal to the interests and checkbooks of the masses.

Perhaps there is really no such thing as mass media anymore?

I attended a roundtable discussion today with a group of NPO leaders about the issue of generational marketing – particularly marketing to potential donors, volunteers, and employees.  As a group, we are frankly overwhelmed. Small nonprofits are just now approaching the realms of online giving and social media. This adds another layer to our work and may shift the balance of charitable giving in only a few short years.

As NPOs continue the quest to build corporate partnerships, this “generating” generational-specific traffic through our partnerships will put successful cause marketing campaigns head and shoulders above the rest.  Just as products such as Avon and Yoplait have carefully aligned their cause partners with their key market demographic, other less obvious mergers of interest will be necessary. I am particularly interested to see the Millenials’ favorite products adapt and change to the giving climate.

Our lessons from today’s conversation seemed clear and perhaps obvious in retrospect – but not so easy to implement. First, be flexible. Realize that your clients, donors and consumers may not all see things from your perspective. Two, realize that you cannot dramatically change the population. It will be they who change us.