Boomers are incredible. They make very interesting parents and are changing the way everyone views aging. And Millennials? My god, they’re changing absolutely everything and aren’t they just fascinating with the totally new ways that they think?!

Sick of it.

There, I said it, and I know you agree with me. That’s right, I’m looking at you, fellow Gen Xers. Sandwiched on both sides by the self-indulgent and the over-parented, we managed to shed the slacker image of our teenage years only to remain the middle children of history (with thanks to Tyler Durden). Maybe it’s working in marketing, but over the last few years we’ve been bombarded with information about Millennials attitudes, tastes, personalities, and work styles. Boomers are freaking obsessed with them. Or maybe just using them as an excuse to reshape the world yet again. Marketers are making up whole new disciplines just to try to talk to 22 year-olds, who, like all 22 year-olds throughout history, are completely self-centered and insisting that they are special. Boomer employers are worried about how to make their business more hospitable to the up and coming youth. Remember what they said to us when we were entering the work force? “About time you got a job, slacker, now grow up.” So we adjusted. We fit in or we found paths that let us do it our way while still getting the job done. We did it quietly, on our own, and for the most part we’ve turned out pretty well despite what they told us.

You remember what they told us, right? First of all, the cold war was going to get very hot and the Soviets were going to make sure most of us didn’t live past 1982. We learned U.S. geography based on where the nuclear missiles would be most likely to hit first. Based on where I was living at the time, I had something like 8 hours from initial strike. And then suddenly, all of that was over. “It’s fine now, ha ha, didn’t mean to scare you kids, drink more Pepsi. Oh, and here’s a key to the house because mom and dad will both be at work when you get home from school. Watch TV or play Nintendo or something. Oh, and by the way, did you know you are the first generation that won’t be better off than your parents, no matter how hard you try? Ok, good, as long as that’s clear.” Whatever.

No wonder we started ignoring them. And yes, we pouted for a while.

There’s something like 50 million of us Xers in the world, which is paltry when compared to the 70+ million members of the generations on either side of us. We’ve been busy building lives for ourselves, mostly without the benefit of anyone paying much attention. Along the way we’ve managed to change a few things. Work schedules are more flexible, comic books get more respect, video games are better and technology has advanced because of them, and kids have all the toys we always wished we had.

We’ll see if the Boomers can change the world for the Millennials. My guess is that the kids will change more than the world will, just like it always happens. It’s probably ok if they both keep ignoring us. We’ll just be over here, playing with their toys. Because, as much as we found a way to fit in when we had to, we’re never going to grow up.

                          

I’m getting a little tired of all the Millennial generation hatin’. Boomers say that Millennials don’t take things serious enough; Xers say that Millennials won’t stop talking about themselves (which ironically, I’m currently doing). We Millennials just can’t seem to find the love.

Below are several common complaints that people bring up when talking about the Millennial generation.

Millennials all have a misplaced sense of entitlement

Before jumping on the “all Millennials have a sense of entitlement” bandwagon, just remember that this generation has been recently knocked down a few rungs of the success ladder (much more than other groups). Because of several years of poor employment conditions, many Millennials have delayed major life decisions:

• 44 percent will delay buying a home*
• 28 percent will delay saving for retirement*
• 27 percent will delay paying off student loans or other debt*
• 27 percent will delay going back to school/getting more education or training*

Sure, we have a bit of an entitlement complex, but maybe it’s just us having a positive outlook on life even if trends show us behind our parents when it comes to major life events. As long as individuals are willing to work to make those high aspirations come to life, so what if we sometimes come off as snooty?

*Source: Rob Bluey, How the Debt and Economy Are Reshaping Millennials’ Life Choices, The Foundry – represented from research conducted by Generation Opportunity

Millennials can’t make decisions on their own

We’re bombarded with research saying that Millennials can’t make a decision without buy-in from friends and family. For example, research states that 84% of Millennials rely on user-generated content when making purchase decisions versus 70% of Boomers.**

Some construe this as lacking individual leadership and decision-making ability, but shouldn’t this illustrate that Millennials understand how to make INFORMED decisions. Just because you can pull the trigger on a decision doesn’t mean it’s a good or valid one. We just like to collect the appropriate data before making a decision. To me, that screams collaborative learning – something progressive institutions have been advocating for quite some time.

**Source: BazaarVoice Report: Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands

Millennials don’t have a long attention span

Well, this may be a complaint I can’t defend very well. When writing this article, I stopped to change my Pandora station three times and checked my email five times. I think many of my Millennial brethren have a similar problem when it comes to focusing on a single task. For example, a recent study (through Time Warner’s Time Inc. and conducted by Boston’s Innerscope Research) found that consumers in their 20s (“digital natives”) switch media channels about 27 times per nonworking hour. That is about 13 media switches during a standard half-hour TV show.***

We have more information at our fingertips than any previous generation. To not constantly explore that information through social media, blogs, content sites, e-readers, etc. would be ignoring what makes our generation special.

***Source: AdAge, Brian Steinberg, Study: Young Consumers Switch Media 27 Times An Hour

I’m not saying that Millennials should be pitied because of their situation; I just think it’s important to remember what we grew up with and how that shaped our attitudes, aspirations, and choices.

                          

by Jordan Bainer

The book Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the “Real” America has piqued my interest regarding how to better define consumer targets across the United States. Media tends to define states and even entire country regions by either red or blue, alluding to the different political party designations.

As with many elements of sociology, the answers are not black and white but very different shades of grey. Red and blue do not address the many idiosyncrasies that make up U.S. citizen behavior and viewpoints across the nation. Using 12 different archetypes, the authors of Patchwork Nation explain these various community types and match them up to counties across the nation using demographic, economic, and sociological factors. Though still rudimentary (as 12 community types only widens the explanation so far), it’s a compelling method of analyzing our nation.

While reading Patchwork Nation, it made me think that these community definitions would have a huge impact on how we market to certain demographic groups – in this case, affluent individuals. Assuming that an affluent consumer is going to have the same motivations and concerns across the nation would be a very black and white approach. Using Patchwork Nation’s 12 community types, below is a summary of a few key affluent motivations and concerns for each community. Though we don’t have any specific market research backing up these hypotheses, conducting a similar exercise may be a good starting point when considering communicating to “affluents” across the nation.

These summaries of affluent motivations and barriers are made on assumptions and are a bit oversimplified. Also, these summaries tend to be focused on community matters versus individual matters. Overall, the main point of the above grid is to illustrate that consumer segments can’t be easily blanketed across the nation. The communities that consumers live in will have a large impact on the decisions they make. I recommend reading Patchwork Nation; it might make you rethink your nationwide communication strategies and encourage further geo-market research before any major marketing push.

Sources: http://www.patchworknation.org/

Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the “Real” America; Dante Chinni and James Gimpel; Published by Gotham Books; Copyright 2010

                          

In volatile economic times, most consumers tighten their belts and make better-informed shopping choices, especially when it comes to luxury items. An interesting side effect of the recent economic recovery has been affluent consumers’ new focus on value. Deal-seeking is now a trendy activity among all socio-economic segments. Affluent individuals are seeking a balance between luxury and price savings. Below are a few sources to support this new value orientation:

1. Mediapost – January 2012: “2011 Ended On a Positive Note for Affluents”

At the end of 2011, a survey among affluent individuals showed a renewed sense of economic optimism. Though shoppers’ confidence has been boosted, cutting back on spending is important.

“Affluents are looking forward to 2012 with a renewed sense of hope and with full agendas. Eight in ten made resolutions or set specific goals for themselves, with most focused on spending more time with family, saving money, and/or living healthier lifestyles.”

Source: Steve Kraus, Bob Shullman, MediaPost Blogs http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/165935/2011-ended-on-a-positive-note-for-affluents.html#ixzz1qLVsnnY1

2. Trendwatching- November 2011: “Dealer-Chic”

Trendwatching dedicated a whole month to consumers’ changing attitude on deals. Businesses are beginning to recognize that even those individuals with money are looking for ways to build social value through deals, savings, and savvy coupon usage. Below are the article’s main support points behind this trend:

1. “MORE FOR LESS: While many people in developed economies may have less money to spend right now, consumers everywhere will forever look to experience more.” 

2. “THE MEDIUM IS THE MOTIVATION: Consumers are now being alerted to, using, reusing and sharing offers and deals via new (and therefore infinitely more exciting and attractive) technologies.”

3. “BEST OF THE BEST: With instant mobile or online access to not only deals but reviews as well, consumers can now be confident they’re getting the best price for the best product or service.”

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.

3. AdAge Blogs – January 2012: “Affluency: Three Trends to Watch for 2012”

According to a study released by Ipsos Mendelsohn and reported by AdAge, affluent consumers have changed their attitudes towards value and shopping in general. For example, affluent consumers will continue to indulge in luxury goods but are less turned off by sales and embrace the idea of price-based shopping:

“89% [of those surveyed] agree, “When I decide to purchase a luxury item, I go out of my way to find the best price possible.” Conversely, only 22% of affluents agree, “If a luxury product goes on sale, it lessens the perception of luxury.”

Another interesting finding is that affluent individuals are putting more emphasis on strategic shopping; they’re spending more time comparing products based on perceived value. Instead of buying based on immediate needs and wants, more time is put in researching products:

“64% [of those surveyed] agree, “I regularly read online reviews of products before making an online purchase.” 47% agree, “I regularly read online reviews of products before making a purchase in a retail store.” 68% agree, “When I go shopping online, I usually know exactly what I want to buy.” 63% agree, “When I go shopping in a retail store, I usually know exactly what I want to buy.”

Source: Steve Kraus, Bob Shullman, AdAge Blogs http://adage.com/article/adagestat/affluency-trends-watch-2012/231886/

As shopping attitudes change, businesses need to identify how to utilize sales promotions to add greater value to affluent consumers. The days of coupon-cutting may be long gone for this segment, but the importance of sales and deals is just starting to warm up.

                          

Video games were a huge part of my childhood. As a kid, I was obsessed with finding all the hidden whistles in Super Mario Brothers 3 to skip to the last world. The ability to defeat challenges and “level up” was (and is still) a huge motivational driver for me.

I seem to share this trait with my fellow millennials and businesses know this. Companies are using the core principles behind this “level up” strategy to foster my generation’s continued loyalty and brand advocacy. People have coined this strategy gamification, the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging (as defined by Gamification Wiki). Social media has encouraged this trend, setting the rules and allowing for instantaneous “play.” Below are a few steps to consider if you want to build millennial loyalty through gamification:

Ultimate Goal: encourage continued loyalty among current users/consumers

1. Promote the game via social and owned channels – Describe the rules, what users have to do, and what they get in return.
2. Define the game’s value to the end user – Communicate what they get out of the game. Nike+ motivates individuals to exercise more by tracking results, building points, and allowing Facebook friends to offer words of encouragement.
3. Share achievements with friends – Provide social value to users/consumers by communicating achievements to a user’s friend base. Foursquare uses badges to reward an individual’s actions, which are then pushed outward through social channels.
4. Encourage recruitment of new players – Reward current users/consumers for recruiting new players. USA Network’s show “Psych” rewards its Club Psych players who share with friends by giving away prizes like Nintendo Wii Systems. Not a bad prize given the nature of the program!

Gamification is not for everyone. You have to consider both your audience and product to decide if it’s a correct promotional strategy. If it is determined to be the right move, keep it simple. Games that have unclear rules and don’t allow users to level up quickly are abandoned (which explains my past addiction to Super Mario Brothers 3).

Sources: Gamification Wiki

How Three Businesses Scored Big with Gamification

                          

All the internet is abuzz with marketing bloggers, social media experts, and data research firms extolling Pinterest for it’s ability to draw in users to visual stimuli and then drive them elsewhere to find more information and take action. It’s still considered a budding social channel, and there is no indication that it’s growth and significance will wane anytime soon (if the below rate of unique visitor growth stays consistent).

Source: comScore data and @MDGadvertising infographic

We’ve watched this social channel hit critical mass and provide ripe opportunity for marketers to participate with this engaged audience. To help you decide whether your business should jump into the fray, below are 6 “do’s and don’ts” for Pinterest management:

DO – Spend time following your target audience first to see what resonates with them before you beginning posting. By narrowing down your target’s interest categories, you can save time and effort in how you organize your content.

DO – Post often. As with any social channel, taking a break from sharing content can be a relationship killer. Create a plan to post content on a daily or bi-daily basis.

DO – React to your target. Just posting content to your boards isn’t going to start a trusting, two-way conversation. Narrow down a few target audience influencers (those with a significant following of their own) and regularly comment on their postings relevant to your brand (but don’t go too overboard!). In this same vein, do NOT allow a comment to go unanswered on any of your postings. Use this as an opportunity to connect on a personal level.

DON’T – Expect your target audience to find you. Pinterest does a great job finding and suggesting relevant influencers for users to follow, making users less active in searching out relevant friends. Make a goal of connecting with a set number of your target audience each week, hopefully spreading your influence outward.

DON’T – Oversell yourself. Though Pinterest allow users to link images to relevant retail sites, you shouldn’t be using the medium to only sell your wares. Pinterest allows you as a marketer to capture your brand’s essence through related visuals and images relevant to your target audience. Keep a healthy mix of your original content and shared content.

DON’T – Keep Pinterest to yourself. Put a team together that can manage your Pinterest account in order to keep content fresh and invite various opinions/viewpoints. With the ‘boards’ feature, you can easily separate your content by topic/interest/category- making it easy to divvy up the responsibilities of postings and conversations among different individuals. As with any social channel, put a policy in place to help guide the team’s actions without hindering their creativity.

Keep in mind, Pinterest is only one of many social channels that you can use to interact with your target audience(s).  If your company/brand needs to use visuals to get information across, then it may be worth your time to explore this medium. Just remember with all social channels – you get out what you put in.

Jordan Bainer is a senior account executive at d.trio. New to Minneapolis, he comes from the land of Lincoln (Chicago specifically) where he began as a media planner at Starcom Worldwide and evolved into a account strategist at the higher education focused agency, Lipman Hearne. He spends his time arguing with others on the taste profiles of beer and pretending he’s someone else through improv comedy.

                          

It’s no surprise that Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964), are the most important demographic within the U.S. consumer base. They are the largest generation in American history. d.trio researched a range of industry resources to define the most relevant and timely advice for those marketing to Boomers. Here’s our re-cap.

Boomers and older consumers (born before 1965) are the single, largest consumer group in America at over 100 million. They are the wealthiest, best educated and most sophisticated purchasers. With more disposable income than any population in America, they are, the “New Customer Majority” (David Wolfe).

Boomers represent over 29% of the U.S. population. They hold 70% of U.S. wealth and control over 50% of the U.S. discretionary spending powers. Boomer women wield significant buying power; making or influencing 80% of household purchase decisions. Boomers are:

• Health care influencers – purchasing over 61% of all over the counter medications and 77% of all prescription drugs
• Travelers – 80% of leisure travel are boomers
• Health conscious or dealing with health issues – 39% of Boomers are clinically obese; over 80% of Boomers research their health issues online.

Some channel observations for marketing to Boomers:

• They are still influenced by television advertising
• Print media is still alive – they are traditional print readers
• They also like reading online and respond well to electronic books and publications
• Boomer women are more open to change than GenX or GenY
• Their online behavior is consistent – over 91% use email, 88% use search engines and 74% receive news online.

Boomers are early adopters of technology, and in fact, created the technology we enjoy today. Think Steve Jobs/Apple, Bill Gates/Microsoft, Larry Ellison/Oracle…you get the picture. Boomers have spent most of their working lives using technology – they are tech savvy. Statistics show that Boomers will quickly adopt technology that meets their needs, and this adoption rate is increasing every year. For example:

• Boomer women appear to own iPads or tablets at four times the rate of the general public;
• Boomers spend more money each month on technology than Gen X or Gen Y – an average of $650 per month
• Boomers spend 15 hours online per week, compared to teenager’s 13 hours per week
• 45% of Boomers downloaded more than 10 apps in the last year
• 33% read QR codes on their smart phones
• 35% download movies from Netflix or other streaming providers
• 46% buy music by downloading it from a site like iTunes.

Because Boomers are early adopters of technology, we conclude that they are somewhat channel agnostic. The message is more important than the medium. If marketers develop the right messages, they can engage Boomers, regardless of channel.

Life transitions are often at their peak for Boomers. According to an article by Nancy Shanka Padberg, marketers can build their brand by understanding this change and offering understanding and product solutions:

• We make your life better.
• We make your life easier
• We understand you.

From health and wellness to luxury travel or wealth transfer, opportunities abound for marketing to Boomers. However, success will be driven by authenticity, individual connection and relevance.

Numerous blogs from Media Post (mediapost.com) informed this article:
Life Transitions Create New Opportunities for Marketers, Oct. 17, 2011
Who’s Buying All Those IPads? Boomers Become Earlier Tech Adopters Every Year, Dec. 12, 2011
Social Media – It’s Not About Technology, Dec. 5, 2011
A Boomer State of Mind, Nov. 21, 2011
Other sources include Experian Marketing Services and www.boomersweb.net

                          

We’ve seen significant changes in how consumers view and use banks and their products over the last year. These changes will no doubt continue to evolve in a dramatic fashion for 2012. They will drive how banks define their brand and market themselves. d.trio suggests the following four trends as important to track in the year ahead:

Shifting Payment Dynamics
Increasing federal regulations have permanently dented debit cards and paved the way for new forms of payment tools and systems. Debit cards and their reward programs are declining. Credit cards are coming back, albeit with new restrictions and more wary consumers. Demographic groups such as the Millennials and Generation X contribute to the demand for non-traditional payment methods. Pre-paid cards and their usage will continue to grow in 2012. New cards and payment products will be offered by non-bank entities (i.e., Suze Orman and her Suze card), which will alter the competitive landscape of banks and Financial Services. P2P (person-to-person) payment products such as Zash Pay offer a way for young consumers to facilitate direct payments and avoid using cash .

What is the net result for 2012? Traditional payment dynamics will be changed forever and banks’ hold on the payment system will loosen.

Mobile Banking Advances
Mobile banking will ramp up in 2012, driven by the increased saturation of smart phones and tablets. Less than two years ago, smart phones represented approximately 17% of the U.S. market. This increased to 44% by October, 2011, with 64% of cell phone owners ages 25 – 34 using smart phones.* Banks have not kept pace:  A recent mobile banking study revealed that 75% of consumers who use mobile banking did not hear about it from their banks but rather sought it out and tried it on their own!  Clearly, many banks that have been slow to market their mobile programs will look to catch up quickly in order to save face and business.

*Smartphone penetration skyrockets in 2011, Dec. 15, 2011, www.bgr.com

New Branch Paradigm?
Bricks and mortar provide a community face to bank brands, they offer credibility, geographic convenience and a human connection. Today’s consumer still wants a branch bank – but how they use it is changing. The increase in online banking, mobile and other interactive services means that consumers may not require a teller as often but will more likely want to engage with a banker. Consumer demand for consultative, individualized services and financial education will require changes in the physical interior design of a branch (the teller line may no longer be front and center). These changes in service will have important implications for staff hiring and training.

Banks must also continue to rethink best branch locations: Where does it make sense to have a branch? Is it best within a grocery store or other high-traffic retail environments?

Product Innovation
It’s not hard to see that product innovation is being forced by the above shifts in the banking industry. With the effect of daunting new regulations and non-bank payment system vendors coming into the market, banks must become product innovators in order to stay competitive.

From pre-paid card alternatives to P2P payment solutions, the consumer is demanding new products, and is willing to buy them from a credible, non-bank entity if necessary. Banks must confirm a commitment to developing or purchasing new products that work for their customer or desired customer.

Conclusion
The pace of change in banking for the coming year will continue to be driven by all of these substantial market forces. Although this may seem radical for the average bank and financial institution, the opportunity for growth may be greater than ever before. Stay tuned.

                          

WORK
2011 was digital at d.trio!  The demand for our digital services increased significantly – from website and micro-site development, landing pages and banner ads to email campaigns and online videos.

Our clients expanded their focus on integrated, multi-channel initiatives, as we saw across the marketing services industry. There were few stand-alone direct mail campaigns. Most clients used one or more additional customer engagement tactics, primarily email. This challenge of managing multiple channels and media is a top priority for most marketers. Read more from d.trio’s recent presentation to the Minnesota Retailers Association (read our B2B and B2C tips).

As bank marketers, d.trio could clearly see the effects of the economy and the changing financial regulations facing our clients. A return to card marketing, especially prepaid cards, was prominent. We also observed credit card activity increase as debit card reward programs were eliminated. Read more in this issue (Bank Marketing Trends for 2012).

Lastly, d.trio diversified its client base in higher education and the non-profit sector. We expanded our relationship with the University of Minnesota and welcomed Concordia University – St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin-Stout as new clients. We worked with the City of Belle Plaine to bring a new logo and branding to life. d.trio also partnered with Opportunity Services to help them promote their important work of assisting adults with developmental disabilities.

Throughout 2011, d.trio was challenged, inspired and rewarded with terrific clients and projects.

TALENT +4
An infusion of new talent took place at dtrio in 2011. The account team gained two Senior Account Executives with diverse experiences and complementary skills. Our first newbie, Julie Genung, has over a decade of project management know-how from agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and Wunderman and Fallon.  Julie’s calm demeanor and marketing insight are a great addition to our team.

Arriving next on the AE scene was Jordan Bainer who combines a bent for “big picture” strategy with attention to detail. Jordan’s experience base includes both higher education (think Bryn Mawr College and the University of Cincinnati) and consumer brands such as Proctor & Gamble, Jim Beam and Samsung.

Holly Jacobsen, Graphic Production Manager, joined us in May. Holly’s background encompasses over 15 years experience in graphic design, commercial art and prepress production.  Holly is that rare blend of creative and technical talents. She builds production-efficient works of art with ease and enthusiasm.

Since April Victoria Hoshal been charged with bringing in new clients and business to d.trio. As a direct marketer, entrepreneur and former business owner, Victoria brings over 25 years of real-world marketing experience and savvy to the process of developing clients and relationships. Her categories of expertise include higher education and B2C retail.

AWARDS – ALWAYS APPRECIATED!
Awards are icing on the cake. This year we had our cake with triple frosting!  d.trio won Best In Show and TWO Gold Awards at the 2011 MDMA (@MidwestDMA) ARC Awards with Turf Wars. Turf Wars was a unique client-engagement campaign that increased our Facebook  Interactions by 833% and Likes by 900%. On the d.trio website, Turf Wars generated a 1225% increase in site visits and an 802% increase in unique visitors. No typos….these are authentic three and four digit increases!

                          

As consumer-facing companies struggle to refine their media mix, they may or may not understand the delicate balance of how much is too much – or not enough, within their social marketing channel. We suggest that marketers keep in mind the following basic principles in order to maximize and leverage their social media marketing activities.

5 do’s of social media

• Follow your brand & products on all social media channels & listen on a daily basis
• Create original content that will lead customers to actionable areas of your website
• Create a business public profile, which allows you to separate your personal and professional online lives, for yourself on relevant social channels
• Take action when negative/positive comments are made – even if it is to send up a red flag to the appropriate person in your organization or agency
• Use your SEO keywords in your social media messaging and update as needed

5 don’ts of social media

• Respond to posts & comments with boilerplate language
• Send a spam direct message “thank you” to Twitter users following you or your brand – unless there is a relevant offer/tip attached
• Share personal information on Facebook & Twitter unless it is part of brand building (personal or company)
• Use trending hashtags on Twitter unless they directly relate to your brand and are non-controversial
• Use canned content from other websites to fill your social media messaging gaps

Lastly, marketers should remain vigilant and sensitive to consumer privacy and consumer attitudes and preferences. Understanding that consumers desire the opportunity to give a company feedback on their products or services, but may not want to be targeted via their social profile. In a study recently released by the Insight Strategy Group, nearly 64% of participants stated they “hate” being targeted by a company via their social networking profile, and 58% agreed that social media marketing is invasive.

Smart marketers will find other ways to carefully utilize consumer preferences and behavior data generated from the social channel. Click here to read the complete story from MediaPost News – Study:  Consumers View Social Marketing As Invasive.