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The Dog Blog
In 1990 I jumped ship and joined a small medical supplies firm. It was a “start up” that it had been in business for less than five years. Everyone, including myself, had a PC on their desk. We all ran Microsoft DOS, and we all had e-mail. While DOS e-mail was cryptic, it also was a great way to communicate with those inside the office or those down the street at our warehouse. No longer was I forced to catch people on the phone. Instead I could just e-mail them and when they were available they'd get my message. Read More >
Baby Boomers - II refer to the second half of the Post World War II baby boom generation (Born: 1955-1965). Common life experiences for this segment are the Nixon Watergate scandal, the 1979 OPEC Oil Embargo and the discovery of AIDS. Because of these experiences Baby Boomers - II are less trusting of government and more inwardly focused. Self-help, self-awareness and skepticism about media and established institutions are par of the course. Baby Boomers - II also missed out on the good economic times and jobs enjoyed by their Baby Boomer I counterparts. Both Baby Boomer II's and Gen-X often live in the shadows of the Baby Boomer I segment. Read More >
The Baby Boom Generation typically spans the years 1946 - 1964 and includes a large population of 71 million people. However, upon further investigation this 20 year span is better understood when broken into two smaller sub-groups: Baby Boomers - I and Baby Boomers - II. Baby Boomers - I were born between 1946 and 1954. Common life experiences for this segment are the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the Civil rights movement and the Viet Nam war. Baby Boomers - I were either soldiers in the Viet Nam war (by volunteering or by the draft) or protested against it. On the other hand Baby Boomers - II missed the war altogether. Baby Boomers - I had good economic opportunities and are largely optimistic about the potential for America and their own lives. Read More >
The Greatest Generation (a term coined by Tom Brokaw and also known as the "Post-War Cohort" generation) had significant opportunities in jobs and education as World War II ended in 1945. During this time America enjoyed a post-war boom. Despite this economic success, Cold War tensions with the threat of nuclear war and other never before seen threats led to a level of uncertainty and discomfort. Therefore, this generation values security, comfort, and known activities and environments. Familiarity is their best friend. A majority of this segment is religious and attends church regularly or semi-regularly. Church values have influenced their moral compass to a great extent. This means they are less likely to have divorced, find foul language vulgar and place great value on family. Read More >
This is especially important to remember when marketing a product or service to the general public or even to a sub-segment of the general population. We can know our product/service inside and out, upside and down, left and right, and front to back. Yet if we can't relay that knowledge and advantages in a way that our target audience understands and relates to, our communication efforts will be a lost cause, falling on deaf ears. Read More >
As a business person, how do you know what technology to use to get your message out effectively? What if you are trying to reach 53 year old grandmothers? What if your message resinates with strong to 18 year old males? How do you effectively communicate to 18-34 year old single females? The messaging shot-gun approach of yesteryear has faded away, as people gravitate to different ways of filtering information based on age, gender, location, education and much more. Read More > |
In 1988 I went to work for a Fortune 500 company in the timber industry. It was in a big office building in downtown Portland. Most who worked in our office were 10-20 years older than myself and had been on the job at least five years —most much longer. There were no computers on the desks. All communication was by phone or in person.
A mistake we can easily make is that everyone thinks like us. We view the world in a particular way, and as we age we often become more set in those thinking patterns. This is perfectly fine if our perspective is accurate and true. However, even if our point of view is correct, we need to be cognizant that others often don't share that same perspective.
It seems like every time we turn around another technology sensation is making its way to the fore. In the 1930's radio was born; in the 50's it was TV; in the 70's electric typewriters; in the 80's desktop publishing; in the 90's the web; in 2000 we saw search engines mature, blogging, and social networking take off.