ICYMI – May 16, 2012
If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them. “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.
At Last, A Millennial Segmentation – Carol Phillips
Millennials are the most diverse generation in history, yet there is a tendency to assume they are the same when it comes to their technology habits, political beliefs, shopping behavior, food preferences, media habits, and more. Last week, I learned of the first publicly accessible “LOHAS”-type segmentation equivalent for Millennials. It was created by the Kansas City-based integrated marketing agency, Barkley USA, which sponsors the ShareLikeBuy Millennial marketing conference, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Will this schema be applicable to all marketing? Probably not, but it serves as a useful reminder that when discussing Millennials, a box of crayons is more useful than a broad brush.
The study was based on a survey of 4,000 Millennials (ages 16 to 34) and 1,000 non-Millennials (ages 35 to 74) in the United States. The research profiles six discrete segments based on responses to questions about technology, cause marketing, media habits, and general outlook on life: Hip-ennial, Millennial Mom, Anti-Millennial, Gadget Guru, Clean and Green Millennial, and Old-School Millennial.
Not All Millennials Dream Of Big City Life
As Millennials come of age and graduate from college, they’re making decisions about where they want to live and put down roots. Watching shows like “Girls,” “The New Girl,” “Men At Work,” “2 Broke Girls,” and even “Glee,” one would think that all Millennials are clamoring for their chance to make it in New York City. Putting aside the idea that “making it” is really more about simply surviving in the current economy, we had to wonder if most Millennials really are thinking that life in the big city is for them, so we asked nearly 1500 Millennials about where they see themselves living. The breakdown:
- 41% want to live in a city, the bigger the better;
- 40% say smaller cities are more their style;
- 19% prefer small town life.
While slightly more Millennials want to live in a big city, nearly as many think smaller cities are for them. Small cities have been putting in a lot of work to attract young people. There are burgeoning art scenes, green initiatives (including steps to make small cities more walkable and bikeable), revitalizations of downtown areas… In many ways, smaller cities have many of the same attractions as big cities, without the high cost. But also without the name recognition.
4 Characteristics of Effective Communicators – Michael Hyatt Blog: Guest Post by Ken Davis
Listen to most presentations and you will hear a litany of stories half submerged in what might be major points—or maybe just another story.
Regardless, 75 percent of the people leave a presentation with no idea what the point of the message was. Even worse, 50 percent of speakers can’t identify the objective of their own talk.
During my thirty-five years as a professional speaker, I have been constantly asked the secret to being a powerful communicator. My experience with audiences of all sizes and from all walks of life have taught me that, whether speaking to twelve people in a board room or fifty-five thousand in a stadium, effective communicators share four characteristics:
- Effective communicators know how to prepare a message with a singular and crystal clear focus.
- If you know where you are going, you can take anyone with you.
- If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.
