Podcast - Trending Toward Profit
(45 MINUTES)
MP3 File
Let’s face it — in the digital marketing world, there are as many trends as there are points on a compass. Every time I turn around it’s a new press release or blog proclaiming a new shift in the tectonic digital plates. Better watch out! Better pay attention or your lunch will get eaten! It’s not Web 2.0 anymore it’s 3.0… no it’s “conversational marketing”… wait, no it’s “consumer empowerment”… wait they’re not “consumers” anymore they’re “producers!” UGH! Trend watching can be a great hobby but it’s more likely to distract us from good business — getting things done.
That stated, we DO need to keep ourselves educated and with an ear to the track. Digital does move fast and users of digital adopt quickly but in ways that are highly predictable if you think about it. In the words of ‘alternate reality’ advertising guru, Brian Clark, “It was never about the computers. It was never about the applications. It was never about the sales channels. The Internet was always about the people, which is why email, IM, multi-player gaming and similar developments have always been the “killer apps” of the social Web.” In the words of Deborah Schultz, “Technology changes, people don’t.” So what’s all the noise about?
More importantly, what are the trends that we should NOT be watching or investing our time in? Where does the digital marketing/ad industry house its most well-crafted hooey? Let’s separate the wheat from the chaff and decide on what trends aren’t worth our time.
Join us!
Share your feedback, comments, suggestions, news tips or saucy gossip here on our blog! We’ll consider sharing it with listeners on our next program.
Happy Easter (We’re off this week!)
Happy Easter!
May your weekend be restful and joyful. We’ll be back next week.
Yours Truly,
Jeff, Lorrie, Lee, Amanda and Michael.
Podcast: Millennials Fact, Fiction, Freakout
(43 Minutes)
MP3 File
A new breed of American worker is challenging everything the old guard holds sacred: from giving orders, to dress codes. They are called “millennials.” According to media reports, there are about 80 million of them — born between 1980 and 1995, and they’re rapidly taking over from aging baby boomers. For the most part, they were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers… or all winners. They’re given trophies just for participating and they think that a business-as-usual ethic is a waste of time. They have little time for employers with old school thinking and rules.
Corporate America is so unnerved by all this that they’re hiring consultants to teach them how to deal with this generation — one that only takes “yes” for an answer. The workplace has become a psychological battlefield. The millennials seem to have the upper hand. Why? They’re are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension of their bodies. They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text. And their priorities are simple: they come first.
So who are these people and is what we hear in the media really true? To what degree and to what degree is this being over-sensationalized? What ARE the expectations of the people entering our workforce and are they out of line with those who are in need of hiring them?
Joining is special guest, Sam Harrelson!
