Diversity as a Strategic Advantage

Pretty good, nothing that new, but …

Diversity as a Strategic Advantage
It's about more than filling quotas, as such companies as Turner Broadcasting, IBM, and Pfizer have discovered
By Alaina Love
For companies to capitalize successfully on diversity, they must develop a robust and comprehensive strategic framework that not only considers how to attract and retain diverse employees…

There doesn’t seem to be any mention of age diversity.  I’ve been writing and blogging about that for seven years:

Back into the Fold (2003)
The Giant Leap: there had better be a minor revolution in the creative end of the advertising industry. Talented men and women in their late forties and fifties need to be brought back into the fold if you want to reach us. This includes copywriters, graphic artists, producers, directors, and creative directors.

Managing Age Diversity (2006)
"Advertising agencies are in the business of creativity. They are also in the business of managing human perceptions. It's therefore interesting that although many tactics are employed to ensure creativity, agencies have traditionally not cottoned on to the fact that a more diverse workforce, inclusive of non-discriminatory age policies, poses the potential for greater competitive advantage."

Rance Crain Makes Perfect Sense Yet Again (2007)
It makes all the sense in the world for ad makers (both clients and agencies) to be well-stocked with people who understand consumers, whether young people who fathom the mysteries of cyberspace, a good mixture of people who reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of our country, and, yes, even older people who understand the vitality and buying power of the great gorge of baby boomers overtaking our land.

Diversity = Productivity (2008)
Dr. Page asks practical ones like, “How can we all be more productive together?” The answer, he suggests, is in messy, creative organizations and environments with individuals from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences.

Memo to H.R: Older Brains = Smarter Brains (2010)
… As Strauch’s book makes clear … older workers can provide valuable brain power to an organization.

So – other than this glaring omission, a good piece.

We’re all miserably happy, or …

Nothing in life fills me with more joy and happiness and dread and stress than reading surveys and news articles about Baby Boomers.

While it’s usually a mistake to assume that Baby Boomers are all the same, in this case it must be true: We’re all happy and miserable.

After all, you can’t argue with facts:

Baby Boomers: An unhappy generation?
by Amy Sherman
… Why does a recent survey from Pew Research on Demographic Trends state that of all the generations, baby boomers are considered the unhappiest and most discontent? Could it be because our work and personal responsibilities cause us too much stress? Or that we feel strapped, tired and just bummed out?

Daily stress and worry plummet after age 50 By Sharon Jayson
After 50, daily stress and worry take a dive and daily happiness increases, according to an analysis of more than 340,000 adults questioned about the emotions they experienced "yesterday."

The research, published online today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that young adults experience more negative emotions more frequently than those who are older.

The Takeaway: Your happiness or misery is directly or inversely proportional to the survey you happen to be reading.

Foretellings Redux

I’m watching Charlie Rose.  He’s interviewing a CEO in the venture capital/media biz:

Jonathan Nelson is Providence's chief executive officer and is based in our Providence and New York offices. Mr. Nelson is currently a director of Bresnan Communications, Hulu, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Univision Communications and Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.

Interesting fellow.  Then I’m practically stupefied when he says (almost a direct quote) “More people will be using Smartphones than laptops and desktops within five years.”

Someone else divined that same thing recently:

Foretellings
With the exception of the workplace, smartphones (along with iPads and Kindles or something like them) might just make desktops and laptops and the web as we know it obsolete.

Jonathan is as smart as I am.  Wait … he’s smarter.  He’s a billion-and-almost-a-half-aire. 

But he’s got nothin’ on me. We think alike, we’re exactly alike - except for being separated by a few measly bucks. Big deal. 

He says what I said about 28 minutes in (click his pic): 

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11017#

His tie is crooked.  I’d never allow that to happen on my neck. My clip-on is always neat and straight.

Maybe more separates us than simply quadrillions of pennies.

Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part II)

Bob Hoffman, infamous Ad Contrarian, tipped me off to this one.
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Here’s a question I’ve never wondered about:

“What do viewers do during commercials?”

I just assumed that most viewers watch them. Now I find out the truth: Most viewers watch them.

MOST TV VIEWERS DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM OR EVEN CHANGE CHANNELS DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS, PER NEW FINDINGS
Contrary to longstanding received wisdom, the large majority of viewers of live television do not leave the room, nor do they change the channel, when the TV program they are watching goes to commercial …

TV advertising and program promotions reach 85% of adults daily; viewers typically see 26 advertising or promotional breaks daily, at an average length of 2 minutes and 46 seconds per break …

• 11% of viewers change channels during the four minutes of TV programming before the commercial break
• 14% change channels during commercials
• 13% change channels in the four-minute period after programming returns
• 86% of viewers remain with live TV during commercials

Such a shock.

But … what about social media marketing?  That’s the new thing, what everyone’s talking about, the only way to go nowadays. It’s the greatest thing since the telephone.

For those fascinated with graphs and charts, download this PDF:

Video Consumer Mapping Study

 

Next time some digi-dork vomits up the old "no one watches commercials anymore" line, smack him in the head for me. – The Ad Contrarian
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Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part I)

Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part I)

Here’s a very scary article:

New report claims social cure to ineffectual advertising
A report launched today claims that nearly $426 billion was spent on ineffectual advertising activity in the last year alone. (!!!)

Today’s newly empowered consumers hold a deep rooted cynicism towards companies: 58% (62%UK and 54% US) of respondents felts (sic) that ‘companies are only interested in selling products and services to me, not necessarily the product or service that is right for me’.

The Grim Reaper has arrived.  According to this survey.

In my presentations there’s a slide that quotes similar surveys:

Then, with the magic of PP custom animation, I reveal a bit of possibly relevant info – the dates of these surveys:

 Most of the above statistics are from The Mirror Makers by Stephen Fox:

It’s official.  The last sixty-four years of advertising has been declared ‘ineffectual’. 

Sharpen your scythes. Part II coming up tomorrow.
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It’s tomorrow: Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part II)