Marketing to Millennials

I stole this magazine from the doctor's office while waiting for blood work.  I had already waited an hour for the doctor after they had called me two days prior to ask me if I could move my appointment up an hour.  I figured they wouldn't miss the magazine.  Since I sell to more and more Millennials these days, I need to know what will attract them to buy health insurance.  Just as I had guessed, nothing.

John Bonini at Impact Branding & Design wrote an interesting blog entitled "What you need to know about marketing to Millennials" as a result of the Time article.  He interviewed other Millennials (Born 1980-2000) to get their take on the topic.  Here are their thoughts compared to my Baby Boomer (Born 1943-1960) perspective:

1)  They do everything online.  OK, have you seen my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Blogspot?  We invented online; of course, we love it, too.  The big difference is we go online either for work or play.  We do not "live" online.  I am not even sure that is possible unless you are an avatar.  Most Baby Boomers are still trying to work at important jobs earning real money so they can retire someday.  That means we have to "live" in the real world not the digital one.

2)  They don't read mail, newspapers or watch ads on TV.  Who does anymore?  Next.

3)  They won't buy something unless they need it and it is recommended by someone they know.  Like you really, reaaaalllly needed that iPhone 5 because 800 of your 1000 Facebook friends had one.  So, your mom bought you one and put it on her plan.  Right, got it.  So, in reality I need to be marketing to your mom who is probably a Gen Xer (Born 1961-80).  It is odd to me when an adult employee tells me they need to check with their mom before they can buy $3 of life insurance.  Do you check with your mom or your Facebook friends every time you feel a need to buy a Starbucks?  Maybe it is because we have delayed the maturation of Millennials to the point where they can't think of why they would need life or health insurance.  I got married when I was 19.  Had a mortgage at 22 and a baby at 23.  We had to delay purchasing things we wanted in order to have the things we needed.  The idea of asking for recommendations from friends and family is a good idea but not a new one.  Relationship selling is an old concept.  I agree with Millennials that people buy from people they know and like.

4)  They get angry if they are not marketed to how and when they want.  One Millennial said, "Make it relevant to me and my needs and interests."  I can sometimes get annoyed by advertising but angry?  Haven't you heard, "The only one that can make you angry is you?"  See, it is all about YOU.  If the Internet is so central to your life that an ad can make you angry, perhaps it is time you stop "living" on the Internet.  My advice to Millennials is the same as I would give to a depressed Baby Boomer, stop focusing on yourself and start giving back to others.  Get out and get your hands dirty planting an urban vegetable garden or building a home for the needy.

5)  They want marketing by companies that make a difference.  This me and my focus is interesting because Millennials also want products they buy to "make a difference."  Have you noticed how many products have a "charity" ingredient?  Perhaps this is how Millennials can have their cake and eat it, too.  Our local chamber of commerce has an annual race to support, uh, the chamber which receives no public funds.  The race took off in popularity only after a small portion of the race fee was donated to a charity.  As a Baby Boomer, I will freely give hundreds of dollars a year to several charities that I select.  I don't need or want a corporation deciding who will receive donations based on me buying a pink spoon.

In summary, human beings are not that different when it comes to buying stuff.  We all want to know and be known.  This is probably why everyone enjoys shopping on Amazon and never admits to shopping at Wal-Mart.  Amazon calls us by name and knows what we have bought and what we want to buy.  They will even gift wrap it for us and send it to our dad's address.  We want to feel like we are smart and capable of making good buying decisions.  We want to feel important and do something important.  It made my day to see that Google had changed their search logo to celebrate MY birthday.  The market never changes just the methods.  We are not so different, you and I.

How a change in attitude changed my life

All I ever wanted to be was a secretary.  Maybe I was influenced by the always professional Della Street on the TV show, “Perry Mason” or Lucille Ball’s silly character in “The Lucy Show.”  The roles of women in the 1960’s were changing ever so slightly.  I wanted to be more than a wife and mother.  I wanted to work.  As a teen, I remember seeing women emerging from high rise buildings in Nashville with newspapers under their arms after a day in the “salt mines.”  That was what I wanted to be.


General Accounting Department, 24^th floor, National Life Insurance Company, 1970.
  My spot is the second desk, left side, covered typewriter.



I took every secretarial class offered at my high school – typing, shorthand, and accounting. By the end of my senior year, I had already been hired by National Life Insurance Company who, by the way, had the tallest building in Nashville at the time, 31 floors. I was given a typing test and because of my quick fingers and accuracy with numbers was given a 10-cent per hour raise before I even started work. I was assigned to the General Accounting Department on the 24th floor. The minimum wage in 1970 was $1.60 per hour. I made $2 per hour to type 4-part, carbon-copied journal entries all day on an IBM Selectric. I was living my dream as I streamed out of the National Life tower in the afternoons along with a thousand co-workers. (Now called the Tennessee Tower.)




Carla at the Royal while Kelly has an in-depth conversation on the push button phone.
  This is why Jerry was able to retire with a year of sick leave. Probably summer of 1983.

 

Several jobs, many years and a couple of kids later, I was still a secretary although the politically correct title was administrative assistant. I was working for Philips Semiconductor. That is Philips with one L, the largest electronics company in the world at the time. When I say I was a secretary, I mean I made my boss’s coffee, added cream and placed it on his desk every morning, handle facing right. I transcribed letters using a Royal electric typewriter which I liked better than the Selectric because the keyboard was flatter. I could fly on it. Something was happening though. I started thinking about what it would be like if someone served me coffee every morning.


About 1987 Philips decided to add a person to handle inside sales to our two-person sales office.  This was my chance to move up.  I had been there for six years.  I knew everything there was to know about our products and our customers.  The only thing I didn’t have was a diploma.  As it turned out, it was the only thing I needed.  Philips transferred a college-educated young woman from the California home office to take the job.  I was crushed and went into what my boss called a “snit.”  This is when the change of attitude happened.

Wanda sitting at first personal computer at Signetics in 1985. I was amazed at how quickly Lotus 1-2-3 could sort a list of part numbers.

During a conversation with the California HR department, I was encouraged to take advantage of Philips’ degree assistance program.  They had probably got wind of my “snit” and were afraid I would quit.  My husband, who had a Master’s Degree in Education by this time, also encouraged me to take some classes at our local community college.  “Why not get an education at their expense and then quit?” was my thinking at the time so I started taking one class a quarter and testing out of work-related classes.  What started out as taking revenge on my company for what I saw as an injustice, turned out to be just what I needed to get me out of my “snit” and change my attitude.  As it turned out, “Miss College Educated” quit after two years and guess who got the job?  Me.  I even got an office with a door and we hired a new administrative assistant who, I must say, wasn’t much of a typist.

It took me five years but I finally got a diploma with an Associate’s Degree in Business.  I worked for Philips eleven years before I moved on to outside sales.  It wasn’t until 2005 as a District Sales Manager with Aflac that I rented my own offices and hired my own administrative assistant.  I had learned to like coffee by then.  It was an occupational hazard of being a salesman on the road for so many years.  My assistant did everything I asked her to do but I never asked her to bring me coffee.  I’ve come a long way, baby.
 

Julie Templeton, Coordinator-in-Training, and Wanda Holt, District Sales Coordinator, in the conference room at Wanda’s office on Peabody Street in 2006.

 

 

PaD: Glasses

Here is my selection of glasses.  I have already written about my poor vision so these are my standbys.  The wire ones are not bifocals so they are perfect for watching TV in bed.  The red ones are my favorites because they don't make my eyes look so tiny.  The black ones have rhinestones on the temples and were the most expensive.  The red and the black are both no line bifocals.  I really wanted to get a pair of tortoise shell ones when I had my eye exam this year but I could not justify another $500 pair of glasses in my wardrobe.

I wear contact lens every day but it is a good idea to have at least one pair of up-to-date glasses.  Back in 2000 when I was seriously ill and in the hospital for a week, I was stuck wearing my old, big '80's glasses that used to have my initials stuck on the corner of the lens.  It was embarrassing and I promised myself if I lived I would get some new glasses.  The wire-rimmed glasses were bought the next year.

Well, today is April 30th and the last day of my Picture-A-Day challenge.  I have enjoyed doing it.  Hopefully, I will write on my blog more often now that I am in the habit.  See you in May.

PaD: I wore this today

Today I wore a maroon, 3/4 length sleeve top with gray slacks and my magnet necklace made into a bracelet.  I like this top but I don't wear it much.  It is too warm and dark for summer but too light weight and short sleeved for winter.  I have worn it with a jacket but the cute flower detail is covered up, so, what is the point?

I did find out today that a selfie of what you are wearing is more difficult to take than I thought.  Teenagers do it all the time by taking a picture of themselves in the bathroom mirror wearing their PJs or work uniform.  Maybe there is a class they teach in high school about how to take a decent picture of yourself by yourself.

I also wore today my new matching gray and burnt orange workout pants, top and jacket that I got for Christmas.  I have missed the last two weeks of yoga due to a meeting and being out of town.  It was a little difficult to do tree pose with my bum foot but I managed and I looked good doing it, thank you very much, Santa.

PaD: My Sunday

After a very rainy, soggy Saturday, Sunday is somewhat better.  No rain.  Just overcast skies.  No problem.  I plan to stay in all afternoon anyway.  After church and lunch, I kicked my poor feet up and tried to catch up on the three episodes of Project Runaway I have recorded but not watched.  It is my guilty pleasure.  I finished two episodes  and a couple of loads of laundry and baked three loaves of sourdough bread before it was time for a special gospel singing at church.

What has happened to my lazy, Sunday afternoons?  It seems I no longer have time for Sunday afternoon naps, reading or just catching up on TV shows.  Maybe the older I get; the slower I get and it just takes me longer to get everything done.

P. S.  My left foot is much better from the bad fall I took last Sunday afternoon in my daughter's garage.  Still bruised and very tender but healing.  So thankful!

PaD: Earth

I came back from East Tennessee and did one of my favorite things -- I took a walk around the yard checking out the flowers.  The daffodils have faded but the iris are blooming, four different colors.  Everything has shot up in the last week in large part due to the April showers.

This morning there was a downpour as I left for my writer's class.  The driveway and the neighbor's yard were large ponds.  When I got home, the rain had slacked off.  A fat robin was taking a bath in a pool of rainwater standing on the sidewalk.  I tried to take a picture of him (or her) but he was too quick for me.  The earth is totally saturated from the rain with more to come overnight.

I love rain and rainy days.  It cleans the air and caused everything to burst forth with life.  The leaves and grass turns super green and lush.  The trees can drink all they need.  The flowers soak in the rain to feed their blooms.  With my birthday only 18 days away, my peony bush needs the rain to produce its gorgeous pink flowers for my birthday.  There is a reason for the saying, "April showers bring May flowers."

PaD: Childhood

Just in case you have been in a cave for the last couple of months, the video game shown in the picture is Candy Crush.  It is a silly game where the player has to match three pieces of like candy until the assigned task has been completed.  At that point, "Sugar Crush" is announced and floats across the screen followed by Swedish Fish that swim across the candy field popping candy and ringing up your score.  There is no sweeter sound in the whole world.

What is it about American adults that makes us love to play childish games?  Maybe other advanced societies play games as well but certainly adults in cultures where they have to work all day to feed their families don't sit at a computer all day playing a silly game based on popping candy.

I will admit I am addicted to Candy Crush.  I am on Level 88 and am proud of that accomplishment.  Now, why I am proud of that accomplishment, I cannot say.  I don't play sports.  Never did.  I admire and envy people who go out and actually exert physical energy to play a game of sports with other players who are exerting physical energy.  I am somewhat mystified by people who spend time watching games on TV and follow sports teams religiously.  The game that really has me scratching my head is a game based on how the well contestents perform playing fantasy ballgames that are based on a real ballgames.  Believe it or not, there is even a sports segment on ESPN that reports on fantasy ballgames.  Huh?  To me, this is like a Russian doll.  It is one game based on another game that is based on another game.  How lazy can Americans be?

Maybe we are all trying to recapture our childhood.  Life is difficult sometimes.  (See yesterday's post.)  What is wrong with wilying away a few minutes or hours popping colorful candy?  It sure beats trying to figure out who has the best fantasy Candy Crush player.  At least my finger is getting some exercise.

PaD: Life is . . .

Life is . . . like being parked on the interstate.  You know that you should be moving forward but you can't.  You are blocked by some force larger than you or by some emergency, accident or illness.  It is pointless to struggle. 

You are trapped inside.  You want to get out but you are unsure.  Is it really safe out there?  At least inside you are surrounded by your belongings and you are safe.  You can survive inside alone at least for a short time but you wonder what is going on outside.  What are you missing?

You know it is not normal to be stuck but after some time it starts to feel normal until you see other people moving on with their lives.  It is amazing how fast others seem to be moving when you are sitting still.  Everyone is making progress except you.  Everyone is ahead of you.  Can you ever catch up or make up the lost time?

Today I was literally parked on I-40 West due to a tanker accident about a mile ahead of me.  I put the car in park, turned off the ignition and sat contently listening to my XM radio.  After about 30 minutes, I finally got out of the car and we were told to back up, turn around and take a detour since the interstate was closed in both directions.  I followed my GPS, rejoined the interstate and continued my drive home.

Maybe it is just me but I have had times in my life when I felt like I was parked on the interstate.  A memorable time was when I was seriously ill and life had to be put on hold.  I feel like I was somewhat "parked" during the last three years due to my mother's illness.  Not able to go forward or turn around.  (Sort of like the untrained U-Haul driver in front of me today.)  Since her passing in November, I am slowing putting my life back into gear.  I trust my Heavenly GPS.  He knows the path He has for me.  It may be a detour from the path that I had been on but that will be fine with me since I know the path will lead me home.

PaD: I saw this person today

This is my granddaughter dancing in the rain.  Today is my last day in Jonesborough and it was as jam-packed with activities as all the other days!

We went to the country club for her golf lesson but it was rained out.  Her brother was determined to get some putting practice in so he stayed on the putting green after we had run to the van.  By the time he joined us in the van he was soaking wet.  Crazy kid.

On busy days like today I need to remember to slow down and dance in the rain.  Who cares if your clothes get soaking wet if you are doing something that you love?  Life is too short not to enjoy even the rain.

PaD: Time

What a frustrating day it has been!  I spent THREE hours this morning calling a hot water heater company to get a part replaced under warranty.  Suffice it to say, they did not want to cover it under the warranty but eventually did when I jumped through enough hoops.  I thought it would save my daughter and son-in-law a bunch of money and, maybe it did, but the plumber is charging an arm and a leg to do the labor.  What is a mother-in-law to do?  The grands and I have been without hot water for four days and the parents return tomorrow.  This had to get done, folks!

The grands have learned some valuable lessons the last four days:

1.  Having running hot and cold water inside the house is a luxury.

2.  You can get clean in four inches of bath water.

3.  Do whatever you have to do to solve the problem.

I am a "Get 'ur done," problem-solving type person but I must admit I was ready to throw in the towel, a dirty, can't do any laundry towel, this morning.  The American Hot Water Heater Company of Johnson City, Tennessee, almost broke me.  I had all these wonderful plans of things to do while I was visiting this week -- visiting friends, making meals, sewing, reading, etc. etc.  My time has been consumed with solving the hot water heater problem and doing stupid sixth grade Science homework.  It's all good.  It's like I told Turner last night while we were both working on his two hours of Science homework, "In a month this will all be history."  In about 48 hours I will be back home with my snuggle bunny, sleeping in my own bed and missing my grandbabies.  Time is on my side.

PaD: Blurry

Are you kidding me?  With these eyes, everything is blurry.  My glasses are the thickness of the bottom of a Coke bottle and my contracts are 8.5 power.  I started wearing glasses when I was in the fourth grade.  My father thought glasses were a source of revenue for doctors and nothing else.  He found out differently when he could no longer read and needed some himself.

I remember the first time I saw rain.  I had just got my first pair of soft contact lens.  I honestly had never seen the individual drops before or at least that I could remember.  Contact lens also solved the pesky problem of depth perception.  The first time I went to buy shampoo after getting my new lens I thought I was getting a bargain of a bigger bottle.  Jerry told me the bottle was the same size as always.  I also had trouble distinguishing between a soup spoon and a dessert spoon.  That was when Jerry knew why I was never good at tennis.

While in Jonesborough, I have been looking at the night sky.  I have missed being able to see the stars.  The city lights of a metropolitan area like Nashville produces so much light even at night that your eyes can no longer see the dimmer stars.  They are still there you just can't see them.  There are actually very few places on the earth still dark enough that you can truly see all the stars.  (Google it.)  Here in Jonesborough I can see many more stars but they are blurry to me.  I would love to see what the moon really look like.  I need to try out Carson's telescope one of these nights.

One day I will have perfect vision.  Oh, what a day that will be!

Now, let's talk about those eyebrows. . .