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The shock of staying at home more than normal has begun to wear off and Americans are starting to assimilate themselves into the “new normal.” As COVID-19 has traveled around the world, vast numbers of workers have found themselves working from home for extended periods for the first time. Many of them are learning how to manage their own time and use technology to make the transition as seamless as possible.

As many companies and their employees realize that telecommuting is very feasible and comfortable, what seemed like an unfortunate tragedy could accelerate a trend that was already underway. 

With the advent of technology, applications, and high-speed internet becoming more affordable and reliable, the home has become the personal and job headquarters for busy people looking for ways to better manage their lives. Everyone has become more comfortable with trading commuting time with quality “me” time and are spending a lot more time on pursuits that give them joy, purpose, and pleasure.

Telecommuting has been on the rise. A Global Workplace Analytics analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data between 2005 and 2018 found that working at home has grown by 173% between 2005 and 2018 and that “5 million employees (3.6% of the workforce) now work from home at least half the time.” Those figures exclude the self-employed.

The primary reason is simple: working from home provides a better quality of life. In its Global Workspace Survey, flexible workspace provider IWG found that “80% of workers in the U.S. would choose a job that offered flexible working options, including working from home, over a job that didn’t, and [30%] of people value being able to choose their work location over an increase in vacation time.” It also found that “more than two-fifths of U.S. workers see commuting as the worst part of their day.”

Looking forward

With millions now working from home out of necessity and ordering take-out and grocery delivery or pickup to adhere to health officials’ guidelines, consumer’s attitudes towards telecommuting and online food shopping are likely to change. More people will likely realize that it’s not as hard as they once thought. Everyone is forming new habits and establishing new norms.

In the short term, marketers will need to find ways to be helpful to people trying to meet their most basic needs. And in the long term, we’ll all need to adapt to this “new normal” and work to understand what it means for all aspects of life in America when home becomes more people’s new headquarters.

At Engage Marketing we work with companies needing to define or further define their brand, their purpose, and ultimately why they exist. This includes outlining the company’s foundational elements, clarifying cultural expectations, and developing the brand voice for both internal and external messaging. All of this comes together in the format of a Brand Platform and strategic Marketing Plan developed to achieve the company’s long and short-term goals. And, it’s meant to be used. 

When your growing and things are chaotic, rely on it, don’t abandon it.  

When challenged with a conflict or tough decision, reference it, don’t ignore it.

Through thick and thin, be your brand’s adversary, not its enemy.

Your brand is your company DNA and what you do with it will make or break the strength of its purpose, the value of its differentiation and elevate the commitment of its brand advocates.

Don’t just put it on a shelf, put it to work.  You’ve defined your brand, outlined internal expectations and established your marketing strategy – now share it!

• Provide copies to your employees. Your employees are an extension of your brand and need to understand what is expected of them, why the company exists and its plans for the future.
• Share the messaging publicly. Existing and potential clients, partners and media outlets need to know what makes you different and how you stand out in the competitive set. 
• Own it.Whether it’s in an interview, blog, social media outreach, or day-to-day dealings, use your brand voice with the confidence and conviction of the expert you are.

As you grow, it grows.  All things change or adjust as they grow and diversify.  So should your Brand Platform and Marketing Strategy.

• It’s a living document, And as your business grows, staffing increases and responsibilities change, there may be a need to reevaluate certain functional or procedural aspects of your brand.
• Diversification is not departure. Growth often opens new doors and avenues. When those opportunities arise, evaluate how and if, they fold into your existing brand position and goal. New isn’t always timely.

Assess your asset.  Evaluate the progress toward your goals, both long and short term, on an annual basis as well as when milestones are achieved.

• Go the road.  Your brand strategy is a road map to reaching your goals. Don’t be afraid of the path, you designed it, did you follow it?
• Celebrate the wins. Reaching your goals should be celebrated but also evaluated. How they were achieved? Can it be done better next time?  
• Evaluate the misses. The same must be done with the goals that fall short. Many great lessons can be learned from loses and positively influence changes.

At the end of the day – it is your brand. Create it. Know it. Share it. Grow it. 

And most of all – Be Proud Of It.

As everyone knows, no one likes to be ignored. Yet, many companies are doing just that to a huge demographic – the Baby Boomers – that still has a lot of buying power. For the last decade, marketers have been focused on the “it” demos: millennials and Gen Z. Although millennials officially outnumber boomers, we shouldn’t forget the spending power wielded by boomers.

While millennials have dominated headlines in recent years, baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) have continued to dominate consumer spending in the U.S. In fact, consumers over 50 now account for more than half of all U.S. spending. They are also responsible for more spending growth over the past decade than any other generation, including the coveted millennials. 

As a group, this over-50 crowd should continue to be a major force in U.S. consumer spending, especially as those over 60 years old drive growth over the next five to 10 years, according to Visa Business and Economic Insights. 

This is happening for two reasons: demographics—there are simply more consumers over 60 than there were 10 years ago—and behavior. Baby boomers, compared to generations that preceded them, are retiring later, holding on to more debt, and maintaining budgets for travel and other discretionary treats.

Today’s baby boomers are some of the most technologically sophisticated and active groups in the world. They are traveling, spending time outdoors, going back to school, starting second and third careers, caring for grandchildren and parents, all the while staying relevant in politics, social media, and cultural changes. You want some proof of the baby boomers buying power? According to U.S. News & World Report, this demographic controls 70% of the country’s disposable income and spend $3.2 trillion a year.  

Baby Boomers include the likes of George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey, Jr., Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, Barack Obama, Oprah, Deepak Chopra and Madonna. I don’t think anyone would suggest that these folks should be ignored, yet many are ignoring their entire generation.

Millennials and the Gen Z may have some money to spend now — but Baby Boomers have it yesterday, today and tomorrow. Their WWI generation parents are leaving them even more wealth, and they are ready to enjoy it by purchasing new homes, cars, boats, and other luxury goods they may have postponed purchasing while they were putting kids through college. Targeting boomers might not be as Instagram able as a millennial demo, but it is instantly gratifying.

Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc., told the New York Times that “while the millennials are sharing stuff, boomers are buying stuff. If you are a brand, you are in business to make money, and a tweet or share or laugh online doesn’t translate into actual bottom-line dollars. Boomers are an audience that’s worth pursuing in virtually every category.”

Brands should target boomers by using an integrated media mix that includes radio, TV, email, and social media. According to Nielsen, baby boomers are the second heaviest users of the internet and more than half of boomers are active on Facebook. They also are a growing demographic on Instagram, and they are still one of the last demos that can be reached using direct mail and email marketing. Nielsen also found that “Boomers account for nearly $230 billion in sales for consumer-packaged goods.” The demo also spends close to $7 billion shopping ONLINE.

By 2020, there will be about 11 million¹ more consumers over age 60. While the share of spending among younger consumers is expected to decline over the next 10 years, older boomers should gradually spend more with those aged 60+ reaching a 33 percent share of aggregate spending by 2025.

Industry forecasts show that Gen X and millennials will continue to be important consumer targets—as much for their current spending as for their longer-term loyalty—but the strongest future growth potential in spending lies firmly with baby boomers. 

How and where are you targeting boomers?

Years ago, I worked for an ad agency that had developed a reputation for experiential marketing. Our work for very large brands was recognized in national press and industry publications. But in time, I came to recognize that our work was severely lacking. 

Experiential marketing should be included as part of an integrated plan, this is often considered an offline tool. It is just another element in reaching consumers through a brand’s marketing mix. Experiential marketing is about creating an experience that is new and unusual and leaves a lasting impression. This is different from hearing a spot on the radio or viewing content while streaming music on a portable device because it actively involves the target audience. In many cases, experiential marketing will allow the consumer to use a product or service.

Examples of experiential marketing:

• A branded beer garden at an outdoor event.
• Signing up for a free subscription to a video on demand service at an event.
• Photo booth posting photos on social media.
• Truck with solar panels to generate hot water (we did this for a utility).
• Red Bull events (just pick one).

In two of the events listed, getting the consumer’s information was essential. In the others, how to capture the data can also be included.

In our case of a few years back, I came to recognize that our work, while it garnered the attention of consumers, in reality, was nothing more than a short-lived stunt. It was good so long as we had the attention of our audience and disappeared once the consumers were on their way. What about the ROI? Unfortunately, many expensive are designed similarly.

A key factor in experiential marketing is that it rarely leads to an immediate sale, so it is best practice to establish realistic goals in the planning phase (e.g. online mentions through social media, free PR, product sampling). The experiential engagement should include the opportunity to capture consumer data to create an ongoing relationship. While having a big budget helps, it’s more important to make your experience memorable.

What the Internet has accomplished is the ability for marketers, large and small, to get their brands in front of the public. So, whether it is recognized or not, this has increased the need for effective branding.

What is Branding?

While you can find different definitions, for the sake of this discussion, I will simplify it to say branding is the package of elements to represent a particular product or service to consumers in the marketplace. If done effectively, the branding will be so unique that consumers will identify the brand and not confuse it for another. Proper branding will be achieved in advertising, logo, content, online, font, brand voice, elevator pitch and much more.

While large brands with equally large budgets spend millions of dollars developing and protecting their brands, it is equally important to small brands too. Because it’s so easy to get a message in front of the public today, I believe branding is important than it ever has been. Branding works because it establishes and reinforces what your brand represents. The more time it gets in front of your audience, the higher the probability your brand will be remembered.

The hidden cost of branding occurs when there is no consistency. It may not have a direct impact on your bottom-line like advertising, public relations, or a new piece of collateral, but there is a cost.

Each time your brand comes in contact with a consumer an investment was made to achieve that impression. If done well your message is reinforced with every engagement. But so often what happens, marketers focus on the key message (i.e. sign up today, lower costs, new and improved) and the branding becomes not even secondary, but an afterthought. If a company spends $30k for an online campaign and the branding is focused energy-efficiency, a lasting impression is made on the consumer. If the next campaign’s branding is a similar investment promoting a low-cost position, the company is pushing a different messaging, instead of building off of the original one. While it’s fuzzy math, the company gets two different $30k campaigns with little added to the bottom line.

Branding gets expensive when you have different messaging in the market place. When you consider that each consumer engagement has a cost associated with it, a company wants to build on its investment. If you are a home developer and your messages are about custom homes, sustainability, affordable, or quality, what is your target audience supposed to think?

In a recent branding assignment for a nonprofit, there were ten of us sitting in rooms over months, slogging through numerous meetings. We dissected the organization’s mission statement, goals, brand personality, name, colors, logo, font, clients, competition, as well as many other details. In the end, we revised the brand to be more relevant in today’s world. But the truth is branding is just as important to major corporations as it is all the way to small businesses.