Brindle Media

Archive for the ‘baby boomers’ Category

Either because they’ve chosen to retire or because they’ve been eased out of companies into an involuntary state of unemployment, many members of the Baby Boom generation who still want to pursue productive careers have become entrepreneurs and started their own small businesses.

If you’re one of those Boomers who I’ve just described, I thought that you might find the information below interesting:

If novelty drives attention, perhaps you’ll find an idea here that inspires you http://mashable.com/2011/03/01/video-business-success/

For years, there’s been an adage in the marketing community that older adults are brand loyal and aren’t worth the energy or investment needed to try and persuade them to switch. Of course, many of the people who believe this tend to be in their 20s! It may have been true of preceding generations but I would content that Boomers are a different breed. Although they may not be part of the “early adopter” cohort when it comes to new technology, Boomers aren’t Luddites, either. SmartPhone penetration among Boomers continues to increase so a significant percentage will have access to video on their phones within the next few years and it could become a significant factor for small business as part of the marketing mix.

Similarly, if you have expertise, podcasting (either audio or video) might be a venue to share your knowledge and build your brand. Here are some small business podcasting success stories.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/28/podcast-small-business/

Car & Driver Magazine predicts that internet in-car penetration will hit the 25% mark within the next five years which will make audio podcasts more accessible for drivers. Something to think about as you devise ways to build your brand and “drive traffic”.

Here’s some information that I thought you’d find useful or at least interesting:

BrandSavant, Tom Webster tells us that some radio friends in New Zealand are asking for our help. They’re not looking for monetary donations but are instead asking that we send voice messages of encouragement and support which they can play over the air to help boost the spirits of their countrymen as they cope with the devastation caused by last week’s earthquake.

All you need to do is record a quick MP3 file that gives your name, where you are from, and a short (5-10 seconds) message of hope, to tell the people of New Zealand that we are thinking of them during this very dark time. Please email those .MP3 files to Tom at a special email address he’s set up at : help_nz_audio@fastmail.fm. Tom will make sure he gets them, and that your voices ring out across the Land Of The Long White Cloud.

Skype simplifies cheap overseas calling from any phone.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/25/skype-overseas/

Linkedin Tool Visualizes Profile Updates in Your Network
http://mashable.com/2011/02/24/linkedin-profile-tool/

How music can boost your immune system
http://www.realage.com/tips/how-to-boost-your-immune-system-positive-mental-attitude?eid=1098931007&memberid=22592203

Staying focused is tough especially when you’re a home-based entrepreneur. I never realized how ADHD I was until I left the corporate office world where I had specific work hours , a defined job description and a list of specified daily tasks and responsibilities. Working solo, developing a business from scratch and being based at home leaves everything wide open and undefined. It’s wonderful, exciting and overwhelming. This blog by “Hello, My Name Is Scott” Ginsberg offers some useful advise:

http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/2011/02/how-to-focus-your-face-off.html

Adam Singer writes a digital marketing and PR blog called “Future Buzz”. Although his blog seems targeted at people in the Millenials and GenX’ers, it does contain advice that can be useful to entrepreneurial Boomers. For instance:
http://thefuturebuzz.com/2011/02/22/paid-promotional-tactics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheFutureBuzz+(The+Future+Buzz)

Boomer Authority is a web-based social network for Baby Boomers. The organization has a website named Boomer StrataGEMS which provides useful information like this:
http://www.boomerstratagems.net/2011/02/how-marketers-can-use-mobile-technology.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+Boomerstratagems+(Boomer|StrataGEMS™)&utm_co

Check them out and let me know what you think about these ideas. I’d also be interested to learn what types of information would be of most interest to you!

Remember what the social media world looked like three years ago? Probably not because you’re too busy trying to keep up with the new products, devices and services which seem to pop up on your radar screen every day.

XKCD and the marketing firm Flowtown have created “The Map of Online Communities” based on information from sources such as USA Today, Alexa,and Compete which gives some great perspective on how this have changed in the world of social media over the past 36 months.

First, the map of online communities for 2007:

Compare that information with the map for 2010:

Can you find MySpace on the 2010 map? Look southwest of Facebook.
Also, note the growth of Farmville.

How do you think the map will change by 2013?

Thanks to Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media bring the XKCD/Flowtown maps to my attention.

Earlier today I was interviewed about augmented reality on Bob Cudmore’s radio show which is simulcast on radio in the Amsterdam, NY area on Lite 104.7FM and 1570AM and which is also streamed at www.1570WVTL.com

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, John C. Havens first made me aware of augmented reality this summer on his BlogTalkRadio series. Since then, BusinessWeek’s Stephen H. Wildstrom has been following the trend while Esquire magazine, John Mayer’s new album and the new book about Michael Jackson have actually employed the technology.

To clarify, with virtual reality the environment is totally computer-generated and the user becomes immersed in that computer-generated world where nothing is real. (Think The Simms and Grand Theft Auto). With augmented reality, computer-generated applications
(apps) are imposed onto the real world using the web camera on your computer or SmartPhone to provide additional information or to enhance your real-life experience.

Zugara’s Webcam Social Shopper lets you try on clothes (virtually) then take pictures to send to your Facebook friends to get their opinions:

Baby Boomers might watch this video about Microsoft’s Xbox Project Natal and think it’s just about games but the last part of the video shows some very practical applications for augmented reality technology:

In an earlier posting, I’ve talked about some new iPhone apps which Baby Boomers might find useful.

At one point, a lot of us thought that GPS units were a little frivolous. If you have a GPS unit now, you probably think of it as essential.

I’d be interested in whether or not you can foresee augmented reality becoming an integral part of your lifestyle.

I tend to be a bit too analytical and so focused on a goal. Unfortunately, when I’ve finally done everything necessary to achieve that goal, my reaction will be more, “OK, that’s done. What now?” rather than one of joy. I get so wrapped up in the details of the work that I forget to celebrate the accomplishment. That’s not a good quality-of-life strategy.

So, I was moved by a recent Harvey Mackay column which reflected on holiday season celebrations and observed: “I often wonder why we limit our celebrations the rest of the year.”

In his book, “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future”, Daniel H. Pink notes that Henry Ford fired assembly line workers for laughing or even smiling while on the job. Ford felt that workers who were having fun were a danger to efficient production. Fortunately, that kind of thinking is as outdated as the Model T.

Harvey Mackay feels that work should be done “in a place where we can be excited, enthusiastic and passionate about what we do.” So here are some suggestions he makes:

1) Celebrate often
2) Big celebrations are great but get-togethers to celebrate small
successes are good, too.
3) Be creative in your celebrations. The basics are food, fellowship
& fun. Build on that base.
4) Share the responsibility of creating a celebration. A fresh
perspective can create unexpected positive results.
5) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s the intention of the
celebration that’s important.

You can read Harvey’s entire column here: http://bit.ly/Mackay

So, what should we celebrate next ?!

Augmented reality is the overlaying of digital data on the real world. In a world where pretty soon that mobile device most of us use to make phone calls will also replace your laptop, your GPS, your radio and who-knows-what-else the concept of augmented reality is not as outlandish as it initially seems.

In a recent article, Mashable listed what the editors deemed “10 Amazing Augmented Reality iPhone Apps”. These were the ones that seemed the most practical for Baby Boomers like me:

WorkSnug

This app identifies Wi-Fi hotspots and potential workplaces like coffee shops, bookstores, libraries,etc. and provides user reviews. Right now, it’s only available in London but versions for Manhattan, San Francisco, Berlin and Madrid are due to be released soon.

AugMeasure

With this app, you can use your iPhone to gauge short distances up to a foot (30 centimeters) and, using the built-in camera, shows an overlay onto the live image on your phone’s screen which changes as you move the phone.

Car Finder

And when was the last time you forgot where you parked? Once your car’s location is set, Car Finder creates a visible marker that shows the car, how far away from it you are and tells you in what direction to head.

Do you think you’d use these apps? What apps would you like to see developed which aren’t yet available?

You can check out the other apps that Mashable recommends at http://bit.ly/iPhone_app

Ever wonder “Why the bathtubs?” in those Cialis ads? New York Times advertising expert, Stuart Elliot offers this explanation:

“The tubs are symbols of relaxing, taking your time, not hurrying, in that a bath is more relaxing than a shower. They reflected that from the start, Cialis advertising was warmer and gentler than ads for Viagra — more feminine, as it were. Other cues included a color scheme of yellow and pastel green and the name, pronounced ‘See-Alice.’

The differences are meant to underline a basic difference between Cialis and its rivals: while Viagra and Levitra provide a four-hour window during which a man can get and keep an erection, Cialis opens that window to 36 hours.

The continuous presence of women in Cialis ads is a subtle signal that the drug can help them set the pace with their partners, in contrast to the primarily male-driven imagery for Levitra and Viagra. For that reason, Europeans have called Cialis ‘le weekend’ drug. “

See more about advertising at http://tinyurl.com/nmecnl

Whether you’re out of work, putting in extra hours to keep your job, dealing with financial issues, taking care of an elderly parent, or just trying to cope with information overload, it’s difficult to escape the negative physical and psychological effects of stress.

Natalie Angier wrote this article in last week’s New York Times about how your brain can actually reinforce your tendency towards self-defeating behaviors and how you can reverse the damage: http://tinyurl.com/stress-loop

In the July issue of Scientific American, Karen Schrock talks about how music can help your physical and emotional well-being: http://tinyurl.com/l64rrp

Have you had any real-life experiences that either prove or disprove these notions?

How do your peers, supervisors, employees, friends, and family members see you? What do they think are your strengths, weaknesses and most valuable skills? What is your personal brand? Does their assessment correlate with yours?

If you’re like me, it’s probably a lot easier for you to develop a strong sense about the value that other people bring to the table but your self-evaluation is a little fuzzy.

The folks at Reach Branding Consulting (www.reachcc.com) offer a FREE analysis tool named 360 Reach(tm) which allows people who know you to anonymously provide feedback and help provide focus. Over the past month, I took advantage of it and I thought you might find the results instructive.

I felt pretty good that the response rate for my personal 360 Reach assessment tool was 10% higher than the average response rate of all people who have used the tool so I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and to share their opinions with me. Here’s a summary of the assessments of my personal brand by colleagues, peers, managers/supervisors, employees, friends: (71% of those who participated were colleagues & peers, 12% of those who participated were either former managers/supervisors or employees):

My Top 5 Brand Personas:

1. Expert
2. Rock (reliable; I do what I say I will)
3. Truth-Teller (honest, trustworthy)
4. Structurer (organized, methodical)
5. Visionary (I see the Big Picture)

My Top 5 Leadership Competencies:

1. Relating (meeting/connecting with colleagues, employees, customers; build trust & respect)
2. Expressing (clear & consistent 2-way communication)
3. Inspiring (nuturing, empowering, developing others)
4. Visioning (developing & executing strategy)
5. Developing (personal development, growing professionally; staying fresh, adopting new & relevant habits)

All the people who participated in this survey were also asked to describe my strengths and weaknesses in their own words. Here’s what the had to say:

My Strengths (verbatims):

-Ability to manage
-Ability to cover chaos with calm
-Being methodical
-Business knowledge
-Community-mindedness
-Forward thinking
-Intelligence (2 mentions)
-Seeing the big picture, managing any situation, always has a goal in mind
-Speaking
-Vast knowledge & experience
-Wisdom
-Analyzing (2 mentions)
-Caring professional and encouraging to others
-Experience (2 mentions)
-Market knowledge
-Imagining what needs to be done and getting the job done
-Knowledge
-Knowledge of industry
-Likeability
-Media smart
-Problem solving
-Strategic planning

My Weaknesses (verbatims):

-Being methodical
-Difficulty selling himself
-Occasionally opinionated
-Probably overqualified for a lot of available jobs in the area
-Talking over people who are already talking
-Too nice
-Delegating
-Irritating people
-Making quick decisions
-Not following through
-Organization
-People skills
-Speed of learning or change
-Stubborn
-Too fast to respond. Needs to listen more.
-Too formal.

Being human, I immediately focused on the weaknesses and felt a little hurt or dismayed by some of the comments but I’m still grateful for the honest evaluations. It’s also interesting to see how some people perceive me as having weaknesses in certain areas while others see me as having strengths in the same areas.

You might want to try this yourself. The initial analysis is free although you can get more granular by upgrading with paid options. Find the 360 Reach Personal Branding Analysis at www.reachcc.com