A lot has been said about the millennial (post 1978) generation. Much of it negative. Self-centred, strong sense of entitlement, poor work ethic, short attention span etc., etc., etc. I have co-produced three millennials and love them dearly. We are fortunate that they are all healthy, happy and independent. But what about marketing to millennials? What good do they bring to the marketing party that we baby boomers might fail to recognize? Here are a few thoughts: They have just recently become the biggest marketing cohort out there. Sharing and caring are high on their list of priorities. Well-developed tech... [READ MORE]
As a dinosaur amongst millenials, I roam the jungle in search of the meaty copywriting scraps in our digital age. Though I don’t long for the money-spewing, alcohol-fueled days of Mad Man advertising, I do shudder at some of the losses in humanity we see in marketing communication today. Let’s briefly discuss a few. The loss of language. Perhaps driven by the desire for immediate global digital domination, we’ve evolved into a world of bland, safe product platitudes and pictograms lest one individual in the world not understand or possibly be offended by our marketing pitch. The degradation of selling. ... [READ MORE]
In our tech world run by algorithms, some are beginning to wonder whether it’s all just a little too perfect. And whether true talent is being passed over by the computers that monitor our world. What was brought to my attention was the algorithm-driven scans of resumes that come into an employer. I have taught my students for years to be wary of a hiring process that scans their CV’s to search for keywords that were in the original job posting. If the keywords aren’t in your cover letter or CV, your chance of getting an interview goes into the shredder.... [READ MORE]
I spent last Saturday in Ottawa writing free personal poems for young and older adults at a book fair. One of my passions. I didn’t sell a thing. Yet it was a very rewarding day. My overall conclusion from asking questions to people all day? It sucks to be young (or old) and not being able to work your passion. Case in point. Two young women who were working dead end assembly jobs just to stay in their home community. Their faces literally drooped to downcast when I asked them what they did for a living. No pride, no enthusiasm... [READ MORE]
