The Good Old Days

When agencies earned 17.65% commission. When a 30" TVC and 3 print ads made a campaign. When consumers watched the same channel all night. When clients knew 50% of their communication budget was wasted, but did not know which 50% and continued spending. When consumers believed what you told them. Even if your message was that smoking was good for them.

Like it or not, these days are over. The 24 year-olds in my Advertising and Strategic Brand Management classes live different lives, busy lives, where TV and magazines hardly play a role, but online rules, gaming, SMS-ing, MSN'ing, podcasting, video-downloading and sometimes Bueno'ing.

They are the prototype of the New, Emancipated Consumer - they are smart, they love brands, but they are also skeptical and often cynical. They love advertising, but only when it amuses and entertains. They make their own choices based on peer evaluation, peer group pressure, a growing individualism (new for Asia), and the need for values and ideals. They are prepared to work hard, but they are easily bored. They are ambitious, but sometimes their ambitions get the better of them. Or they play all tough and ready to take on the world, but in their first internship they crack after 1 week.

For us in Branding and Communication, it is important to understand that the rules have changed:

1. Most of the time we are not the target. So it's not about what we believe, it's about how well we know our target.
2. Branding is all about building an emotional relationship. We have to stop feeling proud and talking down to the very people we need to engage.
3. We need to have values and be responsible - not just because that will make us better people. It also makes for better business results.

Does any of this make any sense to you? Do you no longer understand the world? Or are you already one step ahead of the game?

Let me know - one new way to connect is to contribute to my BRAND BLOG on the website.

Just go to www.jorgdietzel.com, click on BRAND BLOG, and have your say.

Hope to hear from you.

Jorg