In the context of art and design,  minimalism describes a technique in which the artist uses just a few simple  elements to create a dramatic effect. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto “less is more” to describe his tactic of arranging all visual and functional elements of a building to serve multiple purposes, thus creating a sense of extreme simplicity.

The mindset involved with minimalist design is the same mindset an organization must take when approaching the generation gap among its employees. Specifically, it must look at each generation’s learning and communication styles and how those styles can complement each other.

Identifying the Generation Gap
This generation gap describes the sociological and psychological differences between older and younger cohorts. Currently there are three generations in the workplace: baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964; Generation X, born between 1965 and1984; and millennials, also known as Generation Y, born between 1985 and 2010. (The years defining each generation are somewhat fluid, depending on which source you consult.)

The biggest gap exists between millennials and their predecessors. Millennials grew up in a time where everything they needed to know or wanted to know was at their fingertips thanks to the advancement of technology. This constant need to know, do and want more has led millennials to carry a skill set that is infinitely scalable and different in comparison to previous generations.

When you take a minimalistic mindset, you can see a millennial’s hardware — natural capabilities — and software — learned experience — are fundamentally different than that of baby boomers or Generation X. A millennial’s hardware includes the ability to use technology efficiently and absorb information at a rapid speed. However, due to their young age, they have no software or experiential knowledge. Millennials are an often-underestimated group that can easily gain that knowledge through working with their baby-boomer and Gen-X colleagues.

IBM & Microsoft
To understand the hardware and software analogy, think back to the 1980s when IBM and Microsoft created a computing empire. IBM had the hardware, while Microsoft possessed the software. Each had something that made the other stronger.

IBM first approached Microsoft in 1980 to discuss the possibility of Microsoft creating an operating system for an IBM computer. Out of this collaboration, Microsoft built MS-DOS, which became the operating system in one of the first widely-adopted home computers. Microsoft had the software or experience — most similar to baby boomers and Gen X. IBM had the hardware or the technology and capability to process the software — most similar to millennials. By working together, they created a product that dominated the category.

Closing the Gap
Once you’ve fully understood the differences, you can address how your organization builds a level of complementary compatibility between each generation’s hardware and software. In order to build this compatibility, three steps need to be addressed:

1) Start mentoring: Mentorship helps hardware and software function together. Millennials have a desire to learn as much as possible; however, they typically prefer an informal versus formal learning structure. Digiday recently posted “What Millennials Want: Mentorship,” which addresses several reasons why millennials want to be mentored. Speaking from the millennial side of the conversation, we understand and realize that baby boomers and Generation X have the software, or experience, that we can benefit from. We look up to our older colleagues and want discover ways in which we can learn from them. However, we don’t need to be instructed step-by-step on how to get to the next stage. We need advice, understanding and opportunities to build our experience and reach the next level.

There is no better way to address the generation gap than to set up a mentorship program within your company. Pair individuals based on interests and personality. It’s important for a company to inspire curiosity not just among millennials but among baby boomers and Gen X as well. There are numerous learning opportunities for all generations. And the best way to create those opportunities is regular interaction and teamwork.

2) Provide self-learning resources: In order for the hardware and software to be in sync, all parties involved must work at a natural pace. Because millennials grew up with technology at their fingertips, they tend to be more comfortable with that technology changing. Millennials tend to adapt to change very easily and work at a much faster pace than other cohorts. Stephanie Padgett is assistant professor of strategic communications at the University of Missouri and director of media, research and operations for Mojo Ad, the student-staffed agency that specializes in the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market. According to Padgett, employers can leverage millennials’ technological expertise and eagerness to learn.

“One thing employers don’t embrace about millennials is the fact that they have a capability to be self-learners. Employers instead put millennials into a box that requires step a, step b and step c. What employers should do is say to their millennial employees, ‘here are the tools, and I am going to let you work, experiment and learn as fast as you can.’ That’s also a reason why millennials often leave a company; because it’s too slow for them and they want to see progress. Employers need to allow millennials to take the strength they have and run with it.”

Employers must encourage self-learning to accommodate millennials’ need to learn independently at their own pace. In order for this to be successful, employers must make the necessary tools, resources and time accessible.

3) Recognize unconventional career paths: Exposure allows for the hardware and software to fit together like a puzzle, seamlessly and without force. As stated earlier, millennials have a desire to quickly learn new information. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mesh with how companies handle new hires. Throw the old training methods out the door and start fresh with opportunities to self-learn and open exposure to finding the best fit for each specific person with the company. Encourage employees to grow their own career, even if that means switching departments a time or two during the process. Remember, change is natural and often a good thing.

By addressing these three steps, you will be able to narrow the generation gap with the possibility of closing it completely. In the next year, I challenge organizations to take a minimalistic approach to the generation gap in order to make a winning combination within your company.

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Pundits covering the media and marketing industries haven’t agreed on what the NewFronts — digital media’s answer to the traditional upfronts — mean for the industry. That didn’t stop us from attending this year’s presentations and attempting to make sense of it all.

NewFronts ≠ New Upfronts
To broadcast media buyers, the NewFronts may seem to be an identical version of the upfronts. Media companies or broadcast networks share their programming and visions for the upcoming broadcast year; buyers assess programming; and then buyers and networks agree, or disagree, on pricing for budgets that will be laid out for the year.

Digital media buyers know that’s not necessarily the case. There’s only a small sample of companies represented in the week-long presentation schedule. The roster includes some vendors, some agencies and the Interactive Advertising Bureau. This is significantly different from the broadcast upfronts where all the networks are represented. While there is hope from media companies that advertisers will make large purchases covering multiple quarters — similar to how media is purchased during the television upfronts — the digital media space isn’t there quite yet.

TV & Online Video Converging, not Competing
There’s also the much-discussed concept of multiscreen viewing. Depending on which side of the track you fall, on-air or online, you may read “television is dead” or “cord-cutting will be the new norm.” Instead, we see TV and online video merging together as one. As the online video space continues to grow, relationships will blossom and the lines between on-air and online will continue to blur.

This year marked the first time content created for the Web jumped to a television network. “Burning Love” premiered on Yahoo! and aired a full season online. Due to its overwhelming popularity, it was picked up by E! where it is airing a complete season during prime-time. With the huge amount of original online series previewed at this year’s NewFronts — most of which are backed by high-profile stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow and Eva Longoria — there’s no telling how many new relationships will form.

“Digital media buyers should concentrate on purchasing content that hits a particular target,
versus focusing on which screen the content will be displayed.”

Think Content, Not Device
Digital video has “revolutionized the way we ignore our families,” Seth Meyers quipped at Hulu’s NewFront presentation. We are a multi-device, on-demand culture that is increasingly changing the way we consume all types of content. We think about what content we’re wanting to access, not how we’re going to access it. Some brands and agencies get this. Everyone else had better catch up — and soon — or be left behind.

Image courtesy tubefilter.com

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This year’s upfront presentations have all the elements of a great prime-time television drama: a relatable protagonist, the troublemaking antagonist, a mysterious dark horse and tantalizing clues about what it all means.

This year’s saga started in early spring with chatter and rumors of upcoming shows and stars. The tale will end around late summer when networks and other media report their final numbers. Like any good story, the upfronts feature an exciting climax, which occurs this week. Media is Power  will provide all the details as they unfold. For now, let’s set the stage.

A Screen-Agnostic Hero
Not surprisingly, the biggest theme running through this year’s upfronts is the rise of multiscreen viewing. Screen-agnostic content and related “blended” marketing campaigns are lauded as a great way to reach consumers, but not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. For example, not every traditional broadcast channel is attending the 2013 NewFronts (the digital equivalent of the upfronts).

The Trouble With Measurement
Not every brand has embraced the blended media approach, because the industry has yet to come up with a consistent way to measure results from such campaigns. This issue rears its ugly head when the industry falls into two camps: those want to jump into the messy new versus those who want to stay grounded in CPMs, GRPs and other time-tested ways of measuring results..

A Dark Horse Called the NewFronts
There is no consistent, industry-wide opinion of the NewFronts. Some claim the NewFronts represent the future of media; others claim they’re another excuse for media publishers to throw parties and show off in front of each other. Media is Power contributors attended the NewFronts and will be weighing in on the issue later this week.

The Tantalizing Clues
Ad spending during last year’s cable upfronts reached $9.8 billion, a five-percent increase from 2011. Ad rates for the big five broadcast networks rose five to nine percent. While not a guarantee, these point to the potential of a flat to modest increase during the 2013 upfront.

Even after this week’s big reveal of fall prime-time schedules, we’ll have to stay tuned to see how this year’s upfront plays out. For those of us in the media and marketing space, it’s usually as different as it is the same — not unlike the plot of your favorite TV drama.

Image courtesy cdn2.starsontv.com.

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As you probably know by now, programmatic buying is one of the louder buzzwords we hear today. Simply put, it stands for the technology-enabled purchase of media inventory. Business Insider provides another, albeit longer, definition. This technology replaces the human capital that is typically invested in the process of sending RFPs, reading through proposals, having lots of phone conversations, negotiating price, sending insertion orders and then executing them on a partner-by-partner basis. It’s planning and buying via a user interface — in mass and on steroids.

Programmatic Whys & Watch-Outs
The programmatic landscape is constantly evolving. Reasons to consider programmatic buying, as well as pitfalls to watch out for, are constantly changing as the technology evolves. For right now, here are the latest.

5 Reasons to Use Programmatic Buying
1) Pimp Your Assets: Programmatic buying, when used in combination with a data management platform to build, identify, and activate first-party audiences, is a potent, powerful marketing tool. Your site visitors, your customer and prospect lists, your category or brand searchers can all be found and remarketed to accordingly based on their experience to date with your brand.

2) Activate Audiences: Along with first-party audiences, programmatic solutions give you the tools and ability to identify reliable third-party audiences from data providers and aggregators of all shapes and sizes. You may find that soccer moms are, indeed, exactly who is buying your products — then use look-alike targeting techniques to bring new soccer moms to your brand. You may also come to find, however, that other buying groups (recent blender buyers, DIYers, Republicans, etc.) convert at an even better rate, giving you new audiences on which to build your business.

3) Buy Context at Scale: The best kept secret about programmatic buying is that context still beats audience. An avid golfer is more likely to convert on an ad in golf content than that very same person when shown an ad in news content. Programmatic partnerships now let you identify and deliver ads in contextually relevant environments at a scale that is unreachable through publisher or vertical-network buys executed with human capital.

4) Bring Publisher and Audience Together: Programmatic practitioners are inking more and more deals every day that allow brands to overlay their most potent first-and third-party data with their top performing publisher partners. Called private marketplaces, private exchanges and many other names, publishers are piping first look inventory to brands via technology rather than via a sales force. When the brand just needs the ad space, not a deeper integration or native experience, private marketplaces offer the best inventory to brands at rates palatable to publishers. And the best part is that the data layer can still sit on top of them.

5) Practice for Tomorrow: Chances are very good that most media inventory will be transacted programmatically in the near future. TV, radio, print (which all are already well underway in their evolution to digital ecosystems) and even out-of-home inventory can and will be bought and sold programmatically. The guys who founded Invite Media, one of the first demand side platforms (DSPs), are already knee-deep into bringing a programmatic solution to digital out-of-home buying — check out Vistar Media for more. As the dominos fall, the pace of traditional media onboarding to programmatic platforms will only increase, so you might as well get used to it.

5 Watch-Outs for Programmatic Buying
1) Verify, verify, verify: Viewable inventory isn’t the currency yet (note the six-month expiration date on this post), and a majority of exchange-based ad impressions WILL run unseen by humans if left to the technology’s own devices. It is simple to prevent and control, but one must be cognizant that the green button that tells you in your user interface that ads are running doesn’t mean humans are seeing them. (Green does not equal seen).

2) Be Wary of False Attribution: Closely related to the above, many providers are all too happy to purchase bottom of the page, unseen inventory at bargain basement real-time billing pricing to stuff cookies on as many potential converters as possible. They then claim the view through credit for one of those poor suckers that happens to convert without having seen that ad — potentially forcing brand decision makers to cut the marketing budget for the vehicle that created the demand in the first place and give it to the bad actor that served the unseen ad just before they converted.

3) Programmatic Is Not Automatic: Yes, fancy math helps the machines make some of the more rote decisions (on exact price, place, person for each impression), but there is still a lot of human capital involved in setting up and running those machines. Just like the engineers that build the robots and the quality control techs on today’s modern assembly line, programmatic buying also has wizards behind the beautiful curtain of technology. It is part of the reason that managed service DSPs and trading desks tend to charge such high margins (30-70%, and we won’t get into the other reasons behind these margins in this post).

4) Without Effort, It’s Still Remnant Inventory: If you don’t take the time (and have the capability) to do No. 3 above, most of what you are buying is inventory that a huge army of professional media planners and buyers didn’t want the first time around. Public exchange inventory is largely remnant inventory. That isn’t to say it’s bad — especially if it delivers your audience in the right environment and drives ROI — but it is still worth noting.

5) A Litany of New (Mostly Bad) Names: Most annoyingly, I don’t think we’ve yet scratched the surface for all the branded offerings that will be born in this space in the near future — particularly with the horizon set on private marketplaces. Trading desks are thinking about giving programmatic buying powers back to their web of feeder media shops. DSPs are rapidly evolving and rebundling their offerings. There is an opportunity to create a new “name” for every new way the technology is stitched together for a brand, and I promise you that it will get at least as exhausting as the ad network explosion of the 90s.

Should we all sit back and let robots do our jobs? We’re a long way off from machines completely taking over for media planners and buyers. However, every industry — from automotive to finance — looks for ways to work quicker and automate routine tasks. And under the right circumstances, programmatic can be an effective way to achieve clients’ goals.

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LinkedIn has rolled out a steady stream of design, social and content enhancements over the last six months as it aims to increase user engagement across the business platform. Its latest enhancement is the new Contacts app. According to Mashable, LinkedIn’s Contacts app is designed to help users stay in touch with important business contacts and build contacts with others by “email, mobile address book and calendar to create a one-stop shop of sorts,” centralizing LinkedIn users’ contacts in one spot that’s accessible online or via the app.

Brands Take a LinkedIn Pass
Many consumer brands tune out when LinkedIn becomes the topic of discussion. They rightly focus on the platforms where their audiences are most receptive to their messages. This usually means Facebook becomes a brand’s social media focus instead of the business-focused LinkedIn.

Social media may be approaching a point where brands can’t afford to pick between the two platforms. While the new Contacts app will certainly increase the odds that consumers will be connected to their entire contact database on LinkedIn, it could also signal a new trend of personal CRM. If personal CRM comes to be, LinkedIn could transform into an always on, paid media platform that brands would be smart to consider for their media mix.

Adding Contacts to LinkedIn’s Community & Content = Social CRM?
LinkedIn’s recent focus on community, content and contacts shows it’s trying to give users more reasons to spend time on LinkedIn. And if you look at all of the LinkedIn enhancements in aggregate, it starts to look as if we’re being given a mix of tools used for “extracting, transferring and loading” data into a customer relationship marketing (CRM) platform.

There’s a distinct delta between a CRM platform and the functionality that LinkedIn currently provides. But it’s not so significant that it prevents the social platform from becoming a CRM platform with more than 200 million potential users on its first day of launch. What would happen if, within the next 12 months, LinkedIn started offering a basic and paid level of CRM functionality to its users?

• User base: Its user base would increase, and it would encourage all users to invest more time in the platform.
• Social business: Whether or not you consider LinkedIn a niche platform due to its business focus, by expanding into CRM it becomes the gold standard for social platforms focused on business. This makes it tough to impossible for a competitor to displace LinkedIn.
• Monetization: In addition to the revenue from its paid CRM services, the advertising potential would be significant. Consider a utility like email — it’s open all day. Turning LinkedIn into a CRM utility would increase the opportunities for a brand to connect with consumers through paid media. If I were a quick serve restaurant, would I want to get in front of this audience around lunchtime? Possibly.

Personal CRM
LinkedIn CRM wouldn’t seemingly be able to disrupt the use of enterprise-wide CRM packages, but instead of displacing the large companies using CRM, it could usher in a trend of personal CRM. Like any idea, it’s fraught with potential and peril. But it’s safe to say we’ve only just begun to see the impact of LinkedIn’s steady stream of innovations, acquisitions and enhancements. And brands should keep an eye on this ever-evolving platform.

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The Federal Trade Commission’s new “Dot Com Disclosures” clearly affect online display advertising, social media marketing and blogger relations. Although the FTC’s guidelines don’t directly address content marketing, they have definite implications for brands acting as publishers — especially in the areas of transparency and responsibility.

Transparency
Marketers should be publishing editorial content that provides unbiased, useful information. Over time, this content will help establish trust and build a relationship between the brand and its consumers.

One of the key ways a brand builds this trust is through transparency. Regardless of where the content is posted — from the brand’s website to a separate content platform built by a marketer or a syndicator — readers should be able to quickly and easily tell who created the content.

This means a content platform that doesn’t have the brand’s name in its title should have “brought to you by CPG Co.,” “created by CPG Co.” or similar verbiage featured prominently on the site. Syndicators should clearly label all brand-created content as a “sponsored post” or something similar.

Marketers also need to be transparent when using outside vendors to produce content. A disclosure that the brand compensates third-party writers for their work helps avoid falsely-implied endorsements and reader confusion.

Responsibility
No matter who writes the content, the brand is ultimately responsible for its accuracy. Claims made within the content should be verified and cited — this includes linking to the source material, if possible. If a piece of content dispenses advice, it should have a disclaimer explaining any potential ill effects of following that advice. And of course, marketers should never publish content that defames a person, company or brand.

Writers creating content for brands share many of the same standards as journalists. Their material needs to be as accurate, honest and unbiased as possible. Just as an editor is ultimately responsible for holding journalists to those standards, brands must ensure their writers are producing quality work.

Consumers are more discerning than ever, and an ethical misstep by a brand can destroy trust and positive sentiment. Rather than see these new FTC rules as hindrances, brands should look at them as guides to creating an ethical, successful content development program.

Image courtesy theverge.com

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When executed correctly, blogger relations can offer tremendous benefits to the marketing mix of any brand. Here are the five reasons why marketers are racing to build their blogger networks.

Targeted Awareness
Blogger outreach will spread awareness among the niche groups who are more likely to be receptive to your brand messages.

Earned Credibility
Bloggers can provide the “proof” to a mass message, earning you credibility with the people who matter most.

Compelling Content
Brands who reach out to bloggers can harness a blogger’s voice to get their stories told through well-written posts, gorgeous photography and dynamic videos.

SEO for Life
Blogs are visited by search engines more often than static web pages, meaning your content will get noticed even faster.

Long-term Relationships
By developing mutually beneficial relationships from the beginning, you’re building a sustainable network that pays out over time.

Be sure to read the full text of Ashley’s post at Powerhouse Factories’ blog.

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This photo of a vintage Cadillac caught my eye recently. The close-up shot includes a detailed view of Cadillac’s old logo… and an interesting detail.

Did you know there were ducks in Cadillac’s logo? Six of them actually, up until 2002. Okay, they’re not ducks; they’re merlettes. The design is from the coat of arms of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac — the French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701.

This shout-out to Cadillac’s Motor City heritage, served up in such a unique way, reminded me of another great brand narrative — Starbucks.

May I Buy You a Cup of Pequod?
Starbucks is named after the first mate in Moby Dick. In the coffee company’s early days, however, the founders were going to name the company after Ahab’s whaleship: Pequod.

How many of you can envision a Pequod on every corner or standing in a long line just to spend $5 on a cup of Pequod? The founders are nautical fans, and you can see this influence in their logo as well. In fact, as Starbucks’ logo has evolved, the mermaid has become increasingly prominent.

Starbucks logo evolution shows how it has refreshed its successful brand without losing their core narrative. As you can see in the above visual, it’s actually focusing even more on its narrative through these design refreshes.

Staying Relevant Without Losing Brand Equity
But what if your story isn’t relevant any longer? That brings us back to Cadillac. An ancient coat of arms on the hood of a Cadillac helped the brand get a reputation for being the car of choice for retirees everywhere. Cadillac needed broader appeal. So in 2002, it ditched the ducks as part of the company’s dual focus on “art and science.” The current version of the logo, supporting this narrative, is an evolution of the original logo. The refresh was inspired by Piet Mondrian.

Storytelling is a bit like archaeology in that you don’t create a story, you uncover it. It’s great to see the stories unearthed by the Cadillac and Starbucks visual identities. Each of them is a reminder to brands of the importance of narrative. Every good brand has a story behind it. Great brands also know how to adapt these stories to remain relevant to changing consumers — without losing hard-earned brand equity.

Elvis’ Cadillac uploaded by Thomas Hawk
Starbucks Logo Evolution uploaded by Logo Design Love
Cadillac Logos uploaded by iAppsSoft

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