Are you talking to the right generation?

Today is the first time in history that we have five generations to market to: the Traditionalists, the Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and the Millennials. As a Gen-Xer myself, sandwiched between all of these people, I find this fascinating.  As a marketer who has spent much of her career in retail, deviating from the traditional 18-65 year old grocery shopper demographic is tough. Grocery, mass merchants and other retailers have to appeal to everyone, so how do you connect with a particular generation group who has vastly different values, interests and cares?

The answer is not cut and dry. If you think of a grocery chain like an organizational chart, it might make more sense. Position the brand/store banner as the lead or umbrella at the top of the chart and the brands/products as departments in the organization, then you can start to segment your generational branding that way as well. The overall 18-65 fits the brand umbrella, but the departments, brands and products you offer can be targeted at specific generations and consumer demographics.

If retailers do not start to understand that they need to talk more directly to each generation and connect with them, they will ultimately miss the opportunity to grow. In today’s world, you cannot speak to the masses… they won’t hear you.

Start with the worst-case scenario

When looking to solve a problem or design a line of products, I suggest you start with the most challenging scenario.

Many design firms WOW you with the amazing creative at Phase one. I think it is great to see that amazing work – the problem is that most of that amazing work doesn’t print, and if it does print, it certainly won’t print the way you saw it or print within your budget. I am a bit more practical. I get a lot of flack from my staff because it was my biggest pet peeve back when I was working for large retailers and buying services, to be shown something that I couldn’t have. It’s a tease, and in my opinion, just wrong. So we design to the budget, to the most challenging substrate and the hardest SKU with the longest name.

It’s hard and it’s challenging, and often times, it doesn’t lead to the biggest WOW, but it does lead to items that are designed to print on the press they are specked for and at the budget that the client can afford. Novel, I say!

Celebrating Strategia’s 8th Anniversary!

If someone had told me on August 21, 2005 that I would be celebrating eight years of owning and leading my own successful design and branding firm, I would have questioned their sanity. Strategia Design is the third business I have owned and perhaps the most complex. When I was 24, I started HINGE magazine – a free “zine” that was distributed at local coffee shops and record stores. Yes, I’m dating myself. I had hoped to convince the world that Generation Xers, like myself, were not a bunch of slackers, but a group of talented, hardworking, and creative people. After producing four issues and surviving a fallout with my partner, I declared bankruptcy and moved on. In 2001, my husband and I along with a good friend created an isotonic beverage for kids. We got so focused on the minutia and details of our project that we missed our window for launch, and even though we made it to shelf, the product never took off as planned.

So as a two-time entrepreneur, I was not that eager to start again. In 2005, I found myself deciding, once again, to be an entrepreneur or seek out a corporate day job. Well, you know what happened, and fortunately, it has worked out. I am so proud of what I have accomplished, but I cannot say that it is all my success. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing, extremely talented staff that has withstood the economic challenges, creative challenges and technology challenges over the years. Strategia Design is the company it has become because of our team, our synergy and our commitment.

Today, I am excited that Strategia has grown beyond just a design firm and has established itself as an expert, sought-after consultant to entrepreneurial companies, growing companies, and large retailers and manufacturers looking to bring new products and services to market.

I look forward to celebrating nine years with you again next August!