Businessweek Gets Creative with Millennial Marketing

This month, another group of eager college grads leave their dream campuses and enter their professional careers. Or so they hope.

It is no secret the economy is better than it was four years ago, but things are still far from perfect. As a result, many move back home to live with their parents as they search for full-time jobs. Businessweek is now targeting those kids and parents.

Businessweek, along with Walrus, create an intriguing website that let’s parent co-habiting with their kids send them sarcastic and passive aggressive e-cards encouraging them to move out of the house. In return, if the parents fill out a form, they can get 12 free issues of the publications in print or digital. The magazine claims the kids would then have a chance to view the publication and hopefully see a tip or two to land a job faster.

Take a look at some of the e-cards Businessweek had in mind.

Now while I don’t feel that reading Businessweek will immediately land a millennial a job, I do understand the marketing tactic. While some may see these e-cards as mean and hurtful, I see them as a playful way of gaining a new audience. Many parents would love to have their children live with them for as long as possible and the kids know that. By sending these sarcastic cards, it’s just a way for parent and child to share a laugh. It is giving parents another way to connect with their children, something I imagine all parents want to do. In the process, Businessweek gains some new readers, both from an older generation and the millennial generation.

So while mean to some, I applaud these efforts. Way to go Businessweek. 

Can We Get Rid of Stupid Social Posts?

I don’t mean to keep coming back to the Boston Marathon Bombings, but another article in Digiday this past week got me thinking about meaningless social posts such as “Happy Friday” or “Our prayers are with you.”

While I understand the purpose of racking up these posts, such as joining the conversation, getting fans engaged or to show the public you are aware of major stories going in, it truly provides no value to your fans and just clutters up the online space we call social media.

I have said it before and I will say it again, fans follow brands on Facebook to either get discounts or to find sharable content that will make themselves stand out in their group of friends. All of us in the business know the leaps and bounds we have to go through to break through the clutter of all those messages out there. Needless to say, pointless posts like those mentioned above do not go toward discounts and will have no fans sharing, commenting or probably liking. Where is the engagement in that?

Perhaps these posts were the norm when social media was still coming into form. Now, simple-minded tactics like these do not work like they once did. When it comes to holidays, national tragedies, or major events in our society, do not join the conversation unless you have something valuable to share. With Boston, you should have kept quiet unless you were truly affected by the tragedy, know someone who was, or was doing something to make a difference. Same goes other talkable events.

Come one people, let’s graduate to the net level of social media strategy.

Kmart’s Ship My Pants Disrupting the Schema

I may be a little late to the party, but like many other internet users, I too saw the Kmart Ship My Pants video and thought it was a perfect mix of humor, information and marketing. In case you missed it, take a look.

Needless to say, the main reason this video garnered so much attention is because it sounds like “shit my pants.” As a 25-year-old kid, I have no problem with the verbiage. Ask a 65-year-old mother and you may have a different opinion.

However, looking at it through my marketing mind, I couldn’t praise Kmart’s creative and risky spot any more.

Like all marketing, we want people to talk about our products. In addition, we also want to inform the public of new services. This spot does both because it did a terrific job of disrupting the schema of the typical consumer.

What does that mean? Steve Knox, who I believed coined the term, said it best in a 2010 Fast Company article.

“You have many schemas operating at one time,” Knox said. “Here is one that you likely used today: When you got in your car, you had a schema that you would drive on the right-hand side of the road, and the person coming at you would drive on his or her right-hand side. You don't think about it. Your brain simply makes the assumption that this is how the world works.”

But what is someone was driving on the left-hand side of the road? Chances are, you would mention it to the next person you communicated with. Why? It disrupted your schema.

These types of ads are not common in our culture anymore. Some question the tactic, but the good marketers don’t run away from disrupting schemas. They welcome it, just as Bill Kiss, chief digital officer for Sears and Kmart, did for developing this ad.

“I wouldn’t call it hesitation,” said Kiss when asked if he had second thoughts. “I would call it healthy and direct conversation and debate. There was a lot of that. But I’m a marketer at heart so I know that if you really want to disrupt and get the point across, sometimes you need to break some paradigms.” In other words, you need to do something others won’t expect, like driving on the wrong side of the road.

Not that I have started shopping online at Kmart, but I truly applaud their marketing and risky behavior on their Ship My Pants campaign.

A Few Lessons from Mom

Yesterday, we celebrated Mother’s Day, a day to not only recognize the most important person in many peoples’ lives, but a day to look at back at some of the vital lessons our mothers have taught us over the years.

Like many people, I truly believe I have the best mother on earth. Her compassion, love and genuine care for my well-being is unmatched by any mother I have ever met. In addition, she instilled in me important life values that I have lived with, live with today and will hopefully continue to live with for the rest of my life.

Putting Others Before Yourself

Jackie Robinson once said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” That is a terrific quote that far too many people forget. I may be terrific at my job, make lots of money or just live an entertaining life, but if I don’t make a difference in other peoples’ lives, what am I worth? The answer is nothing. My mother demonstrates and masters this rule better than anyone I know. She is not the biggest eater, but she is someone who would give up her first portion before one’s third. With arthritis or a bad shoulder, she is someone who would lift a weight before her ailing son. Fever, cold, flu or whatever, she is someone that would bring soup to those in lesser need. If anyone has an impact on other lives, it is my 

mother.

Understand Others Before You Judge

My mother recently sent a video entitled “This is Water,” which perfectly demonstrates the next lesson my mother emulates. It is a nine-minute video, but well worth your time.

One of the main takeaways from this commencement speech video is that we as human have choices before we judge someone. Even though the person in the front of you at Trader Joe’s may be taking her sweet time, she could have just lost a love one. She could have just saved someone’s life as a doctor hours before. She could be on her last dime in the bank. Or, to be honest, she could be a lazy mother who needs a kick in the ass. Either way, humans should always consider life in the other shoes before judging someone. I don’t always do this (as many don’t I assume), but my mother does. She shows compassion when anger is the typical reaction. She shows understanding when frustration usually boils over. She shows pleasantness even if it isn’t deserved.

For the sake of rambling on, this is where I am going to stop. I could go on and on about the values instilled in me by my mother like the importance of family, try hard, never give up and so on, but I want to invite my readers to share the lessons they have learned from their mothers. Share them in the comment section below or tweet me at @JacobHurwith.

We Are Our Harshest Critics; What’s New?

If you have been anywhere near the Internet lately, you have undoubtedly seen the new Dove ads. In case you missed it, take a quick look.

Not surprisingly, it shows how women portray themselves as uglier versions of who they are. When the artist asks the same questions to their friends, the images come out much brighter than those of the ones self-described.

While I applaud their effort and the connection people may make to Dove products, I don’t understand why these ads are getting this much attention.

Ask any women on earth and they will without question highlight their imperfections before their “beautiful” qualities. Some are rather crazy, like when a 90-IB women calls herself fat, but many others are just harsh critics of themselves. To be honest, I don’t see anything wrong with this.

Focusing on our imperfections makes us try harder. If the woman thinks she is fat, she will be more motivated to exercise and eat right. If a man thinks he is not ready for basketball season, he will go out and play every chance he gets. It is our imperfections, whether they are there or not, that push humans to the limits they can reach. While the same can’t be applied to one’s nose or ears, it can be applied to work life, family life, financial troubles and many others. Our imperfections drive motivation.

Do you agree? What were your first thoughts after you saw the Dove ad?

For a little humor, check out how men chose to describe themselves.