B2B Customers of the Future — Now Being Programmed
One of the things I pay quite a bit of attention to — but don’t write about much — is how my eleven-year old son is marketed to by companies and how he interacts with technology.
I find both very interesting. In fact, as I write this he’s sitting in the living room with iPod buds in his ears and playing a game on his Wii. Every so often his phone trills with another text from a friend.
B2B marketers and gurus (I’m one) spend a great deal of time debating how to reach prospects and buyers:
How we market to people within corporations is changing due to social media, blogs, and technology like iPods and smart phones.
Many things still remain the same with marketing, however: companies still push out brochures, exhibit at tradeshows and fly salespeople around the world in order to meet with clients.
But, as I watch my son, I can see that *big* change is coming — simply because of how he’s being programmed to communicate with his peers.
One his favorite shows, for example, is iCarly (it’s actually one of my favorites, too). The premise is pretty basic: three kids in middle school start a Web show that becomes instantly famous.
But what I love about it is that real kids (TV viewers) from all over the U.S. can send in their own videos, some of which make it to the iCarly Website or even the TV show. (Be sure to take a look at the site — it is awesome!)
So, in addition to talking to his friends via Webcam and Skype, text messages, and even the Nintendo DS (who knew they could actually *talk* to each other through the thing?!), my son is now begging me to make a video that he can upload to YouTube. (The answer? NO.)
What also fascinates me is that he is *constantly* coming up with ideas for new businesses. Whereas when we were kids we had pet sitting businesses or we babysat, kids today have so much technology at their disposal, they can create anything at the drop of a hat — and be quite successful at it.
When these kids grow up, they won’t want to work at a company that can’t deal with technology in all of its *social* implications.
No, they will be so technology savvy they’ll either start their own companies or will only work for those companies who “get” it — and I don’t mean lava lamps and bean bag chairs.
Which means that as marketers, we need to know more than how to navigate our way around Facebook or blogs.
What it really means is that we need to understand that marketing — at least for kids — has become seamless.
My son sees no delineation between technology, media, and advertising — they are all one and the same. And the fact that his Nintendo DS lets him talk to his friend without having to use a telephone is a fact of life — not a marvel.
Do you agree or disagree?
August 30th, 2008 at 9:32 am
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August 30th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Meanwhile, you have a great blog, would love to see you on my front page! Re the above post, I try to avoid my children (young as they are) being exposed to adverts. They are the devils work
(jesting of course)
September 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Kids interacting with TV, games, etc is going to get wild. There’s so much opportunity to involve creativity and input.. and connect with all kinds of “micro-audiences.” It’s mind boggling, really. I suppose the roots come from shows like The Electric Company (1970’s) where kids were shouting answers at the screen. Crashbox on HBO is like that nowadays… but with lots of jump-cut craziness. Some very different creatures are going to emerge from the new media landscape. Evolution marches on.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I have been struggling with this issue for a while now. Much of my industry is still ‘old guard’ and stodgy who don’t use/understand/care about these tools, so marketing to them with social media is a waste of time. When the new managers come in, I want to be ready with the full social media package- but where do I get the practice and testing? Much of the B2B social media buzz is in technology, marketing, news or fashion. What about industries like manufacturing, construction, lab sciences, warehousing or engineering? Does anyone have any experience in these areas? I feel as if- BONK- the *big* change Dianna mentions will happen almost overnight.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Phil, I used to watch the Electric Company! Wow. E — I don’t know what the answer is because I’m in the trenches with you. The industries you mentioned aren’t yet ready for the changes social media is bringing about.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
For sure, I think this trend will help develop a more fluid sort of creativity for this younger generation – something our country really needs in all areas, especially engineering and manufacturing, the arena I’m involved in.
However, reaching this younger generation is going to get more and more complex and I’m glad I’ll probably be sailing in the sunset by that time, because it’s overwhelming to think about what marketing will look like then!
In today’s terms, buyers/consumers are accessing different venues for information – but, in my opinion, what still drives purchases are companies that are well-branded. Even if you’re propogating your company name with major Google ad words, consumers still tend to click on companies they at least kind of know, trust and can depend on as go-to resources.
How to build all of that? Consumers are in the “instant gratification” mode all the time, and they want education/info spoon-fed to them to avoid wasted time. Suppliers who educate (through webinars, eBooks, white papers – & don’t forget about print advertising, which is still one of the top three marketing venues that build brand) and make it easy for consumers to get the critical info they need, will win and keep the business.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:24 am
Hi Dianna,
I had to laugh when I received this email, as just the other day I was watching iCarly with my daughter and connected the extent of marketing opportunities with the show. We watch the show daily and the one in particular that stood out to me was the episode with sports shoes that included ‘WiFi’ and many other ‘useful’ tools. The show was hilarious in how the iCarly used her Web show to tout about the shoes (speaker endorsement) and then realizing the shoes were horrible, used her show to discount the shoes and ‘win’ back her audience.”What power!” Is what I thought and how amazing technology is changing everything we know about marketing right before our eyes.
Thanks for sharing your insight on this show, it made me realize that I’m not alone in my observations.
Joyce Foster
September 21st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Liz — Thank you for stopping by and giving us your seasoned insight. It is spot on and people should read it carefully.
Joyce — I love that iCarly episode and like you was amazed at how they used the iCarly web show to talk about marketing, product endorsement and maintaining trust with one’s audience.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
[...] is a fact of life — Howard also pointed out something I’ve already observed; namely, B2B’s customers of the future are growing up in our own living rooms. My 11-year old son cannot imagine life without the Internet (and in fact, the biggest threat I can [...]