Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

Important Read!

Working with young adults in the Roanoke and New River Valleys, I have come to realize the critical role youth play in changing marketing strategies.  One instance of this is Viral Marketing as noted by Stuart Mease in his blog Connecting People.  Today's youth and young adults are forming the marketing trends of the future.  They are driving up the importance of social media - blogs, video, podcasts and social networking.

Mark Federman, summarized in his talk, Generation Gap: Why Today's Youth are Living in Tomorrow's World "We are now facing a generation gap of historic proportion, the nature of which has only been seen twice before in 3000 years. It almost goes without saying that every aspect of our society is changing in profound ways, including business and how we manage and structure organizations."

According to a recent Label Networks survey, 84.3% of 13-24 year-olds read blogs. Tweens use IM as much as 20-somethings speak on the phone. It's clear there is a lot of action in the digital space, and youth are the ones driving it. 

Fleishman-Hillard Inc., a leading global communications consultancy has launched a new Group - Next Best Thing (www.nextgreatthing.com) to track and stay ahead of the youth vanguard for the digital future.  They will focus on global shifts in culture, communications and demographics.  This marketing group is responsible for preparing the agency and its clients to better understand and embrace the new media paradigm straddling the online, offline and wireless worlds of today's consumers.  Their blog/website will be a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in how today's youth are revolutionizing communications.  Read more about Fleishman-Hillard's Agency Blogs About What's Next.

Marketing is not just about gaining exposure in traditional media. Marketing in 2007 and the future requires an Integrated Marketing Strategy, one that analyzes all media to design the ideal combination of tools (TV, radio, print, search engine optimization, social media and online marketing) needed to accomplish the client’s goals.

Tags: youth, integrated marketing strategy, marketing, social media