On June 11th, Brainstorm Principal Jim Wolfe will conduct a presentation for university admissions professionals at the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP) 2007 North American convention held at Biola University in Southern California. The session will focus on Web 2.0 and the cultural implications of online social networking when marketing to GenMe individuals.

“This presentation has been in great demand primarily because institutions and corporations alike are becoming increasingly aware of the potential dangers and opportunities of the social networking phenomenon,” according to Wolfe.

Admissions professionals will learn how to leverage Web 2.0 techniques and engage with this illusive demographic.

For an in-depth exploration of how Web 2.0 can affect your enterprise, contact Brainstorm. For a download sample of the Brainstorm higher education presentation, click here:

Brainstorm Web 2.0 | 52KB pdf

Mixed-Up Media

Newspaper and magazine subscriptions are down; radio markets are splintered by satellite radio, mp3 players and iTunes; television is diluted by its many factions.

Consumers in certain demographics are leaving traditional media in droves. Some, like those from Generation Me (born after 1970), never embraced it to begin with.

Marketing today is in a transitional time where businesses often need to create different campaigns or adapt existing ones to target multiple audiences who prefer to be communicated with in very different manners.

Targeted and Integrated

To reach GenMe individuals, your integrated marketing campaign should be a mix of digital (website, email newsletter, blog) and non-traditional marketing that uses existing social networks (viral, guerrilla, YouTube, etc.) to create publicity and word of mouth (WOM) buzz about your product or service, and ultimately demand for it.

However, the rest of your target market may still respond only to traditional print and broadcast communications.

With proper planning, strategic thinking, and creative execution, brand messages and benefits can be delivered successfully to all segments.

Image source: Gabriel Passarelli

Second Life—the self-described 3-dimensional online digital world imagined, created, and owned by its residents—is a community in nearly every sense of the word.

With the addition of an estimated 20,000 residents a day, Second Life is booming. Measured in Linden dollars, its virtual economy— up more than nine times in the last year—would be one of the fastest growing in the real world.

Think only GenMe millenials hang out in virtual worlds? Think again. As the pie chart shows, about one-third, or over one million of January’s 3.1 million participants are 35 and older; nearly 360,000 of them are over 45.

The following figures are taken from Second Life Statistics* for January 2007:

• Virtual Economy: The number of user-to-user transactions increased 37% to 6.1 billion
• Virtual Area: Land mass expanded 23% to 361 square kilometers
• Real Time: Logged user hours increased 47% from 7.3 million the previous month to 10.8 million
• Real Trade: Buyers and sellers traded goods and services worth just under USD $5 million
• Real Citizens:
  United States 31%
  France 12%
  Germany 10%
  United Kingdom 8%
  Netherlands 6%

Fortune reports many large corporations are investing a portion of their 2007 budget on marketing in Second Life. IBM holds meetings there.

Still think it’s a virtual world?

*Source: Second Life.

On April 13th, Brainstorm Principal Jim Wolfe will meet with university advancement professionals from across Indiana at I-CASE to discuss Web 2.0 and the cultural implications of online social networking when marketing to GenMe individuals.

“This presentation has been in great demand primarily because institutions and corporations alike are becoming increasingly aware of the potential dangers and opportunities of the social networking phenomenon.”

According to Wolfe, those charged with advancing electronic design and marketing communications are keen to learn all they can, and every industry can benefit from this knowledge.

For an in-depth exploration of how Web 2.0 can affect your enterprise, contact Brainstorm. For a download sample of the Brainstorm higher education presentation, click here:

Brainstorm Web 2.0 | 52KB pdf

Choices abound in this market-driven culture. Organizations—companies and institutions of higher education—spend large amounts of time and money developing brands, inventing products, creating programs, and looking for the next killer app. It can all unravel if the client, student, or customer is not cared for.

As technology becomes even more pervasive, maintaining personal relationships is even more critical. To achieve the best results, make sure you’re coupling strategic branding campaigns and marketing initiatives with a company-wide attitude of superb customer care that reaches every touchpoint.