Marketing Workforce Learning to a Multigenerational Audience

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Marketing Workforce Learning toa
Multi-generational Audience

• UCEA, January, 2008
• Judith Tavano, M.A., SPHR
• University of Arkansas
• College of Education Health Professions
• jtavano_at_uark.edu

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Questions to be answered

• Who is our audience, and why are they buying (or
  not buying) workforce learning/continuing
  education?
• What is workforce learning/continuing eds brand
  promise?
• How are individuals attracted to buy workforce
  learning/continuing ed?

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and ultimately

• How can we best fit
• workforce learning/continuing eds brand
  promise
• to the buying preferences of individuals
  especially those within certain age cohorts?

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A starting place

• Who is attending your programs now?
• over 60 years old
• mid 40s to early 60s
• late 20s to early 40s
• under 29 years old
• NOTE Age discrimination disclaimer

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Workplace demographics
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Why do people go back to school?

• Continuing education is a strong priority for
  Baby Boomers as a means to keep current
• (www.bizsum.com).

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2006 Capella University Study (http//www.educait
onforadults.com)

• 81 - personal accomplishment
• 78 - learning things of interest
• 71 - possible higher salary
• 65 - to change careers
• 58 - to be better role model to kids
• 55 - better performance on job
• Other
• Starting new company
• Increased respect (job, friends, family)
• Advancement
• Being positive influence in community
• Overcome disadvantage

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It is the pledge wemake to everyone about what
they will experience when they do business with
us (http//cardinalhealth.com)
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Workplace Demographics (Strategic Driver)
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Some grounding

• The theory
• Zeitgeist
• A shared sense of time
• Creation of common values
• Currently 1/3 of all adults are Boomers
• By 2020 20 of Americans will be over 65 years
  old
• By 2020 47 of Americans will be over 50 years
  old (http//www.bgassociates.com)

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Generational workplace attitudes/behaviors
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What is this telling us?????? What is the new
paradigm when each is looking for
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To keep the Boomers coming back

• Look at what has worked in the past it was the
  Boomers who were buying it.
• But add the new twist BBs are returning to
  education to KEEP UP, to look good (still), and
  stay young
• Boomers want to be stars certificates on the
  wall shine
• Tone meditative and principled w/undertone of
  pessimism (Nichols, 2005)

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More BB

• Remember BBs live to work.
• (www.bgassociates.com)
• BBs resonate with marketing messages that help
  them process their lives.
• BBs more concerned with relevance legacy.
• BBs need to be engaged in a personal profound
  way depicted as active, energetic engaged.
• Boomers see themselves as younger than they are

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Boomers v. youngers (Forrester, 2005)
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To draw in Xers

• Tone blunt and kenetic, with appeal to brash
  survivalism (http//napco.com).
• Tell them everything they need to know, but do
  not require them to read too much.
• They want to carefully evaluate choices reach
  own purchasing decisions (www.brandchannel.com).
• They want increased marketability. Not stars on
  the wall. They do not want to be part of teams.
• They are likely to episodic learners (Tavano,
  2007)
• Xs work to live.

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Gen X or YIFFIES -Young Individualistic
Freedom-minded Few (www.allbusiness.com)

• The way to get to target Gen X is to try to
  convince them other Gen Xers are doing the same
  thing Give them something to belong to
  (Frankel, The Revenge of Brand X).
• More interested in accumulation of experiences
  than of tangible goods
• Hint X helped to build small, local metro
  newspapers whose content if heavily ladened with
  entertainment guides, movies personal ads
  (www.allbusiness.com)

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To catch an X..

• All you have to do is find a straight forward,
• no frills, unselfconscious way
• to tell Gen X consumersabout
• your super-functional, totally practical yet
  mildly indulgent and greatly affordable product
• in a way that acknowledges their savvy
  understanding of advertising, and also
• make sure the message is
• gender neutral, culturally sensitive and
  environmentally friendly
• (New York Times, quoted www.allbusiness.com/market
  ing)

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What about Y?

• Y is 3x the size of X and there has been a shift
  in values on the part of gen Y consumers
  (www.businessweek.com).
• Y is looking for purpose.
• Gen Ys are digital natives.
• Use media more fluidly and less compartmentally
• Internet is the medium from which all other media
  decisions are made (www.imediaconnection.com)
• Smart marketers are thinking about being the
  brand Gen Y thinks of 5 years from now.

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To draw Y in

• Embrace social marketing advertising may draw
  them in social marketing will earn their trust
  (Forrester, 2005).

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Did we answer?

• How can we best fit workforce learning/continuing
  eds brand promise to the buying preferences of
  individuals especially those within certain age
  cohorts?
• For more information jtavano_at_uark.edu