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Alea Fairchild – Strategic Views

Alea Fairchild – Strategic Views

Monthly Archives: July 2015

Private sector steps in where public sector fails

31 Friday Jul 2015

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competition, education, failure, internet access, poverty, remote

Two articles I read this morning really hit home for me on the failures of the public sector.  One on Facebook creating drones for internet access in remote countries  and one about private education in Africa stepping in where government is failing.

The private sector senses opportunity here, and lacks the mandate to have to offer citizens choice and resources as their rights of citizenship.  So citizens may have to give up privacy, data and choice of educational services to get what they should already have access to as a right.  But you can also say that it is good that Zuckerberg and Gates are taking their success and reinvesting to help others.

So why does government fail to do what private sector companies find so easy to accomplish? If education and access to utilities (such as electricity, internet and water) should be basic resources for a citizen in a developed country, why not reinvent the government as a competitor to the private sector? This is instead of having third parties running the show, as The Economist article suggests at the end.  For example, making teaching a decent paid job, yet competitive to get the decent pay.

Can governments be competitors to the private sector?  Might be worthwhile thinking about this…..

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Opening the door to old age

30 Thursday Jul 2015

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marketing, old age, target audience

I had to stop by my doctor’s office yesterday afternoon, and was waiting with a whole truck load of other people for his speaking hours (first come, first serve – something nice in the Benelux to quickly see your GP / physician).   And my doctor is starting his retirement shortly and had posted a notice on the changes in the practice in the waiting room.

What was particularly striking to me was how many older patients he had, as we all started discussing how long we had been with the practice when we were reading the note.  The majority of his patients were well over 50.  And as a marketer, it occurred to me what a vast population of over 50s exist in my geographic area.

But as I said in a previous post, unless you need long term community care, most of the health needs of the 50-65 year old set are not obviously marketed to in Europe.  This is not the “ask your doctor” ads of the US pharma industry, but advice and services for folks who are still working and have viable incomes to pay for services.

Missed opportunity?  I think it is time that we opened the door to old(er) age as a great target audience for services.

 

Methods of communication

25 Saturday Jul 2015

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communication, digital

I really enjoyed this article from Regus this morning, as it is a point I have been making to my clients for quite a while.  I have learned that you have to direct communication to individuals in the manner that they wish to receive it.  And there are some communication issues that have to be done in an analog manner (i.e. giving bad news to someone) for sensitivity and nuance.

Too much communication these days is superficial and impersonal.  In an age where personalization is easier than ever, many do not take the extra step to add value in a message to make it resonate that much more and make it memorable.

 

Establishing your personal digital consumption

24 Friday Jul 2015

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digital diet, personal choices, personal consumption, space

I have been seeing a number of slide decks on the digital economy as of late.  One of them resonated with me but not for the reason the presenter intended.  The deck was from PA Consulting’s Innovation Lab, with a focus on “building your digital business” and discusses all the different “spaces” you can manage, i.e. working space, living space, transit space, etc.

My interpretation of this is more on how we as individual manage our digital consumption.  How and where (and maybe even why?) we consume digital content and when we do not do so.   For example, in your living space, what portion of your space is digital content enabled, and what is not?   In our social space, what portion is digital interaction, and what is good old analog conversations with fellow humans?  What portion of our day is spent with digital commerce, and what portion of it is spent with more offline transactions?

I am starting back to serious training, and now have to go on a MUCH stricter diet.  And for me, the same will be for my digital consumption.  I feel I have lost some of my offline consumption habits in the last few years, and my time off work has shown me what part of my digital diet needs to be cut back for being with real people and interacting with society versus my devices.

As an individual, you have control over your own consumption on the basis of your economic condition.  And in the digital world, this should also hold true based on the decisions you make. Digitally eat well, and avoid the junk!

 

The Lost Demographic…or missed opportunities?

23 Thursday Jul 2015

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baby boomers, consumer goods, demographics, marketing, spend

Today, 11,000 visitors will physically stream into Belgium for Tomorrowland, with many more attending virtually. And as I see all the local marketing efforts towards them, I really start to realize that I am part of the Lost Demographic.

I am at the very end of the Baby Boomers, and a good 15+ years from retirement, but find that my demographic is not interesting to marketers anymore.  I am not retiring, still having my teeth, hair and (somewhat) eyesight.  But going to a weekend festival with a tent is not for me either. I have a decent middle class income, and between myself and my husband, a decent joint income.  But products and services are not customized for my needs, and frequently ignore my existence.

In searching on this topic, I found an interesting Canadian article from 2006 that highlights the issue.   We are somewhat between empty nesters (adults 50+), and  wealthy baby boomers (40-60+).  We do not necessarily have that much disposable income (thank you banking crises), but spend our money on experiences and valuable products/services that are not cheap and flimsy.  We like to be pampered, but disdain ostentatious trappings of wealth.

I see a missed opportunity here for marketers. They forget that the baby boom spanned 18+ years, and assume we are all pining after the same things.  This article calls us “Generation Jones”, and illustrates our feelings that we should be saving for retirement, but with so many current requirements, there’s nothing left over and most of our spend goes to consumer goods.

Any one for a missed opportunity?  😉

 

This morning I finally changed the lightbulb…

19 Sunday Jul 2015

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faith, hope, light

Sounds like a stupid title to a blog post.  But if you realized how long I have been waiting to do that, then you know this is a story of physical recovery and how the brain and the body do not always dance together, but perhaps tango with more flair than we realize.

At the beginning of April, I was told I need a hysterectomy for a very large fibroid in my uterus.  Besides changing a lot of my May/June plans to do this, many of you who know me know I plunged into research on the topic.  What should I know, how do you recovery, when can you do things, etc.  I joined a fantastic group of people in a user community gong through the same thing at the same time (but for many different reasons).  I got lots of answers.   But what I did not get is the harmonization issue that was to occur.

Because I am almost always brain led.  I think, then I do.   In the circumstance, I had to become body led.   My body set the terms and conditions, and I had to follow along at the pace my body was setting.   Although I am an athlete, and I get recovery, specifically non-linear recovery, this was a whole new kettle of fish.

I did what I was told to do in the six week post-operative period, and have gotten to this point without extra infections or complications. I am lucky to have an understanding employer and good colleagues, both of which helped with the recovery to-date. I am lucky to be in a country with a good health care system and choice of medical care.

However, I am at a point now where I want to be back to 100 percent again, and I am not yet there.  That is normal for this kind of surgery.  But once you are back at work, and back amongst the living, your brain assumes all is in order.

So why am I discussing a light bulb?  It blew about a month ago in our living room, right after our cleaning lady (which I finally got one, post-op) went on holiday.  I was unable to reach it or take the ladder to get it, nor could my husband who has medical issues.   So we have been sitting in a darkened room with other lights working, but not the main one.  Our son could not make it over from the other side of the country to do it, so we have been getting by with alternative lighting.

I am on the path to alternatives in my life, and I am learning to accept that things are how they are, and find different ways to accomplish what I want done.  I had bought a new bulb, and was just waiting for more healing so I could take that ladder and really be able to reach the ceiling to change the light.  And I kept waiting.

This is a story about finding alternatives, as well as finding the strength to push through and the patience to wait until the right moment to finally get something accomplished.

But damn it, that light bulb was bugging me.  So this morning, I got the ladder out, reached up and changed the bulb.   And then there was light.  🙂

And then I felt moved enough to write this blog post, hoping to reassure someone else that someday soon, there will be light.

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redefining the personal brand

16 Thursday Jul 2015

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consultants, identity, jobs, personal branding

I am catching up on my networking activities over the summer, and I have to say I see two fundamental shifts on how people brand themselves.

The first shift is away from corporate identity. Even if someone has been a lifer at IBM, their narrative is now away from the brand and holistically on topic for whatever their area of expertise is.

The second shift is the level of independence people are creating from companies. Shifts between corporate engagements are more frequent, and with less concern about spending time in a role.

What this tells me is that we have disengaged from corporate loyalty (given in many cases none was provided to us) and reengaged with “our kind of people” in industry to focus on our own status and place in the industry dialog. The corporate setting becomes just a backdrop to the actual engagement with the industry.

Who I might feel sorry for in this shift are those who believe they have a career path in a corporate setting, not realizing the shift in recognition in the industry for people that make a name for themselves instead of leveraging the company name. You are your own center of expertise, and if you buy into supporting someone else’s center, you can only leverage that so far.

It must be a challenge for HR executives to manage the divas, as there is nothing tying them anymore to a corporate brand. There was a period of time, for example, when a market analyst left one of the big players to set out on their own, only to be later pulled back by the lack of brand acknowledgement of their expertise. Now, staying for any period of time at the major brands is actually a career limiting move.

Is this just the “me” era, or is it really irrelevant who you work for and what you represent as a product or service?

Going back to analog dialog

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

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human element, internships, management

I have been teaching a course on internship dynamics this summer to a group of mainly undergraduates visiting from the US who are working in various internships around Brussels this summer.  These companies range from museums and start-ups through to international organizations and major corporations.

In the midst of our wrap-up discussions yesterday, we got into the subject of organizational design and the use of technology.  In particular, we were discussing task allocation and responsibilities.  We talked about shared resources, e-mail, Skype and other concall approaches.  And then one young woman said it all for me, in that she blurted out: ‘I just want to pick up phone and talk’ (to my boss).

So much of automation has taken the humanization out of the work experience.  Exchanges of documents and data are no substitute for discussion and dialog.  But given time zones and endless meetings, the ability just to sit down and discuss, or schedule a one on one discussion, is very difficult these days.  So you write a mail, or a memo, and many nuances get lost.

Although my generation makes fun of millennials with their phone habits, I fear we are teaching them bad habits by not being there for them to share experience and create a frank and open exchange.  Inspiring the next generation requires us to be a part of the dialog, so we can mutually value each others contributions.

In watching the environment around me, I see the younger workers supporting each other, and not so much of their management being around to guide and support.  Perhaps this is due to the loss of middle management roles as mentors vs. being administrators and professional ‘meeting attendees’.  Most of those I know in middle management are struggling to keep their jobs and focus on improving their visibility/relevance to those above them, not those coming up behind.

Have we gone too digital, in that analog ways are becoming irrelevant?  Just my thoughts after this discussion group…..

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