Only 29% of Millennials See TV Sets as a Necessity

Especially on the heels of the annual Beloit College Mindset List, which is well-intentioned if largely out-of-touch in trying to track societal changes, I found this article from eMarketer (citing data from Pew Research Center) to be rather interesting.

Through two separate charts, the article conveys what people 18+ view as essential items ("car" topped the list; at bottom "flat screen TV" trailed things like "home computer" and "microwave"; most notable to me was that "landline phone" tops "mobile phone," 62% to 47%) and a bit more compellingly, the differences between Millennials (age 18-29) and Seniors (65+) in which electronics and services they consider necessities.

I'm not too shocked by the large disparities; they seem to fit common assumptions about the older and younger generations. More surprising to me are some of the actual numbers; it seems low that only 59% of Millennials see "Mobile Phone" as a necessity, while 46% of them still value landline phones (I'm well-beyond the demographic and get by just fine with only an iPhone).

And while I know that TV programming can now be watched on computers, cell phones, iPads, etc., I'm amazed that just 29% of Millennials think having a "TV Set" is a necessity and even that barely more than half of Seniors polled think so as well. Aren't they the generation Timothy Leary told to "Turn on, tune in..."? Guess they decided to "drop out" once Reality TV nonsense became the norm.

Latest "Mindset List" Seems Terribly Out of Touch

This week, Beloit College put out its annual Mindset List that supposedly gives insight into the worldview of the incoming class of 2014.

Although in the past, I've found the list to be rather intriguing, this year it seems pretty tame, even lame.

On my personal blog, Seth Saith, I wrote a long piece pointing out some of the list's flaws and providing my own list of factoids that I believe are a bit more compelling. As this certainly pertains to marketing, trends and the like, I thought I would share it here.

http://sethsaith.blogspot.com/2010/08/latest-mindset-list-seems-terribly-out.html

Recommended Viewing on Netflix

Back in May, I wrote and posted a piece about the success of Netflix and how I was enjoying their service, particularly the instant streaming movies, to the point of canceling all of my premium cable movie channels. The company recently announced very strong Q2 earnings, while Blockbuster Video continues to sink, but rather than revisiting the same old story, I am relaying some shrewd insight into one of Netflix' key methodologies, provided by a networking acquaintance with expertise in analytics.

Although most of my Netflix viewing selections have been either acclaimed/popular films I missed in theaters or those recommended through a Film Discussion Meetup I attend each month, one of the things that makes Netflix well-beloved by many is its recommendations based on one's past viewing habits and personal movie ratings.

As some have noted, Netflix can seem amazingly accurate in predicting what its users might like to watch and what they will enjoy. This prescience is no accident, nor is it merely based on suggesting movies with similar themes, directors or actors.

Recently, an associate of mine named Meta Brown, whose experience & expertise is in the field of analytics (and the marketing thereof), put together a very informative video about how Netflix offers up customized and largely on-target viewing selections to each of its millions of users. With her permission, I have posted Meta's video below and those interested are welcome to connect through her LinkedIn page or the contact information provided in the video itself.

And next time Netflix recommends you watch movies as seemingly disparate as Citizen Kane, National Lampoon's Vacation and The Blind Side, you'll at least have some idea as to why. 

125,000,000 Facebook Users Can't Be Wrong (at least not all of them)

I came across a few interesting stories and statistics about Facebook usage today.

The first, published by eMarketer, notes how people of different ages and ethnicities vary in their frequency of Facebook use. While it's not surprising to learn that people from 18-34 spend the most time on the site--in average number of hours per week and in the percentage on Facebook of total weekly time online--it was a bit eye opening to me that Facebook users over age 55 spend more than 4-1/2 hours per week on site.

The same article also reveals that of U.S. internet users, Asians spend the most time on Facebook, followed by Blacks, Whites and Hispanics, and that individuals with incomes over $100K spend the highest percentage of their total time online on Facebook.

A previous article by eMarketer showed statistics indicating that individuals who utilize Facebook most heavily are also tend to be those who spend the most money online. The top 20% of Facebook users spent an average of $67 in online shopping during the 1st quarter of 2010, while Internet users who did not visit Facebook at all bought significantly less online than average, spending only $27 during the quarter. 

I guess this is why everyone is trying to establish a marketing presence on Facebook, although I worry about the signal-to-noise ratio once it becomes commonplace for companies to send out commercial messages on Facebook. 

But as another article I saw today--this one by MarketingCharts.com--indicates, although Facebook usage was off a bit in June, both in the number of new users added and activity by the site's prime 18-44 demographic, there are now 125,000,000 active Facebook users in the United States--50% of whom log on in any given day. (The U.S. population is approximately 307 million people.) An estimated 400 million people worldwide are active Facebook users.

This is pretty staggering, and if indeed accurate, means that about 20% of the U.S. Population, across all ages, uses Facebook on a daily basis and almost 41% uses it regularly.

In recent months, there have been issues raised about Facebook's seemingly perpetually-changing privacy policy, which this Newsweek article by Daniel Lyons suggests is misguided and aimed to leverage user data for commercial profitability. There were stories about how people were threatening to stop using Facebook, but none of my 118 Friends dropped off and although I'm sure Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg and crew have noted the June decline, I don't think they have too much to worry about just yet.

An Uplifting Moment...and Metaphor

As I presume everyone knows by now, the United States won their World Cup game against Algeria in the closing minutes on Wednesday, earning the right to advance to the next round.

Up to that point, the US team that was predicted to get past the Group Stage was teetering on the brink of elimination and great disappointment, despite suffering no losses in their first two games and being tied in their third.

Adding to the sense of frustration was that midway through the match, the US seemingly scored a goal, which was disallowed because the scoring player was deemed offside. The announcers instantly stated--and a replay showed--that the call was erroneous, as seemingly was the one that took away the Americans chance to win their last game against Slovenia.

But after playing a scoreless tie through the 90 minutes of regulation, longtime US star Landon Donovan scored the game winner during "extra time" on a rebound goal. In an instant, the US went from utter dejection to winning the game and also topping their 4-team group (from which the top two teams advance, England being the other). 

As I am not currently working, I was able to watch the game and to see the US win it in that fashion really made me feel good. Not just because the US won--although I am a proud American, I'm really adverse to overt "USA! USA!" fanaticism--but because justice seemed to be served and perseverance paid off.

And, although perhaps this only holds up only in my head, the game seemed to be a metaphor for what I'm going through as a job seeker. I've been out of work, at least in terms of a full-time job, for over a year, and though I try to stay philosophical and realize that many people have things much worse than I do, it certainly can get frustrating.

After being laid off from a job in which I received nothing but high praise for the quality and impact of my work, I've had a really tough time enticing another employer to utilize my talents (as a copywriter, creative director, etc). And when I did recently land what was supposed to be a 4-month contract assignment, it was shelved after only two weeks.

So like the US soccer team, I'd imagine, I've felt a bit snakebit. But I'm continuing to stay positive and do the right things, and I've actually been getting some calls from staffing firms about possible assignments. We'll see what comes to fruition, but as Landon Donovan and the US team proved, if you keep pushing and don't give up, great things can happen.

It only takes a moment (as the song, from Hello Dolly, goes).

A Unique Way of Earning My Business

I don't know the first thing about auto repair and am about as far from "handy" as one can get.

Thus, I am always at the mercy of auto mechanics when it comes to keeping my car in running order, and pretty much wind up paying to fix whatever I'm told is needed, whether or not it could be done elsewhere for $500 less or not done at all without jeopardizing drive-ability or safety for another 30,000 miles.

As I have owned only 4 cars in my driving-age lifetime and have driven each for close to or well over 100,000 miles, I think I have done a pretty good job of keeping my cars maintained and don't feel that I've been too egregiously bilked by mechanics.

But as an auto repair idiot, it is often a bit uncomfortable taking my car in for service when it runs beyond the manufacturer's warranty. I realize that high-mileage vehicles will invariably need to have some work done, but per my level of comprehension, mechanics could literally speak Japanese to me, write down a dollar figure of any amount and, should I give a look of incredulity, add an exclamation mark to signify the importance that the repair be done right then and there--and I pretty much will say "go ahead."

Just last November, I paid about $1,600 to have my 2004 Dodge Stratus repaired, and I couldn't even tell you what was done. Anything under the hood beyond the engine, transmission and radiator is all a mass of confusion to me, where it seems that $20 parts require $1,000 in labor to replace.

Part of the problem is that I've never found one mechanic that I completely trust and depend on. Whether because I have moved, or have chosen the garage most convenient for getting repairs done during a workday, or have been (sometimes temporarily) convinced of the superiority of new car dealership service centers, I have tended to switch between Firestone repair centers, dealer mechanics and local gas station garages.

I cannot say that I know that any of these places has done me terribly wrong, but I am also not certain that they haven't.

Which brings me to a couple of unusual experiences of late at Wil-Ridge Auto Service in Evanston, IL. It is too soon to say that Wil-Ridge is completely phenomenal--though the few online reviews I've seen have been quite glowing--but I've been extremely impressed so far with what they haven't done.

The other day, I was alerted that my passenger-side brake light wasn't working. I'd never been to Wil-Ridge before, but they are close to where I currently live--and convenience to work isn't a consideration at the moment--so I called and they said bring it in.

I did, and although their parking lot was completely full, less than 20 minutes later, my car was ready and the cost was a whopping sum of $5.

"You're used to _____ Dodge prices," said John, the owner, when I looked amazed. And while I don't feel a need to specifically disparage the Dodge dealership I've recently been using for service, they had charged me $30 to replace a brake light.

So when John suggested that I should bring my car in one morning to have the exhaust checked because he was concerned with the way it sounded, I took him at his word.

This morning I took it in and although I should've gotten there earlier than the 8:15 the I did, within a half-hour, it was ready. No repair, no $100 fee just for checking it, only that I should listen for the exhaust getting louder, as that would signify an urgency for getting it fixed. But for now, it was drivable without worry.

John very easily could have said--as other mechanics would have--that I should get it fixed then and there. And while funds are tight, I would've pulled out my credit card and done it.

But when I asked him when it should be done, noting that I wasn't currently employed, he said that I should monitor it and come back when I could better afford the $560 it would cost. No scare tactics; in fact, if anything, his lack of "get the sale" urgency was a bit off-putting as I was unsure when I should plan to return.

Yes, I realize, the lack of tactics could be a tactic in itself. But I prefer to trust people, even auto mechanics, and seeing how I could've already paid $120 more than I did for what he'd done to date, and just about anything he asked today, I'll be happy to go back to him when the exhaust--and just about anything else--needs fixing.

In this day and age, when seemingly every business in the world is trying--albeit usually without much imagination--to get business through Facebook, Twitter and the magical, mystical world of social media, companies of all types can take a cue from Wil-Ridge Auto Service and realize that the best way to engender customer loyalty and good word-of-mouth--even via social media, such as this blog--is to just treat people decently.

Exceeding expectations is sometimes only a matter of doing what is unexpected.

Aon Aims To Increase Global Goals with Man U Sponsorship

I guess it was actually announced about a year ago, but a story just last week in the Chicago Tribune revealed to me that Chicago-based insurance giant Aon will replace disgraced insurance giant AIG as the primary sponsor of English soccer behemoth Manchester United.

Although the image above is just a rendering, created by Zoran and showcased on his Football Kits Design blog, the Aon logo will become the main imprint on Man U's uniform (or "kit" as per the Brits).

Although Man U won three English Premier League championships and one Champions League title in the four years of AIG's sponsorship, repercussions from revelations about AIG's derivatives trading--including its need for a $180 billion federal bailout--precluded the New York-based insurer from renewing its agreement.

After Manchester United--itself embroiled in a bit of controversy ever since American billionaire and Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer bought the team in 2005--sent out a sales pitch to possible successors, Aon, led by CEO Greg Case, decided to pony up $80 million for the 4-year rights (the Tribune article says $80 million, but this Telegraph article from June 2009 says 80 million British Pounds, which today equals about $116 million).

If this isn't the largest soccer shirt deal ever, it's certainly well up there. Though it sure sounds like a lot of money in the midst of a recession, according to the Tribune's Greg Burns, Aon had both the money and incentive. "Having jettisoned low-margin underwriting for more profitable reinsurance, the company wants global clients to view it as a broad-based professional-services consultancy."

I won't pretend to know much about the global insurance industry, or English soccer for that matter, but it seems like a pretty good investment to me. Consider these factoids, from the Tribune article, the Telegraph article and an Aon website about the new partnership, which officially begins on June 1 although the new jersey won't debut until after the World Cup ends in July:

• Manchester United is the #1 brand in the #1 sport in the world
• 333 million fans worldwide follow Manchester United, which claims to have 6 times more fans in India than the UK
• The Manchester United web site has 60 million web page impressions per month — 70% outside of UK 
• In 2009, Man U sold more than triple the sales of all NFL jerseys combines
• Approximately 6.6 million Man U shirts are sold each year (official/non-official).
• After one year's sponsorship of Manchester United, the AIG brand was entered as the 47th most recognized brand in a survey of globally recognized brands
• AIG then jumped from 84 to 30 on Barron's most respected list

So not only does Aon get its logo seen by millions of "football" fans worldwide, they also get over 6 million "walking billboards." Yes, the expense seems a bit daring, but the exposure should be tremendous.

For a company that made $7.5 billion dollars last year (ranking #298 on the Fortune 500), but has considerable room to grow, putting itself top of mind--and front of chest--to Man U, its millions of supporters and myriad other observers seems like a shrewd way to get a real worldwide "kick."