Why Movements Transcend Marketing in the Longevity Economy
Here's an invaluable lesson to those of us who will be marketing to older consumers, whose worldviews, values, and attitudes have largely been ignored.
Here’s a tale about a young marketer who learned a valuable lesson.
This young man was part of a study abroad program. His group was tasked with presenting on the topic of biodiesel to the CEO of the largest food products company in Malta, the island nation off the coast of Sicily.
The idea was to collect used cooking oil from Malta households and turn it into biodiesel, which could then power Malta's buses and cars in a more environmentally friendly way. The group prepared a PowerPoint presentation to convince the CEO that this was a smart plan to get behind and closed with a slogan for marketing purposes:
Made in Malta.
When they finished, the CEO said, "I love everything you said. Right up until that last slide."
The executive explained that while he understood why they chose Made in Malta, he reminded the students that this wasn’t the United States. That slogan wouldn’t connect with the Maltese people.
"While that idea doesn't carry much meaning with our citizens, there are many things we do care about,” the CEO explained. “Malta has beautiful beaches, stunning views, and 7,000 years of history. Why don't we focus the marketing on preserving Malta's beauty? That message will resonate."
Today, that young man is a marketing professional named Billy Broas. And he credits that moment with teaching him the primary rule of Marketing 101: Know Thy Prospect.
More specifically, Billy realized that crafting messages from your personal point of view can backfire spectacularly if you’re not aligned with your intended audience's worldview, values, and attitudes. Otherwise, you have no idea what to say and how to say it.
This lesson isn’t relegated just to newbie marketers. It’s an invaluable lesson to those of us who will be marketing to older consumers, whose worldviews, values, and attitudes have largely been ignored — until now.
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