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Recently I read that American consumers may be exposed to up to 3,000 advertisements per day on average.  It’s no wonder why society has become “ad numb.”  And the less responsive we get the more intrusive some advertisers have become.

How these brands get your information and how they choose to use it is inconsequential.  Because to them you are just another name on their list, an insignificant player in their CPM model… and they are always looking for a bigger M and lower C.  It’s a numbers game pure and simple… and you are the target.

These out-of-date strategies are leading to many missed opportunities.  With mass media making the transition to “my media” effective brands understand that their customers have more control than ever before and are embracing every opportunity to empower free interaction with the brand.  In doing so, they are establishing trust that builds to loyalty and ultimately creates community.

This is the Affinity Brand approach.  Communicating in ways that call for engagement, not simply access

Of course you are now asking yourself, am I old?   Society tells us that no one should want to be old.  Some say it’s a state of mind.  While we can’t rush experience (or time) we tend to equate the aging process with potentially being out of touch with modern methods.  My question is does it have to be this way, and will it continue to be this way?  There is certainly a blending of marketing demographics (especially age groupings) that is now occurring in society.

References to a new Generation that is ageless, where attitude and state of mind or more important that years, speaks to accelerated blending of traditional demographics.  Some would argue that limited access to information and experiences has previously prevented older people in our society from being connected via modern methods.  But technology has changed this: has it not?  The world wide web continues to be a force in the redistribution of wealth (i.e. knowledge is wealth).

I’ve had fresh insight as to what this means these past weeks as I have witnessed key individuals retire from several organizations (Brands) that we service and represent.  As these leaders are now being replaced, I sense an awareness to the fact that a new generation of leadership has a higher probability of remaining connected, informed, with continual experiences that are relevant to modern methods, than the generation before them.  This insight has made me very hopeful as to what this means for the future of the great brands that we serve.  Extensive life experiences fueled by modern methods such as new technology and social networking is a powerful formula that cannot be replicated without the valued elements of time and experience.

The bottom line is this; many organizations in the marketplace are now struggling, and for some of those, aging leadership is out of touch with modern methods (i.e. advancing technology and communications methods).   Leadership that is disconnected from modern methods that hold the key to accessing valuable information about relative issues is unacceptable.  It is not just about what you know, it’s about  how you engage and connect with your constituents and customers that results in measurable information that can be acted upon (quickly).

So, are you connected and exercising modern methods in your leadership efforts?  If so, for several generations to come - you are IT!