Signs of the times:
- Jeb Bush goes on the offensive, attacking Donald Trump, but does so with a video on the Internet. Trump returns serve via Twitter and Instagram.
- Blue Bell Creameries, founded in 1907, goes all-out on social media to hail the return of Blue Bell Ice Cream to shelves in select markets after a nationwide recall in April due to listeria. For several weeks leading up to the August 31 resumption of deliveries, Blue Bell has been whetting fans’ desire on social media with photos of its ice cream and details about the company’s progress.
- One of the nation’s top college football coaches, Alabama’s Nick Saban, begrudgingly admitted that he’d have to begin tweeting. He called it “a sign of the times” in fact. "I don't really want to [tweet], but I'm probably going to have to," Saban told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum in an interview that the sports leader has been teasing in anticipation of its weekend airing (talk about a company that knows how to re-purpose content). A few years ago Saban vowed never to use social media. His shift likely is a reaction to NCAA rule changes that allow increased contact between coaches and recruits via Twitter direct messages. (Yes, I know, Saban is unlikely to tweet himself; he’ll have a staffer or student do it for him. He can afford such luxuries on his $7 million per year salary.)
These examples of well-established people and companies accepting change led me to think how some of our PR colleagues continue to have to evangelize about the utility of social media to senior executives. I had that experience a few years ago, during a brief break from journalism—and I worked at a well-known technology company.
This ruminating about peoples’ horizons, technological and cultural, led me to the yearly Mindset List that three Beloit College professors publish about the incoming freshman class. While it’s meant to help older professors relate better to college students, it also can be helpful to communications professionals, who may have to reach a younger market and/or work with millennial colleagues.
This year’s full list can be found here, but I’ll share a few examples. One of the most shocking for me is this guidance: “Students heading into their first year of college this year are mostly 18 and were born in 1997.” Can that math be correct?
Each item on the list proper begins with “Since they have been on the planet" and then adds something that those not of the millennial generation might have failed to realize. So, since they have been on the planet..."Hybrid automobiles have always been mass produced.” Some others: “Four foul-mouthed kids have always been playing in South Park.” “Color photos have always adorned the front page of The New York Times.” “The Airport in Washington, D.C., has always been Reagan National Airport.” “Teachers have always had to insist that term papers employ sources in addition to those found online.” “Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have always been members of NATO.” “If you say 'around the turn of the century,' they may well ask you, 'which one?'” And one of my favorites: “Their parents have gone from encouraging them to use the Internet to begging them to get off it.”
The point? Clear communications includes remembering that millennials, and others, might not understand your cultural references. That means we probably need to think at least twice while crafting our messages. Look, if Coach Saban can make adjustments to communicate better, we can, too.
Seth Arenstein is editor of PR News.
@skarenstein
@PRNews