Ever wake up one morning and realize a whole bunch of young whipper-snappers are trying to use the world Boomer as an insult and refer to a person not worth listening too?
Permit me to laugh hysterically.
I mean… seriously.
Boomers, by definition, are folks still alive who have not been killed off by teenager stupidity.
That by itself is worthy of praise.
Now, sure, there’s lots of other reasons why boomers might still be alive for all the wrong reasons (aka amoral wastes of oxygen, rich folk who have never had to live a day in the inner cities, and a whole bunch of other thingees as well).
But flap my earlobes and call me Dumbo – the sheer inanity of judging if someone is worthwhile listening to simply because of their excess years (years that were spent actually *learning* how to survive, co-exist, and even use diversity as an inclusive concept instead of getting rid of everyone you have a disagreement with)….
Just… *wow*.
Personally, I myself have zero desire to talk to teens unless they show they are capable of listening respectfully and engaging with calmness.
I suppose teens feel the same way about boomers, and I agree – no matter what age, respect goes a loooong way for communications.
But I digress.
Points mentioned include:
Make no assumptions – The meme has evolved from the fact that young people feel they’re not being listened to or taken seriously. (well duh, if solutions proposed have no basis in reality, gnope – ain’t no seriousness there)
Embrace feedback – Definitely yes. The fact that 2 folk might communicate differently should NOT result in an uncrossable chasm – it should result in both sides *understanding* from where the other is coming from.
Not necessarily agreeing mind you, but communication rocks.
Don’t take yourself too seriously – Oh so much YES. Being able to laugh at yourself is a great sign of being approachable and being willing to listen to other seemingly odd suggestions. Laughter (even if its good-natured laughter at your expense) can really help lessen tensions.
Teaching marketers to talk to teens can also be a grand subject for a new blueprint like so:
Step 1.) Understand how teens communicate
Step 2.) See how you can create a middle ground
Step 3.) Build up know, like and trust… and then pitch.
Resources for the above include:
www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/generational-marketing-tactics
www.searchenginejournal.com/marketing-to-gen-z/471784/
Your takeaway?
If you’re a Boomer, be proud of it. You probably survived 7 shades of hell.
And if you want to market to those who are mocking you with the word Boomer, well, chances are… they do have (their parent’s) money…. so why not?
Enjoy!
Get Started Here
You’ll love what you learn… Promise!