Posts Tagged ‘Children’

March 11, 2013 – Digit #3

Just when more Americans are thinking like directors and demanding creative control over their own lives, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer issues a derrières-in-chairs proclamation sparking a culture-wide debate. The furor is no surprise to us: we see having options (or not) as such a critical motivator that we’re describing consumer behavior and just about everything through the lens of “life in the O-Zone” (as we’ve dubbed it for options/opportunity/outlook).

Following Yahoo’s declaration, the Twitter-verse buzzed with comments – from men as well as women.  This, from Richard Branson, who knows something about creativity, productivity and freedom:

 

 

 

Lisa Belkin, Huffington Post’s work/family editor agrees that Yahoo’s memo sounds like “40 years ago, when work and home were separate realms and workers had the luxury of taking care of one at a time”…or “20 years ago when the tools of work were all in the office…with the cord that didn’t reach beyond the cubicle wall.” Some business leaders, such as Tony Hsieh of Zappos did share Yahoo’s view.

In our post-Great Recession world, “the richer life” has become standard op.  At its heart is a revised sense of what matters – and the ability to have options (tech assisted) to create the personalized life we want: the design-it-yourself life.

And what does matter now?

Child-centeredness… what’s “important to my definition of success”:

“being a good parent”	74%
“raising happy children”	71%

Creative-mindedness… it’s revealing that creative factors rank at the top for what’s important to prepare children for the good life in the future:

“the capacity to think independently”	88%
“ability to think, work and live creatively”	83%

Now that the good life is no longer one-size-fits-all but more personally defined, it’s no wonder that the removal of options ignites conversation…even pushback.

Business Implication: More than ever, your consumers are taking a creative view toward their own lives.  Does your brand help them take control, navigate options to design their best life in the O-Zone?