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October 27, 2004
“Trick or Treat!” say 70% of your young employees
My communication philosophy is simple: The better you understand your organization’s employees, the more effectively you can communicate with them. The good news is that insights about employees’ interests, needs and preferences can be found nearly everywhere.
Even in a pumpkin patch.
Just by driving down your street and looking at all the ghosts hanging in the trees and pumpkins sitting on stoops, I’m sure you’ve noticed how Halloween has become a phenomenon in the United States. Retail spending for the holiday is expected to reach $3.1 billion this year (up from less than $3 billion in 2003), according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).
But what you may not realize is how much this phenomenon is fueled not by children, but by young adults. The NRF reports that nearly 70% of adults ages 18 to 34 expect to celebrate Halloween in costume or at a party. “We’re seeing more adults drive it,” NRF spokeswoman Ellen Tolley said in an October 24 article in USA Today. “Young adults grew up with Halloween and they don’t want to let go of it. They want to make it their own and take it to a new level. They view it as an annual opportunity to act like a kid.”
What does this mean? Young working people are much more in touch with their own need for fun than those stodgy, earnest Baby Boomers who now dominate senior leader and manager levels. Generations X and Y are very aware of the need to actually achieve a balance between their personal and professional sides, and they are willing to work to play—including dressing up in costume, going to a party, and making their front yard look like a graveyard.
Here’s the question: In your efforts to communicate seriously, have you abandoned the fun stuff—the content that your younger workers would especially find appealing? You don’t have to sprinkle your communication with images of witches and werewolves, but where is the whimsy in what you’re communicating?
As always, your comments are appreciated. Happy Halloween!
Posted by Alison Davis at October 27, 2004 08:10 AM
Comments
Alison: So what are you dressing up as this Halloween? :+)
Posted by: Ellen Resnick at October 27, 2004 04:40 PM