Your teenager might disagree with that statement.  Maybe it’s because I’m almost the father of a teenager but I have a new pet peeve; Marketers who talk about how today’s consumers are more savvy, or somehow smarter or better educated, than previous consumers.  Yes they have been raised in a technology rich environment but that does not make them smarter.  In my experience Baby boomer’s like the generation before them are just skeptical and cautious.  In some ways this makes them more ’savvy’ than their children and grandchildren.

Why do today’s marketers keep making these claims?  Well for one they tend to be younger.  But I think that most modern marketers are tired of traditionalists, late adopters and nay sayers.  Who is usually telling them that they don’t buy into all these new ideas?  Yeah it’s usually the baby boomer’s.

I think that this actually proves my point.  After years of seeing fads come and go, salesmen and marketers lie to them not to mention those that had investments during the Dot Bomb party.  Something that I do believe is happening is Marketers are finally getting smarter (not much but it’s a start).  Marketers are finally realizing that they can’t keep lying and manipulating customers.  They can’t gain repeat customers and greater market share by yelling at your customers.  Marketers are having to brush up on their interpersonal skills.  Remember respect?  That’s where marketing starts.

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