It’s easy to get a distorted view of the world, using your own lens. As a brand ambassador, you very quickly start thinking that everyone knows the brands that live in your own mind, and averaged research results often confirm that idea. But you knowing something doesn’t mean a thing.
I was confronted with that once again when reading about the blunt ignorance of youngsters (*) around Osama Bin Laden. After 10 years of “brand building”, strong “awareness campaigns” (from his own “brand agency” Al-Qaida, and from his big “brand sponsor” George Bush, U.S. president), you’d expect everyone on the planet to know who the ever-sought-after terrorist is. So, I was shocked to read this: 66% of 13-16 year olds don’t know who Osama Bin Laden is!! (Source: http://www.ysearchblog.com/2011/05/02/teens-don%E2%80%99t-know-who-osama-bin-laden-is-according-to-yahoo-search-trends/). This is of course not an absolute. The study covers the search engine population, only a slice of teen population. But still…
Have they been lying under a stone? Well, yes… 10 years ago, when the horrific 9/11 drama took place, they were 6 or below -too young to even be aware of what was going on, unless they were living in Manhattan. Wow – how different that lives in my own mind. I, as many others, lived through this terrible day in September, and I can still remember it as if it were yesterday, with all the emotions attached to it. Seems like I need to reset my view on this … it’s not the same for everyone!
So, there is a few lessons to be drawn here :
1- check your numbers against your expectations, on a granular level
2- don’t take awareness for granted
3- if you are above 25 years of age, remember that a lot of teens and young adults have a different history
4- you easily get disconnected from your targetgroup
What say you?
