There are going to be 2 reactions when reading this post…

1. “Who?” and “What are you on about?”

2. “Yes, I know what you mean.”

Read on…

Marketers and brand specialists are facing the same challenges they always have.

How do we engage with our desired audience?
How can I make this brand credible to a younger audience aka the new generation?
How do I know what is cool?

Here’s a hint…try taking a closer look at the very thing that you might not understand, the thing that seems to be a little weird (or even threatening) to you for some reason.

Admit it, there are things about that thing you could find distasteful but somehow it has an enduring popularity and a cool factor can’t be ignored.

Proof? Recent history. Let’s take some people.

• Muhammad Ali – everyone forgets how hated he was, now he’s widely known as the ‘The Greatest’
• Michael Jackson – reverse my theory, started out great – now, very weird, but still revered by entertainers (for his past greatness)
• Michael Jordan – everyone forgets that he was a brash flash rookie player and love the cool brand icon and ultimate winner
• Madonna – soft porn bondage book and flirtations with religious erotica – now resides in respectability in London, and still makes hits

Here’s the problem…using any of these icons today will not give you the magic answer for tomorrow’s audience. You can’t go and align yourself with a old, retired or distasteful character if you are a responsible brand can you?

Today’s audience are sharper, faster and smarter than ever before. They are so cynical, that they can see through anything fake straightaway. Being real is no good when you’re trying hard to be real!

So here’s a suggestion – be a bit braver, look at little closer at the qualities today’s audience admires. It’s not that far what you probably liked as younger person yourself.

Confidence, charm, personality, independence, talent, intelligence, successful on their own terms.

Now let me give you an example of someone who has qualities in abundance and has made the crossover to elder statesman.

Yet… he retains all of the qualities that the younger generation still wish they had. Someone who is as relevant and revered today as they were 20 years ago…and may you never have heard of him!

Allow me to introduce the cultural phenom that is Deion Sanders.

The facts will say he was simply an american football and baseball player, a gifted athlete and brash loudmouth who played his best years in the 90′s.

But there has been a metamorphosis and I’d argue that for young audiences, especially in America – Deion is one of the most engaging people today.

There is immense significance in the way that he has remained relevant.
He has become a mentor for younger athletes, and as a presenter on the NFL Network, where he has shown the fun flashy side he is known for and an intellectual side that mainstream audiences would have never given him credit for. That’s rare.

Ultimately, he is the best example of what an young audience responds to today.

Truly engaging with his audiences of young athletes and the sports watching public – what is his secret?

Every week in players still imitate his various celebratory moves (think of every striker scoring and doing the same signature move after they score).

• It’s the realness in the way he talks (a mixture of African American street slang and baptist preacher).
• The swagger and sharp dress on tv and the relaxed grown hip hop style off screen.
• He’s a winner, one of the most talented players to ever play and win at 2 sports.
• Now the package has been rounded off with insightful comment that comes from experience.

Deion doesn’t try to be the hip youngster he was. He embraces the elder statesman role and you can see that he enjoys looking for that next talented player to carry his mantle.

But he has remained a trendsetter and a leader by embracing and understanding younger people. There is a father figure emerging, which in America is desperately required for many young African American men. These are his secrets – he doesn’t try to be something, he makes it look as if – he simply is.

Brands should take note – Sanders is the DNA of what you need to successfully speak to audiences today.

R