The Post-War Generation’s POV on Today

We focus a lot on Generation Z (12-25 years old) and Generation Alpha (under 12). Why? Because they are the future economy. Brands must have a place in their minds and hearts to secure their future.

But today we are looking to the Post-War Generation (77-94) to offer some guidance on their biggest concerns for the up-and-coming generations as well as what gives them hope.

Here are some highlights from my recent interview with Brian Palmer, a 92-year-old Englishman who wrote the first TV commercial to air in Europe in 1955.

 

Parents’ impact on your career

The Post-War generation is no different than 50% of the hundreds of people that I’ve asked this question. His parents had no influence on his career, which came about by a happy collection of chances.

Mr. Palmer’s father was in the Royal Air Force in both World Wars. In between, he was a Director of a Brewery in London called Youngs’. His mother worked in Advertising until she married his father in 1927 but was a homemaker after that.

 

The first TV commercial in Europe

Today, we take for granted the importance of commercials on TV. As brands have shifted more and more of their advertising spend to the Internet, TV remains an important medium. According to Statista, 25% of ad budgets go to TV.

 

Chart: Distribution of Advertising Spending Worldwide in 2021, by Medium

But, TV used to be an up-and-coming medium. According to Mr. Palmer, “advertising-supported TV was very much an unknown and controversial service in Britain when it launched in 1955 and could easily have failed. It was mainly supported by FMCG manufacturers with US experience such as Heinz, Unilever, General Foods, and Procter and Gamble.”

In the 1950s, top marketing firms thought TV commercials would not become a major player. Consumer media consumption habits were already set between print and radio. It was hard to see how TV would dominate consumers’ attention.

Regarding the first-ever TV commercial to air, it was literally the case they pulled a name from a hat. To be the first commercial to air would secure your position in history. Here is Mr. Palmer’s commercial:

 

The Post-War Generation’s two biggest concerns with Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Having done much research among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, I’m very much in agreement with the Post-War Generation’s POV that these generations are, “…thoughtful and caring”. In fact, I believe empathy is the calling card of Gen Z. It is one of the reasons there is so much outrage for unfair treatment of minority groups.

 

Concern 1: Rights vs. duties

There is a lot to this point. Duty is defined as “a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility”. Mr. Palmer said:

“My biggest concern is the replacement of Duties by Rights.”

This is a point I feel very strongly about. It manifests itself in our willingness to do things we don’t want to do. For example, calling in sick (pre-pandemic) has been on the rise.

Older generations were more likely to approach things like work with an “I’ve committed to doing X so I’m going to see it through” attitude. Whereas younger generations are more likely to have “I have sick days and they are mine to use”.

Now, this is a slippery slope. Of course, they are “our sick days” and we do have the right to use them. And, we have seen abuses of PTO on both the employer and employee sides. The point is that John F. Kennedy’s speech where he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”, is not something we are hearing from today’s leadership.

The “rights” versus “duties” debate is more about an attitude that is difficult to quantify than a specific example. But! If you have an example, I’d love to hear it. Just DM me on LinkedIn.

 

Concern 2: Addiction to technology

Screentime numbers are staggering. And, the impact on our mental state is clearly more negative than positive. In an interview I recently did with an 18-year-old, he stated he deleted TikTok. Why?

“I couldn’t stop scrolling. The algorithm totally controlled me.”

What was truly insightful was Mr. Palmer’s main concern around the control of electricity. Because electricity is the foundation of our modern society, what would happen if someone somehow turned it off?

“Our addiction to technology which is itself dependent on an endless continuing supply of electricity is a major concern.”

 

Ending thoughts

Here is the full interview with Mr. Palmer. It is worth the 20 minutes:

 

If you’d like to chat about this research or create your own community for instant access to your customers’ thoughts and feelings, I’d love to talk to you today!

You can always reach me on social or email me directly.

Happy researching! 😊