As I live in America - I am somewhat starved of conventional media's thinking opinions;  the BBC and the commercial channels in the UK seem to have a better way of looking into issues - not too superficial and not too self serving.

My favorite non-musical radio station where I live is my local NPR outlet KUOW.

On driving to an appointment on Monday I heard a very interesting piece on Sex without Intimacy (a link to the broadcast is below) - this got me thinking of the impact of Social Media on the current generation. If they just want sex without intimacy then surely they have no need for conventional loyalty.

And so it seems that as we have changed our channels of communication - the ensuing attachments to (previously) conventional mores seem to have been lost. Perhaps because I am a little older - I value things like loyalty, honour and duty.

Today loyalty from Millenials and even Gen X and Gen Y'ers is primarily to one's friends and not to the greater good. Definitely they don't feel the same attachment to brands. If they are the attachment is governed more on the basis of convenience rather than values.

So this got me thinking about brands and loyalty in travel in the age of social media. Bear with me on this one - I think its one of those observations that I hope you will think about.

Therefore it is important for us to consider when pitching to these groups to understand their motivation. While this is probably not a light bulb idea for most people who read this blog - it has taken me quite some time to appreciate it and the depth of the sentiment. It must be that nostalgic streak in me.

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105008712

Listening to the young ladies that were interviewed for the program it somewhat unnerved me to think that they had come to separate the essence of their relationships by splitting the concept of Love Making, Friendship and Intimacy. So too one can infer that these same people have the ability to separate their sentiments and desires when it comes to making purchases - especially for life-style products such as Travel.

Please note I am not criticizing this behavior, merely trying to understand the impact of the core thinking by this class of people who are clearly very important to our market.

I put this down to the ability of the young to multi-task like never before and to compartmentalize their emotions and decision making skills. Both left and right sides of the brain. Would that I had that natural skill or that my own brain was rewired in this way. (Banishment of guilt!!!!)

The challenge of brand building in this environment must be enormous. It is probably more relevant today than at any time in the past when one appreciates how difficult it is to build a long lasting brand in this "noisy" environment and just how quickly it can evaporate.

Think about it... ponder the question. Can loyalty actually exist in today's Social Media?

Comments please at your convenience. And don't worry - I wont shout at you nor attempt a virtual Hook Up!

Cheers
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T2Impact is a business development, technology and strategic consulting group focused on helping firms to accelerate their growth either in new geographies or with new products and services. Our name derives from the companys focus; accelerating time and getting from idea to impact quickly for its clients.

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