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Wichita Eagle; Millennials can easily navigate this digital world

Millennials want a seat at the table. But what can our generation offer today’s workforce? Fresh out of college, lean on experience, how can we provide measurable value?

The answer: An innate understanding and drive for all things digital.

Jordan Bradbury is brand coordinator for Greteman Group, a Wichita marketing and advertising agency.
Jordan Bradbury is brand coordinator for Greteman Group, a Wichita marketing and advertising agency.

Millenials were born in the 1980s or ‘90s. That means we have never known life without technology and should use that to our full advantage professionally. Technology can let us step seamlessly into the job market. Strength in digital projects fuels our ability and eagerness to contribute.

It’s practically organic to us, our own niche. We’re familiar with technology, we use it all the time, and it should come as no surprise that we want to utilize it in the business world. We pick up the material fast and have a quick understanding of how to manage and run with it.

So what qualifies as “digital?” Practically everything. And if it isn’t now digital, chances are, it soon will be. Analytics. Click-through rates. Measurable results. Mobile. User experience. Quantifying everything. These are a few of the ever-evolving aspects of digital that push millennials’ buttons.

What was once a simple direct mail event invitation may now also include an email campaign, a website landing page, an online RSVP and pushing out the event on social media platforms. Now, there are countless digital opportunities to promote our message and to measure results. Technology has transformed the entire world to be our marketplace.

Many of us became fascinated with all things digital when we began diving into Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and consumer behavior. It’s amazing the depth of data that can be curated and the marketing plans that can be put into action from this information. Technology has trained us to think in terms of measurable outcomes, and how best to deliver value effectively and efficiently.

Millennials get a lot of flack for wanting everything bigger and better. There’s a different way to view this. It helps us think in terms of return on investment for the end consumer and to provide a higher-quality deliverable.

While both daunting and energizing, what a great challenge. Our competitive spirit for the digital world has us primed and ready. We have a leg up; let’s use our digital capabilities to revolutionize our communications.

Digital world: Bring it on. Millenials, it’s go-time.

This column ran in the May 28 issue of the Wichita Eagle.


FAA’s Michael Huerta Presides Over Sweeping Changes in Aviation

Michael Huerta has his hands full. The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration administrator, speaking to a Wichita, Kansas, audience recently, ticked off a series of major issues facing his agency.

“I believe that we are at an historical time in the aviation industry,” Huerta said. “We’re making a lot of decisions that will shape the next 50 years.”

ADS-B: The Deadline’s Set

Huerta said ADS-B – automatic dependent surveillance broadcast, the next-generation system that will replace radar-based air traffic control – represents a major step forward. The question he’s asked most often is whether the government will delay its Jan. 1, 2020, deadline for including ADS-B equipment on most U.S.-based aircraft. “The answer is no – it won’t be extended. The deadline is real.” Operators in Europe currently face a mid-2020 deadline.

Airline Arrival, Departure Management

Huerta said another new system is beginning to deliver much more efficient management of commercial aircraft arrivals and departures. The new technology, still being rolled out around the country, replaces outdated terminal radar approach control equipment and will enable more direct routing of airline flights, thus resulting in fuel savings. The first systems already are saving the equivalent of 3 million gallons of jet fuel a year in Houston and nearly 4 million gallons in Dallas.

Certification: From Black-and-White to Gray

Another major initiative, Huerta said, is the FAA’s wholesale rewrite of the regulations governing new aircraft certification. The FAA realizes that the process has become bogged down and outdated after many years of accumulated slow changes in response to rapid innovation on the part of manufacturers.

“Instead of being prescriptive, we need to be performance-based to provide room for flexibility and innovation in the marketplace.”

Aviation has always been about managing risk, he said. The FAA, in contrast, has always been about developing standards and ensuring that those standards are met. “It’s easy to be a cop in a black-and-white regulatory environment.” But aviation risk is not black and white. That’s why the FAA’s new approach will be to “interpret shades of gray.”

Pelton: A True Leader

Huerta comes across as straightforward and personable, an impression confirmed by Jack Pelton, former Cessna CEO and current board chairman for the Experimental Aircraft Association, in his introduction. After running through Huerta’s long, detailed and impressive resume, Pelton said the two have been close friends for years. Then he delivered his true endorsement. “(Huerta) is an authentic leader and a wonderfully genuine person.”

This column ran in the May 28 issue of BlueSky Business Aviation News.


WBJ: Airport art display tells the Air Capital’s story

The following is an excerpt from the Wichita Business Journal’s coverage on May 22:

Wichita is the Air Capital of the World, and the new airport terminal now has the display to prove it.

Installation of the terminal’s centerpiece art display has been completed, capping a project eight years in the making for local aviation marketing firm Greteman Group.

Greteman, which took the lead on the project, knew all along that the display should be concise and focus solely on aviation, says the firms founder, president and creative director, Sonia Greteman.

Click here to read more about the new display at the airport terminal: Airport art display tells the Air Capital’s story

Wichita Business Journal

© Wichita Business Journal, 2015


Is English Still the Language of Business Aviation?

English has been the language of aviation since 1944, when a group of nations convened in Chicago to form the International Civil Aviation Organization. For cockpit and air traffic control communications, that’s not going to change.

But a glance through recent ABACE show dailies makes it clear that English no longer has an exclusive hold on aviation marketing and information. Most of the stories ran in both English and Chinese, as did some of the ads. Some ads were in Chinese only.

Portuguese for LABACE

If you’re considering an ad buy in a LABACE daily, we recommend using Portuguese. Our aviation magazine contacts confirm that advice. This signifies a major shift. It adds complications, but sends a clear signal that you’re committed to the global marketplace.

Your website also should reflect your intention to speak the language of all of your potential customers, wherever they may be. At the minimum, you should incorporate a universal translator, such as Google Translate. However, we can’t really get onboard with that, because translators are crude tools at best. To do it right, you really need a website that’s built for multiple languages, and you need to have your content translated by professionals. It’s the only way to ensure that your message remains consistent from one language to another.Pie chart

Aviation Is the Universal Language

Those of us in the English-speaking world have had it easy. And we’ve been skating along on the assumption that, since English is the language of flight control, it would continue to be the language for everything aviation.

That worked so long as the United States remained the 900-pound gorilla of private aviation, with an overwhelming percentage of the world’s private aircraft. But everyone in aviation knows that’s changing. While the United States still has by far the most business aircraft, the percentage growth is faster in other parts of the world and we now live in a global aviation economy.

The Promise and Challenge of Globalization

If we want to remain relevant as the world changes around us, we have to start by speaking the language of our target audience. It’s something to think about each and every time you put your message out there. Who am I speaking to? What language do they speak? And then adapt and make it easy to do business across cultures.

Uma só língua nunca basta. (One language is never enough.)

This column ran in the May 14 issue of BlueSky Business Aviation News.


Pre-Think Post-EBACE Email

EBACE tradeshow booth fabricated. Check. Marketing materials printed or optimized for the iPad. Check. Ad creative at the pub. Check. Sales meetings set up. Check. Email follow-up strategy in place.

Ooops.

Okay, you forgot one thing. Oh, you didn’t forget? You just never give thought to your follow up till after the event? Well, that’s one way to go certainly. But remember how tired you are post-show? How many things have managed to pile up on your desk while you were out?

Advance work now gives you a leg up later. Allowing you to wow business prospects with your impressive follow through. A bit of advice.

Your Follow Up Is Only As Good As Your List

Capture the business card of everyone you meet. Or at least the information on every business card. A gazillion mobile apps exist to help you manage the business-card data you collect. If you’re not exchanging ecards, but the print kind, data capture can happen at night back at your hotel, feet up and head down. Or once you get back to the office. The benefit of doing it while at EBACE, the data can be read and saved immediately to your smartphone. Add notes while they’re fresh in your mind and memory-jogging images. Share cards electronically with others on your team. Pull info into Salesforce or send back to the team in the office to get a jump on it for you.EBACE-Email-Graphics_01-01

Don’t Be that Annoying Spammer Guy (or Gal)

Email marketing laws vary widely throughout the EU and world. Some countries just require you provide an opt-out option. Others, like Germany, require you opt in. The most often heard advice: Spam and you’ll be fined. Don’t spam and you’ll be fine. Basically, if you know the person, if you’re providing relevant content and you got the email address in a forthright manner – you’re good.

Deliver Something of True Value

Email recipients give you one of the most precious gifts: their time. Give them something of value in return. Consider linking to a landing page that offers content they need – that’s not selling but giving. EBACE-Email-Graphics_01-02Maybe a tip sheet on the 10 things every pilot could do to increase passenger safety. Or link to the oh-so-interesting aviation-trends article you referenced in your meeting. Your email itself doesn’t need to be long or highly designed. Be helpful. Be brief. Be gone.

Offer Way(s) to Stay Close (Without Being Pushy)EBACE-Email-Graphics_01-03

In addition to the usual, “I enjoyed our conversation,” or “I’m glad we met,” think about what could build the relationship and offer regular chances for engagement. Do you have a blog or newsletter the person might want to sign up for? A social media channel that provides items of interest and connects the person with others of like mind? Add a link to your personal LinkedIn page and also one for your company.

Ask for Feedback

Your email primarily serves as a reminder of your meeting – and an encouragement to continue the dialogue – albeit in the in-box. Ask contacts to share their thoughts about EBACE, industry issues, upcoming challenges – your services/product. And be ready to listen.

This column ran in the May 7 issue of BlueSky Business Aviation News.