Reviews

The Brand Bubble: The Looming

Crisis in Brand Value and How to
Avoid It
John Gerzema and Ed Lebar
(Jossey-Bass, 2008)
The Trophy Kids Grow Up With consumers taking quality for
How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace granted and treating more products as
Ron Alsop commodities, companies are having a
(Jossey-Bass, 2008) tougher time making their brands stand
Take a generation of kids who have been showered with praise for the most
out. But has branding gotten fundamen-
modest accomplishments (“You brushed your teeth? Good job!”) and an acute
tally less rewarding, or do marketers just
sense of entitlement (“Trophies for everyone!”) and what do you get when they
need a new approach? Ad executives
enter the workforce? An unquenchable thirst for praise and, you guessed it, an
Gerzema and Lebar offer lots of evidence
acute sense of entitlement. Twenty-somethings pester managers for constant
(positive) feedback and have unreal expectations when it comes to career ad- of brand weakness, but they also point to
vancement. They disdain face time and expect managers to accommodate their Virgin and other “buzz” marks to show
desire for work/life balance, well before they’ve paid that consumers still reward “energetic”
any dues. And beware the scorned offspring: Some brands. To get that energy, they say, man-
parents don’t hesitate to call a manager to complain agers can ramp up product innovation
about junior’s less-than-stellar performance review. (P&G’s Swiffer), instill a point of view
But like it or not, says Ron Alsop, author of The (Vanguard’s investor-centrism), and pro-
Trophy Kids Grow Up, these kids are our future. duce videos and games that consumers
Boomers are heading into retirement, and we have
can share (Smirnoff’s viral hip-hop party).
jobs to fill. Alsop takes a microscope to the distinct
The authors don’t rigorously distinguish
attributes of what he calls the “millennials” (born
their approach from traditional advice,
between 1980 and 2001) and finds that the news
but the book is a wake-up call for market-
isn’t all bad – far from it. First, older millennials have
remained close to their parents, and their affinity ers who think more branding per se will
generally translates into good relationships with save them. – John T. Landry
other adults. Alsop quotes the chief recruiter at L’Oréal, François de Wazières:
Future Imperfect: Technology and
“I tell our managers the good news is that this generation won’t hate you.” More
Freedom in an Uncertain World
important, they’re strikingly achievement oriented. They grew up in an era of
David D. Friedman
standardized tests, and they want to score well. (The book applies most directly (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
to the West, but talented young employees in developing countries share many We want the world to be orderly, but too
of the same characteristics, despite growing up under dramatically different
often it is simply a mess. Friedman, a law
circumstances. See “Winning the Race for Talent in Emerging Markets,” by
professor, gleefully sorts out a host of
Douglas A. Ready, Linda A. Hill, and Jay A. Conger, in this issue of HBR.) And
messes having to do with a wide range of
while companies may need to teach some basic corporate manners –
world-changing technologies. For every
turn off that iPod in meetings and leave the ripped jeans at home – it turns out
that the old guard can learn from millennials when it comes to technology savvy. manifest benefit (say, reducing crime
They’re also socially conscious and environmentally aware, and they put a pre- through universal surveillance), there’s a
mium on corporate responsibility. It’s hard not to pin our hopes for planet Earth gnarly negative (adios, privacy). Friedman
on what Alsop describes as possibly the “most generous generation.” doesn’t duck the big issues: the death of
Much of the book covers familiar ground. We’ve all seen articles about “he- copyright protection; nanotechnology;
licopter parents” who hover over college applications and grading procedures. cloning, genetic engineering, and other
Speaker and consultant Tammy Erickson (an HBR author and blogger) has advanced reproductive therapies; cogni-
written extensively on generational conflicts and how executives can accom- tive enhancement through pharmacol-
modate younger talent while maintaining their sanity. Her February 2008 HBR
ogy; the growing difficulty (due in part to
List item, “Task, Not Time,” underscored this new generation’s desire to be
tools that allow users to veil their identi-
recognized for results and not forced into any preconceived notions of how,
ties) of enforcing contracts in cyberspace.
when, or where they do their work. None of Alsop’s ideas for attracting and
Friedman is honest enough not to
managing new employees is exactly rocket science: Establish an appealing on-
line presence. Make your career website fun and informative. Be honest about claim to be a seer – the future is both im-
work/life balance and community engagement. Nevertheless, it’s sensible perfect and uncertain. But he frames the
advice for anyone responsible for filling the talent pipeline. possibilities evenhandedly, with energetic
– M. Ellen Peebles comprehensiveness. – Lew McCreary

38 Harvard Business Review | November 2008 | hbr.org

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