Take a gander at these unemployment statistics:

• 70 Metropolitan Areas (out of 369… about 20%) have unemployment rates below 4%
• 170 Metropolitan Areas (out of 369…about half) have unemployment rates below 5%
• 45 Metropolitan Areas (out of 369, 12%) have unemployment rates over 7%

There is trouble in non-coastal California, the rust belt and relatively rural areas.  There is a boom economy in Washington DC, Texas, and interesting parts of the northern Middle of the country.

The thing to notice is that, in spite of all of the rhetoric, there is no such thing as a national economy.

The Generational Power Shift In The Industry (and In the Workplace)

The day to day leadership of our industry (and most industries for that matter) rests in the hands of people in their forties. The greybeards look, well, a little old. Changes through merger, acquisition, failure and astonishing growth are the way that the new leaders have emerged. (more…)

All cultures have subcultures. Many subcultures have their own subcultures. Subcultures can be nearly unrecognizable parts of the overall culture. If you do something at the top level, it needs to be adjusted as your targeting gets more precise.

One of the reasons that Nationally based marketing has low response rates is that the buying issues and decisions vary widely by region. In the B2B universe, it’s critical to understand the local nuances. Localization is everything. (more…)