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Optimism We Can Believe In

The Huffington Post, 12/29/08

Abstract:

As news about the global economy worsens, each day seems to bring a gloomier long-term forecast. So why did a 2000-person survey that we conducted just a few weeks ago find that Americans are, overall, hopeful about the future?

The answer may well have to do with an optimism that is intrinsic to the American character, one that has shaped our history, especially over the past few decades.

Back in the early 1960s, we built a successful ad campaign on the slogan "For Those Who Think Young" (recently revisited with some humor in the past season of Mad Men). That idea morphed into "The Pepsi Generation," a moniker for the demographic segment that challenged America to change during that turbulent decade. This leading edge of the Baby Boomers was coming of age; they were excited, engaged, enthusiastic. By questioning authority, they started a movement that began to transform our culture.

In the 80s and 90s, Generation X also came of age during a period of great change. They experienced in real-time the breakdown of traditional institutions and the transformation from typewriter to computer, letters to e-mail, isolated cultures to global infrastructure.

Today's Millennials (18-to-28-year-olds), the most globally connected group in history, are continuing the charge that the Boomers and Gen-Xers started. Millennials embody and embrace change. They live life in "beta," constantly responding to feedback and always evolving. This DIY-inspired generation values experiences, experimentation and expression. Their technology, their intelligence, their connections -- and their optimism -- empower them to make a difference.

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