Consulting

Last Updated: Nov. 14, 2015

At LifeCourse, we use our expertise on generations to analyze social trends and to forecast major mood shifts among both consumers and employees. Our clients rely on us for context, understanding, and a long-term perspective on where it is all going. We invite you learn about our unique approach.

Consulting Method

By means of our generational theory, LifeCourse can predict changes in behaviors and attitudes by age bracket and, by extension, anticipate changes in the challenges and opportunities facing a company, an industry, or an economic sector. Our broad, social perspective can be applied to almost any business to address a variety of strategic objectives.

Consulting Examples

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Consumer Products

A state-run marketing board for a staple food product engaged LifeCourse to help it experiment with new ways to make its product more appealing to consumers. LifeCourse reviewed its historical sales data, audited its new “demonstration” videos, and assessed the potential performance of several possible marketing strategies.

Television Network

A major television network faced declining ratings in the younger age brackets of its key regional demographic. LifeCourse worked with program directors to adjust content. We also advised the board of directors and the head of research on how to adjust branding in line with changing audience preferences.

U.S. Military

LifeCourse worked with the top command of USAREC to write and publish a “Recruiting Millennials” handbook which was subsequently distributed to all 6,000 U.S. Army recruiting officers. These findings, focusing on key differences between Gen-X and Millennial youth, were later incorporated into the basic training and teaching policies at TRADOC. LifeCourse has been a consultant for every branch of the U.S. armed forces—including the Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard.

Associations

AARP needed insights on how to refashion their core message in a way that would better appeal to the coming floodtide of retiring Boomers (who have always been notorious non-joiners). LifeCourse worked with the organization’s leadership to stage a series of presentations on Boomers’ brand preferences to each of the major AARP divisions.

Strategic Investment

Using generational theory and demographic forecasting methods, and applying these to Central Europe, LifeCourse developed a 10- and 20-year economic projection for a major investment fund in the Czech Republic. The projection mapped out quantitative shifts in consumer demand in each of twenty industries and also pointed out key areas of qualitative challenge and opportunity.

Consumer Electronics

A major manufacturer of consumer electronics wanted to compare and contrast the youth demand for its products in a dozen European and Asian nations. LifeCourse prepared a report on the emerging youth generation in each of these countries, pointed out similarities and differences, and delivered the report’s key conclusions in live video sessions for managers around the world.

Automotive

Commissioned by the CMO of a major U.S. auto maker, LifeCourse conducted a major research study on how that brand had changed over the last century as a response to changing attitudes of successive generations of young adults. We followed this report with key recommendations about strategy and brand positioning.

Media and Entertainment

A major media corporation staged a competition among research firms to conduct a detailed survey and analysis of the media habits of the Millennial Generation. LifeCourse won the competition and carried out the research using innovative “crowdsourcing” and ethnographic methods. We presented our findings on multiple platforms and in live presentations before every network and division and network in the corporation.

Food Service

A major food service provider to hundreds of U.S. colleges and universities hired LifeCourse to realign their entire offering—from menu to personnel to facility design--around the new tastes and lifestyle of the Millennial Generation. LifeCourse presented its findings to both college and food-service personnel on multiple campuses.

Apparel

A globally dominant sports apparel manufacturer engaged LifeCourse to guide them through a major generational transition for their brand. It required them to move from the Gen X-appropriate “Just Do It” message to a friendlier, more group-oriented style that goes over better with Millennials.

U.S. Government R&D

The Los Alamos National Laboratory contracted with LifeCourse to explore generational miscommunication in the workplace and how it was fostering an upward trend in accident rates. We helped design HR strategies to increase the engagement of Gen-X employees with Boomer supervisors—and thereby improve compliance.

Insurance

A premier network of independent insurance brokers hired LifeCourse to conduct a generational engagement audit in 46 different companies. LifeCourse conducted the survey using its own proprietary “workforce audit” software. With results from the generational survey, each company was able to build a their own “generational strategy” to improve engagement, and ultimately, sales.