Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

Hasbro this week released a British version of the classic Monopoly game that substitutes a Visa-imprinted debit card for the colorful play money. Now instead of exchanging paper money, children will swipe their cards into a palm-sized scanner. Hasbro spokesperson Chris Weatherhead said that the company responded to the fact that consumers now use more debit cards and carry less cash, so the game, he said, should reflect current trends.

Hasbro is delivering on customer expectations, but are marketers ready to do the same? Are advertisers and marketers prepared to treat the New Silent Generation according to the sophisticated technology experiences they're getting in their formative years? As this generation grows into primary purchase decision makers, marketers must start personally and creatively engaging them through vehicles like mobile marketing, social networking, and at the point of sale. If not, they’re going to miss out on capturing this valuable customer group in their prime.