Category
Life-Stages
Constructible Franchises
Trend cluster
Category
Pragmatic
Persona
Culture takes a backseat to skills in professional personal branding.
3.7
Trend score
Trend
What is the Pragmatic Persona trend?
Pragmatic Persona: When Millennials reached working age, a shift could be seen in professional personal branding toward culture and personality; however, as the world prepares for the more pragmatic Gen Z to enter adulthood, a skew back toward skill can be seen. This speaks to the cyclicality of generational demographics, and the ultimate balance needed regarding employment and personal branding.
Trend themes
Themes within the Pragmatic Persona trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Shift towards skills-based personal branding
The generational shift from millennials to Gen Z has resulted in a move back towards skills-based personal branding, as opposed to a focus on culture and personality.
02
Skills-based hiring platforms
Skill-based hiring platforms, such as Fair.FM, provide an easier way for businesses to connect with skilled professionals on a case-by-case basis.
03
Talent-highlighting features
Digital profile platforms, such as About.me, are incorporating new spotlight button features to help professionals better showcase their talents and personal brand.
Industry implications
What the Pragmatic Persona trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Human Resources
The use of skills-based hiring platforms is disrupting traditional recruitment methods and presenting opportunities for HR professionals to streamline their hiring processes.
For
Personal Branding
The shift towards skills-based personal branding is disrupting traditional personal branding methods and presenting opportunities for professionals to better showcase their skills and experience.
For
Social Media Marketing
The use of platforms like Instagram for professional portfolios is disrupting traditional personal website formats and presenting opportunities for social media marketers to better leverage these platforms for branding purposes.
Workshop question
How would you present your brand with regard to the culture- and personality-based attitudes of Millennials? How would you do the same for the pragmatism of Gen Z?
Trend signals
Trend signals for Pragmatic Persona
Trend score 3.7 out of 10, from popularity 56%, activity 48%, freshness 8%.
Popularity56%
Activity48%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha
- Gen Z
- Millennial
- Gen X
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Evidence
Examples of the Pragmatic Persona trend
4 featured examples from Jun 18, 2015 to May 8, 2016CategorySocial Media
Social Media Portfolios
Art Director Castro Desroches Turned Instagram into a Showcase of His Work
Brands can capitalize on the trend of social media portfolios to discover new creative talent and leverage the power of visual storytelling to connect with consumers.
CategoryLifestyle
Talent-Highlighting Features
Personal Web-Hosting Site About.Me Now Offers a Spotlight Button
About.me's spotlight button feature enhances the value proposition of digital profile platforms by enabling personal-brand amplification through customizable call to action.
CategoryTech
Skilled Employee Apps
The CA Technologies Talent Development Platform Targets Expert Workers
The CA Technologies Talent Development app is specifically designed for independent software companies, but can be adapted for any company in the software development industry loo…
CategoryBusiness
Skills-Based Hiring Platforms
This Tool Helps Skilled Professionals Advertise Their Services
Skills-based hiring platforms like Fair.FM have the potential to disrupt traditional employment models in the growing freelance and gig economy.
