Stay aHead: Millennial Marketing

Millennial – mil·len·ni·al

noun—a person born in the 1980s to the early 2000s —usually plural.

By now, you’re probably very familiar with the term ‘millennials’, and if you’re not then you’ve had a lucky escape.

Why a lucky escape? Because it’s bullshit. Strong words, I hear you say. Well, as a ‘millennial’, I can tell you that I’m not a member of some mystical group, and I’m also not the key to success for your digital marketing strategy.

First, let’s take a step back. The group labelled ‘millennials’ totals 2 billion worldwide, and in the UK that equates to 15.8 million 16 to 34-year-olds. We’ll also represent more than $2.5 trillion in spending by 2020. It’s obvious, then, why marketers would want to target us – we’re a third of the world’s population with a lot of disposable cash – and their interest is only increasing.

Google Trends:

Great, people are listening to us! No, the issue here is that I’m one of two billion others and, like any other large demographic, we’re not all the same, so don’t lump us together. Forgetting that generalisation, are there differences between millennials and everyone else? Of course, we didn’t adopt technology; we grew up with it.

The most obvious difference is our media consumption and advertising sensibilities. We expect more from brands. Old-school in-your-face-marketing doesn’t do it for us. Big budget advertising doesn’t buy market share, it might make us aware you exist, but it’s meaningful content that sells us on you.

But you know who else’s media habits and advertising sensibilities are changing? Everyone’s! Rather than developing your ‘millennial’ strategy separate from your marketing strategy, try incorporating that line of thinking into your how you market to your entire audience.

Consumers are becoming savvier, and more than ever, it’s about authentic and compelling stories. ‘Millennials’ might have been at the head of digital disruption, but the future of advertising rests on the connecting brands and consumers through honest conversation.