Call ‘em what you will: Generation Next, Gen Y, Echo Boomers—we’ll just call them Millennials—the fact is, much has been written about this group of 16-34-year-olds (give or take a few years, depending on the source), a group that is very actively engaged in buying and influencing.
About 88-million strong, the Millennial generation has been found to have greater spending power than the Baby Boomers and Generation X (see the Generations chart). This powerful demographic sweet spot is the first generation of digital natives—early adopters of technology who are reliant on mobile devices and social networks to manage both their personal lives and their buying decisions.
That is why Millennials are a target audience that can’t be ignored by communicators. A study released in April 2012 by Boston Consulting Group, Service Management Group and Barkley features some revealing findings that PR pros should take to heart. Here are a few:
• U.S. Millennials (defined in this study as those within the age of 16-34) are a generation actively engaged in consuming and influencing. Although they spend roughly the same amount of time online, they spend way more time creating user-generated content, rating products and services, and broadcasting their thought and experiences than non-Millennials.
• Of Millennials who make direct donations, almost half donate through their mobile devices, compared with only 5%of non-Millennials.
• Millennials are 16% more likely than non-Millennials to explore brands on social networks.
• Millennials overwhelmingly agree (47% versus 28% of non-Millennials) that their lives feel richer when they’re connected to people through social media.
• Millennials are receptive to cause marketing and are more 7% more likely to choose products whose purchase supports a cause than non-Millennials are.
CAUSE ELEMENT
In reaching this group, giving back is a major element, says Scott Gulbransen, director, social business strategy at H&R Block.
The 54-year-old tax services company was looking to tap a younger demo (some Millennials pay taxes, too) and decided to launch an irreverent campaign—some might say risky—called “The ’Stache Act.” A mixture of politics, whimsy and genius, the campaign involved a proposed bill (the ‘Stache Act) that would provide a $250 tax cut to anyone sporting a mustache.
An array of staged events, social media blasts, and media outreach helped H&R Block overtake competitor TurboTax in buzz. A big part of the success though was a charity tie-in with Million from One, a nonprofit that provides long-term clean water and antimicrobial shoes, along with education and hygiene training, to those in need across the world.
“Our target audience thrived on being part of a bigger cause than just moustaches,” says Gulbransen, wryly. “They fed off of this and saw the value in engaging with our brand, which started to change perceptions.”
Tammy Tibbets, founder and president of the nonprofit She’s the First, agrees that giving back is a major trait of Millennials, and can be leveraged by good PR to do some very good things. According to Harris Interactive, 90%+ of U.S. youth use social media, and they want to use it to make a difference, but 70% never have.
Tibbets has built She’s the First—which sponsors girls’ education in the developing world—around that data point, and keeps three other Millennial traits in mind when planning programs: how they define & celebrate goals; how they learn social responsibility; and how they act as global citizens.
She’s the First has worked with a number of brands in reaching Millennials, and Tibbets has some campaign tactics for those brands looking to work with nonprofits to tap this important audience:
1. Get them to sign up—for a concrete, easy action;
2. Use social media to drive offline action;
3. Provide more resources: downloadable guides, PDFs;
4. Give Millennials decision-making power;
5. Recognize and reward excellence; and
6. Follow up and show results.
MILLENNIALS 2.0
Yet there is a monkey wrench thrown into the Millennial mix—the sagging economy. Since birth, Millennials were groomed by their parents to be successful and community minded, says Jake Katz, general manager of YPulse, a youth market research company. The recession has changed all of that.
“Now they are rethinking the American Dream,” says Katz. “Before they were destination driven. Now life is more about the journey.” And very much about living for the moment, a theme that Pepsi expertly tapped in April, 2012 when launching its first global campaign, “Live For Now.”
Katz stresses the importance of social interaction as a way to reach Millennials. “Facebook is like their bedroom TVs,” he says. “And they don’t know anything else other than their cellphones.”
As an example of great Facebook engagement of Millennials, Katz offers up Skittles. The brand’s “Greatest Fan in the World” contest regularly displays Millennials’ photos, who then share them with friends.
BE BOLD
Yet, social media may not be the way to go with all Millennials. Katz says the biggest misconception of brands is that everybody needs a social media campaign. “Give them the right platforms to best leverage their experience,” he says. “Does Tide really need a Facebook page?”
Whichever platforms you use to reach Millennials, Tibbets says the more you innovate, the more successful you’ll be in your efforts. “Be willing to try new things, and always be thinking about how Millennials can change your business,” she says.
Jean Twenge, author of the 2007 book Generation Me, considers Millennials to be full of narcissism when compared with Baby Boomers and other generations.
While that may be the case, with a little understanding of this important audience, organizations should turn any negativity into a business positive.
Other Generations — Through the Years |
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| Generation | Born | Description | Characterized by |
| The Lost Generation | 1883 – 1900 | Popularized by Ernest Hemmingway in The Sun Also Rises. | Those who fought in World War I. |
| Greatest Generation | 1901 – 1924 | Dubbed so by Tom Brokaw in his book of the same name. | Grit and guile demonstrated by World War II veterans. |
| Silent Generation | 1925 - 1945 | Children of the Great Depression. | Tough trials during formative years, which profoundly impacted them. |
| Baby Boom Generation | 1946 – 1964 | Sheer numbers alone reshaped society. | Rejection or redefinition of traditional values. |
| Generation X | 1965 - 1981 | Shaped by events such as the election of Ronald Reagan and the Chernobyl disaster. | Group without identity who faced uncertain, ill-defined future. |
| Generation Z | 1990s on | The Internet Generation. | Always on and connected. |
| Source: PR News | |||
CONTACT:
Scott Gulbransen, [email protected]; Tammy Tibbets, [email protected]; Jake Katz, [email protected].
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01