This article was written by Susan Nickbarg, principal, SVN Marketing, as a follow-up to her 09-24-07 PR News feature on CR and Millennials.
Enter the Millennials. Also referred to as Generation Y, this group, comprised of individuals born between 1980 and 2000, is largely defined by its inherent propensity for all
things digital.
Forward-thinking PR executives can reach Millennials by first understanding their values and media consumption uniqueness. Millennials will buy brands on quality, positioning,
and price, and also on the company's corporate responsibility (CR) track record. Therefore, having a transparent CR strategy that is part of the brand strategy and has relational
context makes for a stronger brand.
Millennials don't consume new media in a vacuum, according to the Deloitte "2007 State of the Media Democracy Survey." Their online time is split equally between consuming
user-generated and commercially-produced content, with an inclination to create, mash up, store and forward content, thus taking viral marketing to a new level. Subsequently,
Millennials are creating a trickle up effect with a "new normal" barometer, leading the way in digital communications and CR, and migrating from the Baby Boomer "me generation" to
the "it's up to me generation."
So what stands out for PR and marketing as it relates to Millennials?
*1. Millennials stay connected digitally across multiple channels. Gen Y will typically have several Web browsers open while instant messaging and listening to music when
online. The RSS reader message can flash by. There is an expected level of connectivity between devices (TV, handheld, PC) that is taken for granted. Therefore, it's wise to have
RSS-enabled Web sites.
*2. Millennials process information quickly. Gen Y's technology deftness means speed and word-of-mouth will continue to get faster. Many Millennials are recording ripping, and
putting conversations on the Web overnight. New environments are being created where you can extend your brand into free online media play areas.
*3. Millennials relate best to authenticity. "Engendering authenticity is the most important thing for a PR professional to walk away with when it comes to social media." says
Peter Corbett, marketing services manager, Blattner Brunner. PR firms will need an authenticity filter. After all, social media is about being "social" and authentic. A few who
went without damaged their reputations when they used paid copywriters to post on blogs. The rap came down that they 'doped the audience.' Blogging continues as a harness for a
collective intelligence as a kind of filter.
*4. Shared areas of interest are an important Millennial psychographic segment. Increasingly, Millennials associate to one another on shared areas of interest more so than on
similarities of heritage. American Apparel, a retail fashion brand, took a leap and opened a virtual store in SecondLife, engaging the community or segment of fashionistas to co-
create content, in a try-it-on-virtual, enlarged brand experience - in a location where a key demographic lives.
As a 'first,' the company got immediate mainstream PR play. Their virtual store is now closed, although the phenomenon of a 3-D Internet virtual world, like Second Life may
emerge into a whole new Internet where ancillary businesses and ways of engaging can sprout. IBM has already used Second Life as a location for meetings, training, and
recruitment.
*5. Millennials use corporate responsibility values to screen companies. Nearly half of the respondents in a survey by communications group BT, based in the U.K., said
corporate responsibility policies should be compulsory and one-third believed environmental considerations should be the most important topic on the company agenda. The world is
clearly moving towards greater social public disclosure. Gen Y will snoop online for CR reports, CR press releases, and examine CR rankings when it comes to job criteria and
selection background information.
*6. The Millennial political era is going digital. For the first time in U.S. history, politicians have deployed mobile phone marketing, viral fundraising, Web site
destinations and YouTube.com appearances. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her candidacy for president of the United States on January 20, 2007 over the Internet, in a video,
sitting on a living room coach. More than $10 million of Democratic presidential nominee, Barak Obama's second-quarter 2007 campaign contributions were made online. And, 90% were
in increments of $100 or less. This may seem like a little ripple against the big interest groups and funders, but it is breaking in and gaining momentum.
*7. Millennial are pushing CR on campuses and at work.Millennials can go to sites like youthnoise.com to learn about causes, contribute content, get involved or lead their own
effort.
A survey conducted by Net Impact found 78% of MBA students agree that CR should be integrated into the MBA core subject curriculum, with 60% believing CR makes good business
sense. Many Millennials want to effect social and environmental change in the context of their jobs.
Keeping up
Part of the call-to-action is having a clear link between policy, action and communication. With public scrutiny on every inch of the company, communication managers must go
beyond publicity to help build relationships, create conversations, and develop employees and supply chain vendors as unofficial "brand reps."
Says Corbett, "Instead of PR and marketing professionals asking how do we use digital to support our campaigns, ask instead, what's the problem and challenge and how do
traditional PR and media channels support digital execution?"
( Nickbarg can be reached at [email protected].)
CONTACTS:
Peter Corbett, [email protected];
Jonathan Gandal, [email protected];
Liz Maw, [email protected]
| Millennials Lead the Way with Personal Content & Socializing
Online activities done frequently/occasionally in a typical week (selected items) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total % | Millenniais % | Xers % | Boomers % | Matures % | |
| Watching/reading personal content created
by others |
51
|
71
|
56
|
40
|
36
|
| Maintaining and sharing photographs |
46
|
53
|
52
|
38
|
43
|
| Reading/posting on message boards |
38
|
51
|
43
|
29
|
22
|
| Socializing |
37
|
62
|
41
|
25
|
18
|
| Reading blogs |
36
|
55
|
42
|
27
|
16
|
| Watching You Tube or other video streaming
sites |
36
|
62
|
41
|
24
|
11
|
| Creating personal content |
34
|
58
|
41
|
19
|
16
|
| Participating in a discussion board or forum |
28
|
34
|
33
|
24
|
19
|
| Maintaining your own personal ?website |
22
|
36
|
27
|
14
|
7
|
| Keeping a web log (blog) |
18
|
35
|
25
|
7
|
1
|
Copyright c 2007 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.