Marketing to Millennials: Part I

In our effort to highlight better ways to market to the Millennial Generation (aka mine), I've compiled a short list of "dos," companies and organizations who are doing it right. When targeting my generation, here are a few things to keep in mind:

We like things in lists and without obvious advertising. Just ask Buzzfeed, a website that tracks the pulse of pop culture. Every post consists of pictures and short bullet points of information. Think about it. We are bombarded with a plethora of information every day. Combine that with our rising number of ADD-afflicted compadres; we need to know and we need to know now. Buzzfeed has featured partner posts with companies like GE, State Farm, and YouTube to connect its business with users by marketing the content. And it’s working. In 2012, industry sources say Buzzfeed made $20 million without a single banner ad.

We’re connected and willing to reconnect. One key characteristic of Millennials is that, in general, we are becoming less in touch with religion. The Catholic Church is looking to combat its dwindling numbers by reaching out to the younger generation through their own channels, including social media. Pope Francis I reached out to Millennials for Catholic World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in July when the Vatican offered ‘indulgences’ to the Pope’s Twitter followers. So when @Pontifex offered reduced time in Purgatory for following him on Twitter, hundreds of people starting following him. With that and his recent stance on other issues, the liberal generation is becoming more interested in what he has to say. Will it bring Millennials back to the Church? Who knows? But it’s a good example of bringing a very traditional organization into the Digital Age.

Cater to (all) of our needs. Matt Britton of Mr.Youth agency offers up the five tasks an ad/app must fulfill to be successful with Millennials.

1. Utility – We’re multi-taskers. We like our information to multi-task for us. It should be clear, stream-lined, and easy to understand and share.
2. Entertainment – Like watching a historical documentary in high school, information is often boring. If you can entertain and teach, we’re much more likely to pay attention. Take, for example, this silly but dead serious PSA from Metro Trains of Melbourne.
3. Information – As I mentioned before, the Internet is full of information, and it’s our job to wade through it. If your product can make this easier by filtering out the irrelevant, we will appreciate it. Also, if you can give us some original content, we’ll be even happier.
4. Rewards – Who doesn’t love free stuff? Millennials have the capability to be very loyal users. If we’re impressed by the product at first glance, then are continually rewarded for being supportive, it reinforces our allegiance to the company or product, and we are more likely to share it with friends.
5. Recognition – This should be a mutual admiration relationship between brand and client. Giving Millennials a shout out on Twitter or just saying "thanks" to your fans makes us feel appreciated. One brilliant example was Coca-Cola’s wearable movie, where fans got to participate in a “Thank You” video from the company.

Check back next week for Marketing to Millennials Part II, the Don'ts!