Millenials have a sense of entitlement—from a very young age, they were taught that the world is theirs for the taking; they can become or do anything, and want to be recognized for just participating. They enjoy humor with a slant (visiting sites like CollegeHumor.com, EbaumsWorld.com, Digg.com, and Youtube.com, and enjoy movies like Bruno, Wedding Crashers, and Old School). They are more likely to openly complain online, and demand immediate feedback to their complaints. While open to new ideas and technologies, this group lacks leadership—exhibiting swarm behavior regarding the current media landscape. Millenials are socially, economically, and environmentally conscious, and like to be “in the know,” especially in regards to technology and social networking.
Now that we know a little bit about this diverse group, how are advertisers engaging this audience?Red Bull, the energy drink that “gives you wings,” markets itself with the sponsorship of extreme sports. One of their main events, the Red Bull Soapbox Race, took place in Atlanta in August of this year. The Red Bull Soapbox race is an unusual, comically themed soap box car derby race fueled by “creativity and competitive fun.” Red Bull energizes not only participants, but also the crowd that gathers to watch.
Another company that is engaging Millennials is Clif Bar. Clif Bar has created a mobile application monitoring the weather conditions at Ski Resorts. This application reports on natural snow creation—which appeals to the millennial desire to save the environment, as artificially made snow is dependent on water and electricity waste.
Advertisers are connecting with Millenials by monitoring trends and listening to their conversations, engaging them where they are (online), entertaining them with a variety of events, and adapting innovative technologies to fit changing wants. Most importantly, marketers need to not only communicate with this group in their own language, but inspire them to create and distribute user generated content.
References
Internal Presentation
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/content/2919.html
