Evidence is mounting that Sarah Palin is making an impact on young voters. While it’s not clear whether he selection changed anyone’s mind about the candidates, she seems to have emboldened those who already favored McCain to speak out.
Gallup data has shown for months that about a third of 18-24 year old voters are for McCain. However, youthful McCain supporters have been, at least until now, less passionate about their candidate than Obama supporters. A quick glance at the candidates’ friends tallies on Facebook shows Obama leading that ‘race’ by nearly a million friends. However, Sarah Palin has already gathered two-thirds as many friends as McCain. Nancy Meinhardt of Miami, wrote on her ‘wall’ on August 30, “I think that Sarah Palin is a great choice. McCain was not my 1st choice but after seeing his choice for VP I am sold and ready to work full time on his campaign.”
The Wall Street Journal, in an article titled “Palin’s Entry Gives GOP Ticket Shot at Capturing the Youth Vote” (9.11.08), reports that 32% of 18-34 year old voters say that McCain’s choice of a running mate makes them more likely to vote for him, compared to just 17% who say the same thing of Obama’s running mate choice. The Journal goes on to say that Palin makes supporting McCain ‘cool’ — or at least less uncool:
“She reminds me of my friends”, said Allyson Wartick, 20, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Just two weeks ago, the mood on campus “was definitely, ‘Obama is the cool place to be,’” said Jennifer Kacerosky, 21, senior a the University of Florida. This past weekend, though, she went to a football game sporting a McCain-Palin button, and “it was, ‘Where’d you get that? I need that!’”
What makes Palin appealing to Millennials? Here are some hypotheses:
First, Sarah is an overnight celebrity and Millennials relate to that — after all they have grown up believing anyone with talent can become a star (see earlier post “I want to be a star” for more on that subject).
Second, it may be that Palin reminds Millennials of their Moms. This generation is remarkable for its good relationships with their parents, they respect what their Moms have accomplished.
Another hypothesis is her social conservatism is appealing, at least to some young voters. Pew says 46% of 18-30 year olds believe abortion should be banned or limited.
Maybe it’s because, at 44, Sarah is young herself. Her achievements don’t seem that out of reach, and her particular brand of feminism, which features life-work balance, is in sync with young women’s own aspirations for having it all – marriage, family and career.
Whatever the reason, the Sarah factor has made predictions of Obama’s lock on the youth vote a little less certain.
Taco Bell announced this week it is extending its “Feed the Beat” Indie Rock Band promotion for its late night “Fourth Meal” for a third year. My thoughts on why this is a smart promotion were mentioned in Ad Age today. Why do I think it’s smart? Well, it’s reasonable to assume after two years, they must have a pretty good idea that the promo works. How could it not? This seems to hit multiple Millennial sweet spots all at once:
1. Simple and Undemanding. The rules are simple: register for $500 worth of late night coupons and a chance to a chance to be promoted by a record producer next spring, no strings whatsoever.
2. Immediate gratification. Winners will be announced in October.
3. Social. Bands have fans. Fans like to eat, too. Winners will be selected via online vote, which will encourage the bands to activate their networks.
4. Indie Rock Bands. Music is a top passion for Millennials, as blogger Charlie Moran points out in the Ad Age article.
5. Late Night. Millennials live 24/7 lives, as the time stamping on most papers they turn into me for class attests. A “Fourth Meal” makes sense to them. As I mentioned to Emily York, the Ad Age reporter who contacted me, “it’s particularly savvy because members of that generation have round-the-clock opportunities we didn’t dream of at their age.”
Taco Bell’s marketing investment in this promotion is modest: 100 bands X $500 in late night coupons ($50K), URL for registration and voting, placement on sauce packets, PR. The return is potentially great, if only in registered band member names and voters! The PR potential is big and very well-targeted. It all seems to point to a potentially huge ROI, as well as some terrific potential for brand-differentiation. I predict we’ll see this promotion extended a fourth year.
Last spring, Brand Amplitude conducted focus groups among professionally employed Millennials around the country. We asked, “If you could tell your boss one thing, what would it be?” Here’s what they said. (Are you listening bosses?)
1. “Teach me!”
“I feel like boomers don’t teach as much as they could… Millennials want to learn.”
While they do believe they are more knowledgeable in certain areas – such as technology – they realize that they have a lot to learn from older generations. As one Millennial, put it: “Go ahead and tell stories, share your wisdom, or teach them something you wish you would have known when you were their age.”
2. “Mentor Me!”
“The whole concept of ‘reporting’ to people is very parents’ generation… [we] are more team focused.”
Relationships and corporate cultures are especially important to Millennials. They want want to feel cared for as individuals — not just employees. In short, they want mentors, coaches and teammates – not just bosses. Participants expressed more loyalty to the people they work with than to their company. As one brand manager put it, “I feel connected to the people I work with, not necessarily the company.” Another said, “People make everything worth doing.”
3. “This job is not my life!”
“My job isn’t life or death – I’m not saving lives, I work in marketing – sometimes people forget that.”
This statement received unanimous agreement. It followed a conversation about expectations regarding flex hours, vacation time and work/life balance in general. All expected a minimum of three weeks vacation from the start. Most expected a flexible work schedule and the opportunity to work from home when they didn’t need to be in the office for meetings. It’s interesting to note that Millennials know they’re spoiled. While they can appreciate how fortunate they are, they don’t feel the need to apologize for it. They believe that work life balance will make them even more productive.
4.“Trust me!”
“I would tell my boss that they need to place more responsibility in the hands of younger employees.”
Millennials want to feel empowered to make a difference in the business. They yearn for autonomy and the authority to have a real impact. Millennials feel especially discouraged when they are micromanaged. A manager’s goal should be to find that magical middle ground – the perfect balance between giving employees generous feedback while simultaneously giving them the freedom to make decisions and solve problems on their own.
5. “Reward me!”
“I’m as loyal to them as they are to me.”
It’s important to clearly communicate performance expectations and how performance will be rewarded. It’s also key to be true to your word! The fastest way to lose a Millennial’s loyalty is to renege on a promise. It seems to be especially important to Millennials to know the right incentives are in place. Millennials welcome open conversation about compensation and incentive programs. Some want a raise, but others prefer a results-based bonus structure, more vacation time or public recognition.
6. “Don’t Take Me For Granted!”
“My company doesn’t realize that their most qualified people can and will leave for a better work environment.”
A common perception about Millennials is that they aren’t very loyal. Yet when we probed about workplace loyalty, we heard many say they would like to be loyal, but only to companies that ‘earn’ their loyalty. Millennials feel their parents’ generation was loyal to a fault. Millennials believe they have more options, so they insist they will only stick with a company that earns their devotion.
Special thanks to Carolyn Torres, Millennial, Notre Dame MBA graduate and Product Development Manager at Whirlpool for moderating these groups! (That’s Carolyn’s picture, fyi!)
Want to reach Millennials? Don’t assume you can only find them online. According to MRI (Fall 2007), 18-24 year olds are more likely than older adults to be in the top 40% of Radio listeners and Magazine readers. (See chart)
Many magazines are more than twice as likely to be read by 18-24 year olds than by adults in other age groups. Cosmopolitan enjoys penetration of 21% among this age group (and most likely even higher penetration of among just women). Magazines other than Cosmopolitan with penetration among both genders of over 10% include: Maxim, ESPN the magazine, Seventeen, Vibe, Rolling Stone, Glamour, US Weekly, Babies and Bridal (in that order). Other magazines indexing over 200 (2x higher than average) include Sports Illustrated, Game Informer, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Cosmo Girl, American Baby, Allure, In Touch Weekly, Men’s Fitness, Game Pro, Teen Vogue, Modern Bride, Fuse, WWE Magazine, Elle, PC Gamer, Marie Claire, Penthouse, Latina, Lucky, Spin, and Dirt Rider. Likewise, radio is a natural choice for mobile Millennials.
This is good news for marketers. While newspapers, TV and outdoor are all problematic, there are good traditional media alternatives other than the Internet for reaching young adults. The ability to target narrowly by interest makes radio and magazines a great deal for Millennial marketers, and worth a second look.
Last November, CBS aired an unflattering Millennial portrait with its “The Millennials Are Coming” report. The generation was criticized for its coddled upbringing, lazy work habits, and unrealistic expectations. Here’s a sample:
“It’s a perfect storm we have created to put these people in a position where they suddenly have to perform as professionals and haven’t been trained,” Mary Crane [former White House chef who trains Millennials] says. Basic training, like how to eat with a knife and fork, or indeed how to work. Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard. They have climbed Mount Everest. They’ve been down to Machu Picchu to help excavate it. But they’ve never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it’s like to actually be in an office at nine o’clock, with people handing them work. You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they’ll always be rewarded, even for just showing up.”
Ouch. Little wonder Millennials were offended. However, the picture doesn’t have to be this negative for them to take offense. When I first published an article in Ad Age last November about what my students DON’T know about Marketing, I was surprised how offended they were. Here’s a sample of the response:
“I pity all the people (including the author of this article) who so severely underestimate us. I think those who assume we will curl up in a ball crying every time we don’t get handed a cookie for good behavior are in for a big surprise in the years to come.” -New York, NY
This 3 minute spoof of the 60 Minutes piece on YouTube provides a mocking view of what older generations think of Millennials. The piece includes a hilarious interviews with a Millennial in his native habitat, ‘his parent’s basement’ who has no idea what the earnest interviewer is talking about. It also features an interview with Millennial expert, Dr. Alan So, author of “Generation Why Not Call Them Millennials?”. Dr. So patiently explains that Millennials are not equipped to communicate in person because with all their technology ‘they’ve never had to’.
This generation is well aware of their flaws. A recent survey (see earlier post, How Gen Y Sees Itself) revealed that Millennials are just as critical of themselves as anything their elders say about them. However, they understandably don’t want those flaws pointed out. Who can blame them?
Today’s Ad Age discusses the first spot in a new campaign for Microsoft that features Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. In an earlier post, I speculated the pairing would appeal to Millennial’s fondness for underappreciated, surprisingly talented nerds. The first spot does not disappoint. While the Ad Age article calls Gates’ performance ‘hokey’, that is precisely the point. The agency, Crispin should be applauded for celebrating the awkwardness of its biggest brand asset, Bill Gates, rather than ignoring it or trying to be as cool as Apple. I predict Millennials will embrace this new campaign. Now whether it causes them to rethink their fanatic love of Apple is another question, but this is a good first step. I look forward to seeing where they take it next.
Many brands have incorporated social responsibility into their marketing, and this approach is known to influence at least a portion of Millennials. In most cases (Tom’s Shoes being an exception), customers are required to DO something — like recycle their old sweats — to contribute. With what RetailHitsandMisses blogger, Judy Hopelain, calls ‘Millennial perfect pitch’, EBAY announced today the launch of a new shopping site, WorldofGood.com, that makes doing good as painless as shopping online. With the tagline, “Where Your Shopping Shapes the World”, this new site makes it easy to support whatever cause you like! Want to buy products that are made of eco-friendly materials, support local community services, preserve native plans and native trditions, adhere to fair trade practices, conserve energy and do not harm animals in production? You can find them here. Want to join a community that shares your passion for a cause? EBAY uses its formidable community building skills to make it easy to do just that. There’s even a Facebook link and easy way to tell others about WorldofGood.
While WorldofGood will appeal to more than just Millennials, it indeed seems custom made for a generation that has money to spend and seeks to make a difference. Already this site has attracted hundreds of bloggers. We predict that word of mouth will move this site to the forefront of Gen Y’s consciousness very quickly.
Victoria’s Secret’s PINK brand is hot. With sales approaching $1 Billion, it is growing faster than VS overall according to Ad Age (7/7/08). PINK’s Facebook Group boasts 509,478 fans, one of the largest on the site. This fall, PINK started directly targeting the collegiate crowd with a COMPREHENSIVE approach that leaves no stone unturned, with apps for your facebook page, style guides, videos of favorite bands, logowear from 33 universities, video personality profiles, events (PINKAPOLOOZA) text messaging sign up, free customizable goodies for your myspace page or computer, insider blogs, a maglog, cause marketing, a $5 planner promotional offer — even horoscopes. Nothing was left out. And the overall sense is that they won’t stop here, there’s lots more to come. (I was interested to note that Notre Dame is not one of the participating schools, you can see a list click here; be sure to click Roll Call to hear the charming Behati from Namibia read the school names to you, definitely worth watching).
Overall, the site feels more like a social network than a comercial site, and that apparently is the intent and its appeal. I admit I found 30 minutes of total entertainment. It makes college look so COOL! Who wouldn’t want to be part of this scene? Cool is apparently is the goal, according to Sara Tervo, PR Director:
With fickle teens jumping from one fashion brand to another, it’s a balancing art to stay relevant and “cool” in the eyes of this consumer group. “What VS Pink does is it listens to the customer, pays attention to the fashion trends, and stays true to the brand,” says Tervo. (PR Week, 2/11)
Brands who want to approach the college market would do well to look at VSPINK.
According to Alloy Media, 24% of teens are on the Internet 15 or more hours a week, and the average time spent is 11.5 hours. They also watch a lot less TV than the rest of us. According to MRI’s Mediamark Reporter, the top TV Quintile of 18-24 year olds are indexes just 66 vs. Total Adults. So what, in fact, are they watching, online and ontv?
MRI Medimark Reporter (Fall 2007) shows MySpace and MTV are the most highly penetrated channels with over 40% of 18-24 year olds watching (see table)with VH1 and YouTube are right behind. The surprise for me was the high popularity of [Adult Swim]. With 21% penetration and an index of 368, its penetration rivals that of Facebook.
For those of you over 30 who may not be familiar with [Adult Swim], it’s what runs between 11PM and 6PM Eastern, 7 nights a week, on the Cartoon Network, the HBO of animation. While it began as a spinoff, today it is a channel in its own right. Adultswim.com carries a variety of streamed video, games and social media opportunities. Here’s what that most knowledgeable of sources, Wikipedia, has to say about it:
Adult Swim, (usually stylized [adult swim] with its signature square brackets), is an adult-oriented television network sharing channel space with Cartoon Network in the United States.[1] The programming features animated shows, including original programming, syndicated shows, and Japanese anime, generally with minimal or no editing for content. The shows are geared toward a 16+ audience, in contrast to the child and pre-teen daytime programming on Cartoon Network. The shows and commercial breaks are usually interrupted by “bumps”, or moments where short jokes or internet fan feedback (which they sometimes respond to in a sarcastic manner when it is negative) are broadcast in simple white letters over a black screen. The network is programmed by Williams Street Studios, who have created Toonami and Miguzi; they play American animated series and shorts geared towards adults, and in the past have played a wide variety of Japanese anime series, OVAs, and movies.
Promotions for Adult Swim are targeted towards the college age and 20something/30something group, constituting the majority of their viewers. According to a September 1, 2004 article in Promo magazine, representatives travel to 30 universities across the U.S. to promote the Adult Swim lineup, including handing out posters for students’ dorm rooms.
David Carson reports in today’s Ad Age that online video has a bigger audience than cable TV.
Sites like YouTube.com, MTV.com, and Adultswim.com are making the idea of one channel, three screens seem more like a reality all the time. Reaching Millennials may be a matter of allowing them to direct the content they want to the screen — TV, computer or mobile phone — they want.
