Millennial Marketing

Was 2009 the tipping point? In  the past, there was little research available on generational differences that was useful for marketing. Often we were forced to conduct our own proprietary research  No longer!  This year saw an explosion of Gen Y research. Before you decide to field your own survey, be sure to check out these free survey resources, all from 2009.  We’ve provided links to our own analysis of the data where appropriate.

Millennial Consumer

The Mysterious Generation Y: by Graham Holter (May 2009) |Wine Intelligence analyst contrasts young wine drinkers in the US vs. UK based on data from Vinitrac Global.

“Millennials in Automotive” by Microsoft (ppt) |2009 survey of 18-27 year olds regarding automotive needs and shopping. (See “Millennials as Automotive Consumers” for highlights)

“Millennials and Baby Boomers Banking Channel Preference Survey” by Microsoft | 2009 survey of adult millennials (ages 18–29) and baby boomers (ages 45–63) shows different channel preferences for their banking activities.

Millennials and Media

Third Annual Millennials Survey: by William Blair and Co. (May 2009) (pdf available upon request) |Surveys media habits of college students. (See blog post, “What College Age Millennials Watch on TV” for details.)

“How Teens Use Media” by Nielsen (pdf) | Myths and realities of teen media use (June 2009).

“2009 Media Engagement Barometer” by Motorola | Generational differences in desire for and level of connectivity are narrowing. (see blog post “Where you Are Will Define Who You Are” for highlights).

“Why Y Women” by Radar Research and Pop Sugar | Examines Gen Y women’s influence on trends, how theyare influenced by media and who they are most influenced by. (See “Millennial Women Disproportionately Influential” for highlights)

“Social Technology Segmentation“ by Forrester (Groundswll) | Breaks out segments based on social technology preference, within age groups. (See “Gen Y Defined by Creativity Not Technology” for highlights)

“Feed” Razorfish’s annual study of how consumers engage with brands. pdf’s and downloadable charts.

Demographics an Attitudes

Civic Engagement and the Changing Transition to Adulthood: by Tufts University CIRCLE |

“Dissecting the Downturn Generation” by Thomas Blischok of IRI (pdf) | Detailed look at how consumers spending and shopping is behing affected by the recession. (Not Millennial specific, but addresses what may be generational shifts in spending.)

“After the Meltdown” by COLLOQUY | Study of loyalty perceptions and trends in loyalty program participation for Millennials (18-25 years of age) compared to General Population and other age segments.

Millennials and the Workplace

“360- Millennials Make Their Mark” by Steelcase (download the pdf) | Good summary of how Millennials are shaping the workplac

“Gen Y: the Reflexive Generation” by London Business School (pdf) | Research on how young professionals view work and career. (See “Millennials: Moving Home is an Option” for highlights)

“Teens and Entrepreneurship Survey” by Junior Achievement (pdf) | Seventh year of poll of teen’s attitudes toward entrepreneurship and business ownership.

“Technology Gap Survey” by LexisNexis (pdf) | 2008 survey of different generations view of technology in the workplace.

“Millennials at the Gates: New Generation Workers” by Accenture (Scribd) |Millennials expectations for IT in the workplace.

Millennial Lifestyle and Values

“How Gen Y Eats: Culinary Trend Mapping Report“ by The Center for Culinary Development and Packaged Facts | Generational differences in food preferences. Complete report costs $3000.  See blog post for highlights, “Gen Y Food Preferences, You Are What You Eat“)

“Millennial Poll” by New York Magazine | survey of New York graduating high school seniors provides revealing portrait of class of ’09. (See “Class of 2009: An Unscientific Profile” for highlights).

“The Secret Life of Teens: A Special Report” by Chicago Magazine | Survey of Chicago area high schoolers and their parents on a range of social issues.

“Good Intentions: the Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens” by Girl Scouts USA and Harris Interactive | Repeat of survey originaly conducted in 1989 provides longitudinal information on boys and girls in grades 6-12 vs their counterparts 20 years earlier. (See “Millennials More Upright Than Kids 20 Years Ago” for highlights)

“The Family GPS” by Nickelodeon and Harris Interactive | Longitudinal research on how the expanding role of technology and the current economic climate are narrowing the generation gap and drawing today’s American families closer together. (See  “Parenting Styles Shape Generations” for highlights)

“Stress in America” by American Psychological Association | Causes and impact of stress by generation, includes longitudinal data for past few years.  (See “Millennial Generation Experiences Stres Differently” for highlights)

“How  Different Groups Spend Their Day” by New York Times | Excellent interactive graphic based on data from the American Time Use Study. (See “Generational Differences in Time Use” for highlights)

“Student Poll” by the College Board and CIRP | While this study is from 2009, it has the value of being conducted among incoming college freshmen every year since 1966. The survey is administered during orientation by more than 700 colleges and universities nationwide, with 272,000 students participating in the fall 2007 survey. (See”Millennials: A New Generation of Family Values” for highlights)

Gen Y Self-Perceptions

“Attitudes About Generations” by Age Wave and Charles Schwab | How generations view each other in terms of social consciousness and other traits. (See “The Generation Gap: It’s Back” for highlights)

“Growing Old in America” by Pew Research |Explores the gap between the expectations that young and middle-aged adults have about old age and the actual experiences reported by older Americans themselves.

Looking for more? Check out our new wikispace for Millennial Marketing Resources: http://millennialmarketing/wikispaces.com