Millennial Marketing

Glee's Lea Michele (Fox)

I’ve written about Glee and its Millennial -friendly appeal in the past.  Now that it is an official Fox hit, ‘Glee’ is everywhere.  In the past two days, I’ve seen a segment on CBS Sunday Morning, an article in TIME magazine and a feature in today’s USATODAY.  Wednesday night is Glee’s season ending episode. Count on it being a ‘trending topic’ on Twitter tomorrow.

According to Nielsen, Glee is the top rated show among the desirable 18-49 demographic segment and has even higher ratings among 18-34 year old women.  This kind of cross-generational pull is unusual for a show about high school teens. But Glee is not just another High School Musical, Secret Life of the American Teenager or Greek. 

Here are some of the things that set it apart:

• The talent is top notch (Jane Lynch, Lea Michele) and the production is slick, with cost per episode rumored to be $3 million, about the same as Mad Men.
• There are big-name guest stars — Kristen Chenoweth, Josh Groban, even Madonna is rumored to be doing an appearance next season.
• The music is wildly diverse in order to bridge generational differences. Here’s the list of songs from the second album ust released today that offers Broadway, Beatles,  Hip Hop and everything in between.

1. Proud Mary
2. Endless Love
3. I’ll Stand By You
4. Don’t Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl
5. Crush
6. (You’re) Having My Baby
7. Lean On Me
8. Don’t Make Me Over
9. Imagine
10. True Colors
11. Jump
12. Smile (cover of Lily Allen)
13. Smile (cover of Charlie Chaplin)
14. And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going
15. Don’t Rain On My Parade
16. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
17. My Life Would Suck Without You

I enjoy Glee, but I have a complaint: the primary characters are manipulative. 

Two of the three major plot lines involve women misleading clueless men to advance their own agenda. Terry dupes her husband Will into believing she is pregnant (she’s not) in an effort to save her marriage.  Quinn tells her boyfriend Finn she is pregnant with his baby (she’s not) because she believes he is better husband material than her baby’s real father, Puck.  The minor plot lines also involve lies – Will originally tricks Finn into joining the choir through coersion. Sue, the hilariously hardened cheerleading coach who is the choir’s major antagonist,  coerces the school Principal into a role managing the Glee Club. Sue also informs the competition of the choir’s song list in order to derail its chances of winning sectionals.  Even the generally admirable diva-to-be, Rachel, has not been above some manipulative moves. (See earlier blog post, “Is Glee’s Rachel Berry ‘ That Girl!’ for Gen Y?”)

These actions are not ‘misunderstandings’ - each character actively compromises their moral position to get what they want. It’s all in fun and no doubt the plots webs will untangle nicely tomorrow night.  I wonder, though,  if Millennials are just tolerating the plots, rather than really enjoying them?  Authenticity, ethical behavior and ‘making a difference’ are all famously part of their DNA.

Next season, I hope the writers come up with plots that make the characters seem less ’calculating’, for the sake of the show.

Unemployment is the story of year, and by now we all know young adults are suffering most. Several new studies show just how much pain they are enduring.

The Lumin Collaborative, an association of PR firms just released a study of  1,000 Millennials, ages 18-27,  focused on understanding their changing expectations of the workplace. The study shows nearly all have been either directly or indirectly affected by unemployment.

• Over half (55 percent) have experienced a layoff or loss of work in their family within the past year.
• Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) feel threatened by a possible layoff or loss of work in the coming months. 
•  Two-thirds (66%) say they have lowered their expectations of being promoted. This compares to 51% among other workers.

Given the deep reach of the recession, it’s not surprising that economic worries are top of mind with Gen Y. A mobile survey of over three hundred 18-24 year olds reported this week by Engage Gen Y revealed the overwhelming concern is “The Future. College. Jobs. The Economy“’.  One 24-year-old male said: “Jobs and our future are a big concern. We are a really talented bunch that just happens to be at the height of our ambition at the exact time the economy is hurting.” This finding was confirmed by a recent Harvard poll (reported by Don Tapscott’s blog).

“The economy is unquestionably the top national issue of concern for young people today.  Almost half of 18-29-year olds today (48%) say economic issues are their foremost concern, more than double the second highest issue (health care: 21%) and nearly five times the third highest (War: 10%).”

With sentiment this strong, it won’t be long before Millennials start to direct some of their influence, clout and energy toward Washington.

Obama came into office  on a wave of Millennial optimism and good feeling. While Gen Y so far as remained fairly silent about his performance, the Harvard poll suggests they are losing confidence in the government’s ability to resuscitate the economy:  “More young Americans now believe that the government’s efforts will hurt (30%) rather than help (26%) their financial situation. The majority, 41 percent, say these efforts will have no impact.” John Della Volpe, the Director of Polling for the Institute of Politics at Harvard,  says the numbers show that “If nothing else, this generation is fiercely independent and should not be taken for granted. Young people are no longer outliers — their opinions of Obama fall in line with rest of USA.”

For many Millennials, who in addition to unemployment are suffering from crushing college debt, jobs alone will not be enough to right their financial ships any time soon.

The average debt for a graduate is now $23,000. Many also have credit card debt exceeding $3,000.  Without relief from the burden of hundreds or thousands of dollars a month in loan repayments, it will be difficult to get their lives moving forward again. Little wonder a Vanguard blog recently christened Gen Y, ‘Gen D for ‘Debt’. The impact of the double whammy of no job and high debt is millions of lives set on hold. According to a study by Alliance Bernstein, 34% of those who graduated with college debt have had to sell personal possessions to make ends meet. More significantly for our collective economic recovery, they are deferring the usual life events that trigger spending and economic growth: 18% have delayed getting married, 44% have delayed purchasing a house, and 28% have delayed having children (see chart). Other deferments include medical procedures, home repairs, car repairs and more.

Source: Alliance Bernstein

Coincidentally, According to the U.S. Department of Education , the total outstanding federal student loan debt exceeds $500 billion.  

That number sounds a lot like the kind of numbers we hear when Washington talks about the economic stimulus. I recently posed a question to Paul Solman, the financial journalist for NPR’s NewsHour via Twitter and their web site:

“Question: Why isn’t some of the stimulus money being earmarked for college debt forgiveness, which would put money in the pockets of those most likely to spend it?”

 He replied that it had been considered and shouldn’t be ruled out, but the idea currently has no momentum. That tells me it may not be such a dumb idea after all….

I am a marketer, not an economist or  politician. But it seems to me that a transfer of funds from the government to loan programswould be less complicated and surer to work than costly ’jobs creation’ programs.

The impact of this action on Millennials would be immediate. Once released from the increasingly desperate burden of finding a job and paying down debt, this creative generation could set about generating new businesses, jobs and and economic activity. Unlike the rest of us who would be likely to save a windfall,  Gen Y would spend it — smartly — for the benefit of all.

That’s my big idea. Gen Y, what do you think? Are you ready to mobilize?

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

Where you are will define who you are

A video conversation between digital marketing gurus, Simon Mainwaring and Rishad Tobaccowala caught my ear today. They were discussing the notion that for marketers, at least,  “Where you are will increasingly define who you are“.

We were long ago untethered from our landline phones and TV sets. Now, with everyone connected everywhere / all the time, where you are does have a much greater importance and influence on what is relevant. Where you are and  who you are with are relatively new factors for marketers to consider when creating  communications.  

Mainwaring puts it this way: “..suddenly, whether we’re in the office, a coffee shop, whether we’re at the beach, whether we’re at our friend’s house or outside the movies will have a huge impact on the type of information we share and the type of information we absorb or choose to listen to on behalf of brands.”  Tobaccowala explains the marketing implications of mobility this way:

“I think where you are will play and increasingly bigger and bigger role in defining who you are…and what you are interested in particularly for marketers because mobility is where real time and social come together. You have companies like Four Square and a lot of others who are starting to leverage that. What it does mean for a marketer is to provide just in time utilities and services rather than advertising because you are open for certain things at a particular stage in time and that time increasingly will be defined by where you are located.”

A new multigenerational study from Motorola found the desire to be constantly connected knows no age limit. Millennials (80 percent), Gen Xers (78 percent) and Boomers (78 percent) are equal in their desire to be constantly connected. According to the report, connectivity is now more of a lifestyle issue, and being accessible at all times is seen as a necessity across generations (Millennials, 79 percent; Gen Xers, 64 percent; Boomers, 65 percent). It’s not only a necessity, it’s something they really like and enjoy.  Rather than finding it stressful, many even find it ‘relaxing’:

The ability to connect wherever you are has become an essential component of daily life. In fact, seven in 10 Americans (70 percent) feel it’s “important for me to always be accessible,” and nearly eight in 10 (78 percent) feel they are constantly connected with family, friends and colleagues, regardless of physical location. This level of access gives Americans the freedom to better prioritize and blend different aspects of their lives. Rather than feel stifled by their constant availability, Americans admit that being connected makes them feel relaxed and confident.

In spite of their everyday use of technology, 70 percent of those surveyed are still excited by the ability to live a connected lifestyle and, regardless of where they are, have become reliant on the ability to access and share content, including video images, anytime, anywhere. Sixty-six percent of Americans expect to be able to access the same content no matter where they are.

While 24/7 connectivity is becoming a way of life for everyone, it has been true of Millennials for some time now. With their fluid sense of space and time, they reason, why do something in the office when it can be done just as well and more efficiently someplace else? Why spend time pre-researching a purchase when you can do on the spot? Why worry about gathering recommendations ahead of time when they are always available, in the moment?

According to Mainwaring, smart phones are becoming ‘the hub of our communications’.  I know this is true for me. I rarely carry my laptop around anymore, now that I can surf, blog, tweet, and email from my iphone. Yesterday I stopped to get air in my tires, but was delayed unexpectedly when they found a nail in one of the tires. What normally would have been a wasted hour of inconvenience reading old magazines and watching CNN now barely made a ripple in my day. What kind of communication opportunity did that hour represent for a tire marketer? The mind races.

As a marketer, these are indeed exciting times.

This is a true story. My roommate in grad school at Michigan State decided to do her Industrial/Organizational Psychology master’s thesis on the topic of procrastination. She never graduated. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

Everyone deals with procrastination — some better than others. Our 24/7 , multi-tasking world may aggravate our natural tendencies by providing more distractions, more ‘urgent priorities’, and more alternatives for our limited time and attention. Indeed, sometimes I get more done by procrastinating a larger task by completing lesser ones — like cleaning, straightening, paying bills and making phone calls. Those are all important, too, right?

The point this rationalization misses is that procrastination ultimately exacts its price – in lost sleep, in stress and most distressingly in quality of output.

As a college professor, I work hard to provide incentives to students to keep up with the work. They all have great intentions, but my experience is thatfor many, the bulk of the reading and work is done in a few sleepless nights before each due date. Believe me it usually shows. There is a world of difference between a thought through, polished and well-researched paper and one assembled on the fly. Pleas for extensions are never entertained, as it is unfair to the more planful students.

Dan Ariely, an MIT professor and author of Predictability Irrational, reports similar experiences. He asks: ”Why do family tragedies generally occur during the last two weeks of the semester?” One year, he and colleague worked up a few studies using Consumer Behavior classes as guinea pigs.  Each of three classes was given a different set of expectations and deadlines for the same work, three main papers that would constitute much of the final grade.

Class 1: Students commit to their own deadline for each paper. Once it, they can’t be changed. Late papers would be penalized at the rate of one percent off the grade for each day late.

Class 2: No deadlines. All three papers due by the last class. Papers can be turned in early,but there is no grade benefit for doing so.

Class 3: Dictated deadlines, set at the fourth, eighth and twelfth weeks.

Which class do you think got the best grades? The class with the externally imposed firm deadlines, of course. The worst performing class? The one with no deadlines at all. The self-imposed deadlines class finished in the middle, although those who spaced their deadlines substantially got nearly as good grades as the students in the dictated deadlines class. Ariely concluded that “without properly spaced deadlines the final work was generally rushed and poorly written (even without the extra penalty of one percent off the grade for each day of delay)”.

While I won’t single out Millennials, there is evidence (from Industrial Psychologists) that procrastination is getting worse both at work and at home, and technology may be to blame.

“After 10 years of research on a project that was only supposed to take five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier. … In 1978, only about 5 percent of the American public thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators. Now it’s 26 percent. And why not? There are so many fun ways to kill time — TVs in every room, online video, Web-surfing, cell phones, video games, iPods and Blackberries. At work, e-mail, the Internet and games are just a click away, making procrastination effortless.”

Millennials are often referred to as the “connected generation”.  They think of themselves as the ‘busy generation’. They honestly believe tha their lives are busier than students in the past, although this has not been factually proven, and there is even some evidence to the contrary. Last year on this day I reported that today’s high school students actually spend 20% less time on homework than they did in 1975. Studies of generational differences in time use show 18-24 year olds spend significantly more time playing sports, reading, and pursuing ‘other interests’ than older cohorts.

Instead it has more to do with a desire to ‘do more’ and ‘experience everything’. As I observe my own teenage children and students struggle to manage their time and deadlines, I worry they are not learning to prioritize and pace themselves. If they can’t figure out how to manage their time, Millennials may become known as the generation that does everything ‘pretty well’. 

Meanwhile, I’ll be using a lot of well-spaced, dictated deadlines in my syllabus next semester.

No Goody Two Shoes?

Don’t let the body art fool you…. According to a new nationwide study released  by the Girl Scouts USA, kids today are more upstanding than their counterparts 20 years ago.

• 62 percent surveyed in 2009 say they would not cheat on a test compared to about half in 1989.
• 58 percent say they would refuse an alcoholic drink if offered one at a party compared to 46 percent in 1989.
• Only 18 percent say they believe smoking is acceptable if a person finds it enjoyable. In 1989, more than a quarter  thought smoking was acceptable.
• One third of teenagers say they intend to wait until they are married to have sex compared to less than a quarter (24 percent) in 1989.
• 59% percent of teenagers agree with the statement, “Gay and lesbian relationships are OK, if that is a person’s choice.” Only 31 percent agreed in 1989.
• 59 percent say that being around people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is important to them. (This question was not asked in 1989.)
• Compared to 20 years ago, youth today are more likely to say they intend to vote in the future (84 percent vs. 77 percent),
• 76 percent say they will give to charity vs. 63 percent in 1989. Some 79 percent say they will volunteer in their communities.

The best news is that behavior seems to be lining up with reality. Teen births have dropped by almost a third since the beginning of the 1990s; drug use is down, voting is up.  Pretty soon, adults will have nothing to complain about when they talk about “kids today!”

None of this will come as news to Wendy Shalit, author of a book I read last year, “Girls Gone Mild“ (which was recently republished as ”The Good Girl Revolution: Young Rebels with Self-Esteem and High Standards”).  One of the more startling points in the book is that the mothers of many young women are more likely to be pushing their daughters to be more sexual than they themselves find comfortable. A New York Daily News op ed last summer she wrote in response to Miley Cyrus’ Vanity Fair appearance  was titled “Why Miley Cyrus is Stripping Down As She Is Growing Up.” She wrote:

“Ironically, it’s Miley’s younger fans who are acting more mature. They are screaming not for stilettos and cleavage but to hear her inspirational hit “The Climb,” which encourages them to be themselves and “keep the faith.” Despite all the self-serving banter about her “taking the wheel” by disrobing, the truth is that a confident, modest Miley would be far more rebellious than a Miley who takes the usual route of pornification.”

What do you think? Are young people today more clean cut than their parents were?