Was the Featherbone Parlor a forerunner of NikeTown and the Apple Store?
Was the Featherbone Parlor a forerunner of NikeTown and the Apple Store?
There’s a myth that Millennials don’t like marketing and are indifferent to brands.
The reality is, as my friend Rishad Tobaccowala reminded me last week, that Millennials are ‘besotted with brands‘. While that may seem like a strong choice of words, he isn’t far off the mark. It’s easy to engage a Millennial in a conversation about brands. They love to talk about what their favorite brands are doing, as the buzz about Old Spice Guy and Nike’s World Cup marketing attests. They understand the ‘language’ of brands and the role they play in communicating about culture. And many choose to friend or follow their favorite brands in social media so they can stay up to date on the latest news or provide their feedback. Insider information about brands is strong social currency.
What Millennials actually dislike is interruptive advertising.
This is traditional advertising that is designed to appear everywhere and anywhere, irregardless of context, without personalization, with the single goal of gaining awareness and conveying an idea that may or may not have any relevance to the person seeing it at the moment. This type of advertising is becoming less and less effective because Gen Y (and others) don’t see any reason why they should put up with it and — and don’t.
As marketers look for new ways to engage empowered consumers, ironically they are returning to the origins of marketing. Marketers are finding ways to add value that may have nothing to do with purchase, but everything to do with making consumer’s lives more informed, more interesting, or more convenient. This is marketing that aims to get noticed, even engaged with, by promising that the marketing itself will improve consumers’ lives.
The book having the greatest impact on my thinking at present is Bob Gilbreath’s, The Next Evolution of Marketing: Marketing with Meaning. Gilbreath points out that there’s nothing new about thinking about brands as offering real service and real value independent of purchase. He points out that David Ogilvy’s first ad for Guinness was a reference guide to selecting oysters. The 100-year-old Michelin guide was originally a travel guide for car owners in France ‘complete with information about auto maintenance, lodging, restrooms, and restaurants’ that created awareness for its tires and emboldened consumers to take to the roads. Betty Crocker cook books helped consumers try new recipes and gave them confidence in the kitchen.
Gilbreath believes that the answer to today’s challenge of consumer avoidance of ‘interruptive’ marketing tactics is to return to meaningful approaches like these that connect brands more directly to their target audiences.
I think he’s right. We could learn from these old school marketers. Here’s another example, dating back to the 1880’s. Warren Featherstone was the inventor of the ‘featherbone stay’, a replacement for whalebone stays in corsets created from by-products from the manufacture of feather dusters. Featherstone knew a thing or two about branded utility and community building.
“Featherbone Parlors were established in major cities and fashion shows were held to demonstrate the latest uses of featherbone to customers. With changing fashion styles, Warren kept adding new products and promotional campaigns. Featherbone bustles, bust extenders, featherbone-stiffened fabric, different weights and widths of feather bones, collar and belt foundations were among the new features offered. Promotions included instruction booklets and in 1893 Warren began publishing the Featherbone Magazinette for distribution to dressmakers and retailers plus advertisements in Ladies Home Journal and other women’s magazines. To further reach the home market and dressmaker, Warren patented and market a featherboning attachment for the home sewing machine in 1895. This 3-1/8″ long attachment mounted on the bed of the sewing machine and aided in the insertion of featherbone or stay.” – http://www.fabrics.net/joan905.asp
Think of the ‘featherboning attachment’ as an app and the ‘Featherbone Parlor’ as a 19th Century Apple Store, you can see just how far, or little, we’ve come from those early days. But there’s more. Warren Featherbone also understood the power of philanthropy. In 1917 he “acted on his vision to help create a better world for future generations by establishing the Warren Featherbone Foundation.” The foundation was intended to establish new methods for everyday people to engage in philanthropy. and led directly to the donation of properties for parklands and wilderness areas in the State of Michigan, known as Warren Dunes State Park and Warren Woods.
As we move from an interruptive model to an engagement model for marketing and brand building, brand strategies will also need to evolve, and perhaps what was old will be new again.
Marketers are investigating the power of ’branded utility’, ‘community building’, ‘user generated content’ and new forms of ’cause marketing’ as means for adding value and meaning to their brands.
We may look back and see the ‘Mad Men’ era of mass media as the exception, not the rule in the evolution of marketing.
For some great examples of campaigns that made participation the goal, see “Five Fantastic Campaigns that Put Digital First” by Jim Nichols of Catalyst.
At over 80 million strong, Millennials are a consumer market force today and will be even more important in the future. According to Alloy Media, the college market alone is made up of a record 16 million young adults with collective economic power of over $300 billion, $69 billion of which is discretionary. Yet economic clout is only the the most rudimentary reason marketers should be paying attention to this cohort. Young adults today have greater influence on consumer behavior than their enormous spending power even suggests.
The main reason Millennials matter to marketers is that they indicate future trends to a greater degree than young adults in the past. Here are a few reasons why:
- Technology proficiency has empowered Millennials to weild a disproportionate influence on the culture and on the buying decisions of other generations.
- Millennials are the first to put new technologies to use to make the most of their media time.
- Gen Y’ers are less impulsive shoppesr. They place a priority on experiences rather than possessions, and are more likely to make every purchase a considered one.
- Gen Y’ers also display a distinct generational “personality” when it comes to responding to marketing programs and messages. Consequently, push marketing is on its way out, the new marketing is all about engagement, and much of the shift is due to Millennials.
- Finally, Gen Y cares more about the company behind the products they buy and the places they work. Corporate branding and brand architecture are more important than they have been in the past.
Here are a few of the Millennials trends I have been seeing lately. I wonder how many will move mainstream?
1. TV is escaping the home. Many Millennials are talking about cancelling their cable subscription in favor of seeing shows via their Internet connection or on their mobile devices.
2. Nostalgia is Cool. Maybe it started with Toy Story 3 but Millennials are reconnecting with their childhoods.
3. Facebook Fatigue. Facebook fatigue has begun, or perhaps there are just better options now for connecting with friends. Long live text! (Until something better comes along).
5. Byte Sized: Posts are shorter. Texts are shorter. No one reads to the end.
6. Who Needs a Car? Many are forgoing a car in favor of less expensive and more environmentally conscious transportation.
7. Let’s Be Spontaneous! Last minute travel. Last minute dining. Who needs to plan? Text me!
What are you seeing? What trends are hot? What else is about to jump the shark?
Financial services are waking up to the potential of Gen Y consumers. Millennials may not have a lot of money now, but they are determined to pay down their debt and conserve resources for the future. Coming of age in an era of massive financial uncertainty, they may even come to be known as “Gen Frugal”.
That’s good news for community banks and credit unions which are all about helping moderate income people responsibly manage their own money.
Last week I was interviewed by Myriam DiGiovanni of the Credit Union Times. She wrote an article titled “Forget the Cool Factor, Focus on Millennials’ Needs” based on our talk. Here the full article (bold face mine):
Looking to engage meaningfully with younger consumers? Then stop assuming and start connecting through a common interest rather than trying to sell credit unions. “I think the main difference in marketing to Millennials and other generations is that they have great filters–they only see what they want to see. If you want to engage them, the message can’t be about brand but rather something they care about,” said Carol Phillips, president of consulting firm, Brand Amplitude, LLC. “It’s not about being hip but providing services they find useful now, like finding a job, figuring out how to finance their education or new business. They are starting out their lives at a difficult time and credit unions should credibly speak to that.”
She added that credit unions shouldn’t fall for the stereotypical myths surrounding this group such as they are all tech savvy–they are in fact tech dependent. Another myth is that they have money–many don’t and those that do are in saving mode or paying down debt said Phillips.
Forget about making the luxury appeal. When pricier purchases are made they tend to rationalize it based on whether it’s a good investment. According to Philips, for example, moving in with their parents is not viewed as an admission of defeat. Rather they see it as a strategy for saving.
Don’t look to the exclusive use of social media as a guaranteed in either. While they are very social, Millennials have close bonds with their parents, often consulting them regarding financial matters or major life decisions. Phillips said it’s yet another challenge because typically you’d market to the buying group, which in this case would include their trusted board of advisors consisting of parents, family members and friends. The key is for credit union to reach out and be a part of their world, and Phillips said initiating a conversation is a good start. Given the age span of the group is from 16 to 30 years old, she also advised credit unions to segment by interests. From there, credit unions can figure out how to connect in interesting ways whether around careers, music, causes or even sponsoring events that matter to them rather than talking about the latest checking product.
“Meaningful connecting requires recognizing that they are not the same as their parents. They do not respond to marketing, and that is the definition of different,” said Phillips. “Take time to understand who they are as people and introduce your services in context of what is relevant to them. Social media is about a humanization of the brand but is still just a tool [and] not a strategy. So be interesting, have a conversation.”
She added their values are no different than previous generations-they care about family, leading a good life, finding a fulfilling job and they want to give back.
One bank that seems to be getting it right with young adults is UMPQUA, a fast growing regional community bank in California, Oregon and Washington.
Their web site looks more like an ecommerce site than a traditional bank and they call their branches ‘stores’. The language is plain English and yet stylish. The checking account featured on the home page is called HIP( for High Interest Paperless Checking) and offers 2% APR on deposits and returns ATM fees. Nothing tricky about that! News is broken out locally and is called ‘murmurs’. There are quick links to ‘deals and steals’, ‘reorder checks and supplies’ and ‘attend a neighborhood event’. The navigation is straightforward as well and feels like you could do everything you need to do from opening an account to managing it to taking a loan, right from the web. There are spam alerts and interesting discussions. The site is very sticky and feels quite local, despite being spread across three states.
The short, awareness-oriented TV spots featured on the home page are cheerful, and perky, and not very ‘bank-like’ — “Bank on the Bright Side“, “Optimists Unite“, “Pursue Hopefulness“, ”You deposit your check in the Northwest economy, like a gentle rain in a garden of courage“, “Optimists are just realists ahead of their time“. The graphics and the voice over work together to create a hopeful feeling. I feel better just listening to them!
The part of the website I like best is under the tab heading ‘UMPQUA Life”. The sub categories speak directly to Millennial lives – Support, Belong, Discover, Inspire. The sub-subcategories further emphasize local charitable and volunteer opportunities, neighborhood events and community responsibility. There are links to social media like Twitter, but they are discreet. The site itself already feels like a social media site. Even the history page is fun, with just the right information about the banks’ origins with emphasis on what it is doing in the community with music, eco-friendly programs and being included in Fortune’s Best companies to work for.
It should be noted that UMPQUA’s products are not all that special. But, they are presented in a relevant and very accessible way that speaks directly to the Millennial mindset.
I suspect UMPQUA has been successful in attracting a higher than usual percentage of young adults and people who want banking to be less stuffy and more a seamless part of their lives. Other banks and credit unions could learn from their example.
Gen Y has already given birth to more than 13 million babies and is expected to produce more children than baby boomers. Right now, Millennial Moms are of great interest to marketers of baby products, toys, apparel, eating out, books, food, and more.
I’ve recently come across two terrific reports that describe Millennial Moms. The first, “Millennial Moms 101″, (PDF) from Mr. Youth Agency, says they are a lot like college students – connected, multi-tasking and technology dependent. The second, “Marketing to Millennial Moms“, (slideshare, see above) from Matrix Media FX, provides several mini-case histories of how marketers have connected online. I’m not going to summarize these decks as they are both easily skimmable and so graphically well designed, that they are worth reading if this is a topic of interest.
Both reports emphasize the two groups large influence and propensity to share, learn and even ‘overshare’ online, in communities through social media networks. This is not a surprise. What is more of a surprise to me is the intersection between Millennial Moms’ online and offline worlds.
Moms Want High Tech AND High Touch
Last week I had the pleasure of hearing, then meeting, Scott Heiferman, (@heif) Co-Founder and President of MeetUp, a site that allows people to find and meet with others in their area who share common interests. According to Heiferman, there are 79,000 groups hosting 250,000 meetups every month. The number one shared interest? parenting issues! There are 105 meet up groups classified as “Moms” within 10 miles of my home in Oak Park, IL. And this despite the fact that 2/3′s of moms are the primary or co-breadwinners for their families and will be the first to tell you “I have no time!“.
At Ad:Tech I heard another group, HouseParty, speak about some work they are doing with Kimberly Clark. This project helped Moms host 5000 parties in their own homes where they encouraged each other around the topic of potty training in a ‘fun social environment’. Moms were selected to host the parties based on applications submitted to a microsite. HouseParty provided everything they needed to create a fun and useful time, including of course samples and a potty training ritual called “Do the Potty Dance” based on their Pull-Ups TV spots.
Stores provide a natural venue for bringing Moms together. Outdoor retailer Bass Pro, perhaps taking its cue from the success of American Girl, has created an ‘experiential’ program called “Family Summer Camp“. Now in its second year, the program is designed to “build a community for outdoor-loving consumers”. The camps are offered at 56 locations.
Marketers would do well to remember that connecting Moms online is great, but they also need real world support. Programs like these provide an opportunity to help facilitate the conversations and real world encounters socially oriented Millennial Moms crave.
I attended two conferences in June, the iMedia Brand Summit in Miami and the Edelman New Media Academic Summit in New York. The titles of these conferences sound a lot alike, but the focus of the two events was entirely different.
I struggle to find the right language for describing the difference, as both are part of the big umbrella known as ‘online marketing’. Perhaps the safest way to describe the differences is that one event was more focused on influencing consumer behavior and attitudes while the other was focused on influencing consumer public engagement or conversation. The first event was more about paid media while the second was more about content and journalism. Social media, however, was a key topic at both.
Attending both events back to back served to highlight an important debate: Is social media part of ‘digital marketing’ or is it an extension of ‘public relations’?
The question is not an insignificant one. If social media is an extension of online consumer marketing in the tradition of online advertising, SEO, and email marketing, it will have a different set of tools and practitioners than if it is an extension of the traditional public relations platforms for communicating with ‘stakeholder’ groups, only some of which are customers. It has implications for how (and in what department) we teach social media and the skills required to manage it on behalf of clients.
Even more significantly, how a firm answers this question for itself has important implications for organizational structure, agency relationships, brand ownership and resource allocation. Is social media a corporate function or a brand building function? Are its goals primarily reputational? Or are they intended to drive loyal customer behavior and sales?
Two new reports issued this week suggest marketers are struggling to use social media as a means of driving business results.
McKinsey Quarterly Report, “Unlocking the Elusive Potential of Social Networks“
There is much hype about social networks and their potential impact on marketing, so many companies are diligently establishing presences on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. Yet the true value of social networks remains unclear, and while common wisdom suggests that they should be tremendous enablers and amplifiers of word of mouth, few consumer companies have unlocked this potential. At Liberty Interactive, which comprises many specialty e-commerce companies, we wrestle daily with the question of how to realize the promise of social networks.
Digital Brand Expressions: “Social Media Without a Parachute” June 2010
While 78% percent of (businesses surveyed) said they are using social media, only 41% of them said they have a strategic plan in place for their social media usage, leaving close to 60% without a game plan for their social media activities. Seventy-one percent of respondents with a plan (71%) indicate they use social media for public relations communications, and 55% say that they use social media for sales-related activities. Only 16% say their HR team is using social media for recruiting, employee retention, training and development, etc. Just 26% use it for customer service.
Until recently, there has been little research on the ‘value’ of a ‘fan’. Syncapse recently published what I believe is the first economic case for gaining fans or followers on Facebook. The research shows fans are more valuable than non-fans (control group) in terms of purchasing, loyalty and propensity to recommend. Yet results varied widely by brand. At an average lift of $72 per fan, one still has to question the value of a fan in purely economic or ROI terms.
In some ways this debate – PR vs. online marketing – simply aggravates a debate that has been going on for a long time, that is ‘who owns the brand’? Or phrased another way, who has responsibility for building brand equity?
Traditionally this has been the role of the brand manager or CMO. The strategies for creating and sustaining brand relationships were originated in the brand group and coordinated through marketing, primarily with the assistance of a general purpose advertising agency supplemented by specialty marketing firms. Marketing PR (MPR) was part of the integrated approach, but rarely lead the parade, unless the consumer and corporate brand were one in the same. Corporate brands or ‘reputation’ issues were handled at a different level and often worked closely with PR firms.
However, with social media the lines are becoming blurred. Where the brand starts and the corporation begins is not as clear as it once was. Brand issues on social media can quickly become corporate ones, as companies involved in recalls or customer service issues have learned. There are nagging questions of who is empowered to speak on behalf of the brand and the risks of saying too much.
What concerns me about the debate about where social media fits is the potential for it to become disconnected from marketing.
Indeed, it was telling how seldom the word ‘marketing’ came up at the New Media Summit. The Gen Y marketers from Edelman who participated in a panel discussion revealed that they wished they had learned more about ‘business’ during their college careers. However, they readily shared that they do not think of themselves ‘as marketers’ but as something ‘bigger than marketing’ – the corporate reputation or brand. (Huh?) In contrast, the Gen Y digital marketers I speak with who are active in SEO, email marketing, web site design, etc. think of themselves as marketers.
Richard Edelman proclaimed at the New Media summit that PR is now ‘the organizing force’ for public engagement’, in that PR provides the ‘galvanizing ideas’ that forms the ‘runway’ for other efforts, rather than something that ‘piggybacked’ on content and ideas created by advertising.
“We should aim for measurable outcomes beyond media impressions and advertising equivalencies, including Building Trust, Changing Behaviors, Deeper Communities and Delivering Commercial Benefit. At the same time we must draw a clear line between journalism and public relations, as we rely on a discerning media sector as a cornerstone of our work. We will proceed along two dimensions—to encompass a broader set of media options, from Mainstream to New to Social to Owned; and engage stakeholders in deeper, long-term social relationships, as all communications become public. In this way, PR can assume its proper role as the organizing principle for strategy and communications. – Richard W. Edelman, “Public Engagement; The Third Way”
Like advertising, direct mail or traditional PR, social media is a way to get attention for your brand, engage customers and to build brand relationships. But unlike advertising, direct mail or traditional PR, it is not clear yet how to effectively link social media strategy to brand strategy. If a brand is going to have a conversation with customers, the brand strategy needs to specify what that conversation is about and its purpose. Furthermore, brand conversations are not free, so they will have to be paid for out of dollars that could be allocated elsewhere. That means those dollars ultimately will have to be accountable for more than simply generating goodwill.
I don’t have the answers, but I think the question is one worth pondering. If social media is primarily a means for engaging stakeholders, only some of whom are customers, in conversation that builds brand reputation, then it is more of a corporate function and PR should lead. However, if social media is a brand engagement tool for driving deeper relationships that result in tangible returns, then it is a marketing function.
If the answer is both (and according to the Brand Expressions research, this is the most likely answer) then processes will need to be developed that help marketers and communications managers define objectives, allocate resources, clarify responsibilities and develop processes for making the most of social media.
Yesterday I shared portions of a remarkable Twitter chat among 45 Gen Y’ers on the topic of the “American Dream”. Today, I’m going to share the rest of that conversation where they discussed what it means to have a good life. The conversation took place over an hour using the hashtag #genYchat and included contributions from 45 different people.
The overall take away is that while Millennials still relate strongly to the idea of a “dream” of limitless possibilities, they also are in the process of redefining those possibilities in a less material and more experiential/personal way.
Some of the redefinition is a rejection of what they in the lives of their parents. Some is simply part of a deeper desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, the nation or the world. Many defined success in terms of affirmation from peers, others defined it in terms of greater satisfaction from work or ‘happiness’.
@GenyChat: Q2. Do you believe that there are generational differences in how personal and material success are defined?
@kelly_ashworth: Absolutely! I think GenY will be less focused on $ which failed for many of our parents and more focused on happiness.
@malapropicninny: Heck yes. As GenY, I’d like to have a nest egg, but if I’m working & doing something I love, I don’t mind the lifelong grind!
@josippetrusa: Definitely, how gen-y appears to the world both online and in person “defines” our perceived success
@steve_campbell: Definitely. Gen Y doesn’t necessarily care about following a set path to find happiness.
@Outlaw_Inc: Yes. GenY’s success = having the freedom and flexibility to pursue passions, have great experiences.
@steve_campbell: I’d say we definitely worry about our future less than our parents do 
Not to say we don’t care, but we’re not overly worried
@NahumG: Let’s see..if the American Dream is supposed to be living on your own with a career and great family I’m on my way, but it’s taking a LOT longer than I thought it would take to get there.
@E_Hanson: We’re more focused on doing what truly makes us happy and experiencing everything we possibly can.
@steve_campbell: I agree. Experiences seem to be a bigger part of our lives.
@niltiac: Definitions of ‘success’ have changed over time. The Baby Boomers who started that process, Gen X and Y continue it.
@kelly_ashworth: I think we have a belief that it will work out, and we’ll figure it out along the way… ties into our optimism
@WriterChanelle: Are those the trappings of success for us, though? I just want a place of my own and a car.
@josippetrusa: Not so much a trapping of our own but something that we have put into believing
@GenerationMeh: Interesting! I see a lot of worry/angst/second guessing, maybe more about self-worth than $, though.
@daniellewriter: For me, success is liking my job, not how big my paycheck is.
@steve_campbell: Familiarity with technology helps with our vision of how the world works too, which lessens worry
@josippetrusa: When someone RTs an article I’ve written, that’s what I see as “successful”
@WriterChanelle: *Deep sigh* YES!! I’ll take a Google Alert with my post showing up over a BMW
@TylerDurbin: Amen!
@josippetrusa: When you [@WriterChanelle] notified me that one day when my article came up, biggest smile ever!!
@WriterChanelle: It’s GenY’s “having your name in lights” re: Google Alert
I’m particularly fascinated by the last few remarks as they are less about ‘fame’ than about affirmation. Your name in lights re: Google is not exactly the world’s definition of success, but it appears to be a meaningful yardstick for these Gen Y’ers.
Last week, Jenny Blake, the blogger behind “Life After College” announced in her blog that she had landed a book deal. The excitement was contagious. Here’s how she described her feelings a few days later. Note the focus is on her immediate ‘supporters’ – one senses this is the group that truly matters to her:
I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Partly because of the book deal, but partly because I got propped up by a small army of support these last two weeks by having all of you celebrate with me. Every tweet, text, email, call, facebook note, hug and high-five just filled me to the brim with gratitude. This book finally feels real — thanks to you.
Experiences are better when they are shared.
I think of Jenny’s response as quintessentially ‘Millennial’ – team oriented, collaborative and authentic. For marketers, this insight could be potentially quite profound. Social media is not just about ‘communicating’ with friends, it is about ‘connecting’. Marketers who provide affirmation, as well as information, will find it easier to fit into the lives of Millennials and their idea of success.
How can your brand provide the ‘high fives’ and ‘five minutes of fame’ Millennials value?
Millennials are different from other age groups and from other generations at the same age in three ways.
More diverse demographically
More at ease with digital and communications technology
More optimistic outlook
The third difference, ‘optimism’, may be their most defining characteristic Why? Bcause values ultimately guide and predict behavior.
Pre-recession, study after study in the U.S. and globally, reported that Millennials may be the most optimistic generation to date. And why not? Born into a period of unprecedented prosperity, into child-centric families who regarded children as minor royals, and into a period of exploding technology, Millennials are endowed with an unprecedented sense of empowerment. For these children of the new Millennium, anything is possible.
A fascinating book by Clotaire Rapaille, The Culture Code, describes the power of the American Dream this way: “We’ve built our [American] culture on dreamlike stories that, amazingly, are true.” It is this faith in the possibility of dreams that makes America so influential in the world. Who wouldn’t want to believe that anything is possible, that mistakes are simply ways we learn and precursors to eventual success?
For Millennials, the American Dream is very much alive, even in the midst of the Recession.
Pew Research has been tracking attitudes of Gen X’ers and Gen Y’ers for many years. They recently reported that “Today’s employed young people are actually somewhat more optimistic about their economic future than Gen Xers were when they were young.” (“Millennials Confident. Connected. Open to Change”, February 2010) Even more startling, Pew found the overall level of optimism among Millennials about their personal economic future today is higher than it was in 2006!
“Even though the recession has been hard on young people, it has not dimmed their optimism. About two-thirds of Millennials (68%) say they are not earning enough money to live the kind of life they want. However, within that group the vast majority (88%) say they expect to earn enough in the future to live the good life. That is significantly higher than the percentage of Gen Xers (76%) or Baby Boomers (46%) who share this hopeful view.”
The same pattern holds for their optimism about the overall state of the nation. While their opinion has held steady, dissatisfaction among older consumers means the gap between generations is wider than it’s been in 20 years due, at least in part, to widespread dissatisfaction among those 65 and older.
What does the American dream mean to a Millennial?
This question was asked last week in a fascinating Twitter Chat hosted by a member of our Gen Y Marketers “Super Community”, Chanelle Schneider (aka @writerchanelle and @genYchat) and co-hosted by J. Maureen Henderson (aka @generationmeh). The discussion evoked 436 tweets from 45 contributors. The responses suggests the concept of ‘dream’ is one that Millennials strongly relate to.
@GenYChat: What ideas or associations does the term “American Dream” conjure up for you?
@tylerdurbin The American Dream is having the freedom to explore any and all opportunities we desire. ‘Nuff said. Chat over.
@josippetrusa: Gen-Y is reinventing it. Gen Y is a generation based on dreams.
@WriterChanelle; American dream is freedom and opportunities
@nahumg: GenY wants to live dream lifestyle now rather workin a lifetime to get it
@tylerdurbin: If we work now can we not have things we want?
@daniellewriter: American dream is meritocracy-if you work hard enough, you cam have it all
@GenerationMeh: Great summation!
@kelly_ashworth: I think we have to fight harder and have more of a plan… opportunity is not there waiting & won’t just fall into place
@GenerationMeh: But what constitutes a “dream lifestyle”?
@josippetrusa: Depends, but gen-y would like a managerial job, a bmw and all the gimmicks of success.
@josippetrusa: The american dream has been changed to exemplify quick success that some have achieved from advances in technology. We are limitless.
@GenerationMeh: Idea of opp, potential & self-sufficiency as the ingredients for success is ingrained in American identity. Source of pride.
Tomorrow: How Gen Y is redefining the meaning of success.
Young people today watch more video in more different places other than traditional TV. This is hardly news.
Study after study has shown a dramatic shift, not in hours spent watching video, but where it is watched.
“Younger Viewers Watching More TV on the Web” – Retrevo 4.12.10 “According to a Retrevo “Pulse Report” of over 1,000 people regarding their TV viewing habits, 23% of people under the age of 25 watch most of their television content online compared with just 8% of people over the age of 25 watching most of their TV shows via the web.”
“Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 year old s” Kaiser Family Foundation Longitudinal research tracked changes in media use 1999-2009 via diary. Loaded with great charts on total media usage and how it breaks out by medium over time. Total hours spent with media has increased by over 2 hours due to multitasking. TV accounts for 4 hours 29 minutes a day, but only 59% (2 hours 39 minutes) is watched live.
“How Teens Watch: The Future of Media is in Their Hands: Nielsen 6.16.10 “12-24 year olds are more connected, more tech savvy, and more likely to use personal devices such as smartphones, laptops and other gadgets for video viewing. They are also less likely to watch traditional television. Teens living at home tend to watch more TV overall than 18-24 year olds busy with college or their first jobs. But the “first screen,” TV, is less central to both.”
But will this behavior shift persist as Gen Y ages?
The Nielsen research raises some interesting questions regarding whether this pattern away from traditional TV and toward time shifted TV or third screen is age and lifestyle related or generational. This may seem like hairsplitting, but actually is important. If the behavior is age and lifestyle related, they may revert back to traditional viewing with age. If it’s generational, however, we’re seeing something more fundamental.
Nielsen suggests the changes may, in fact, be more due to age. But I think it’s generational.
Let’s look closer at the Nielsen analysis. This gets a little convoluted, but bear with me (it helps to look at the chart above as well). According to Nielsen:
“The teens of 2001 watched less than 25 hours of television a week but by 2009 as they aged into 18-24s, they were watching 31 hours of television.
Even more dramatically, the young adults of 2001 watched less than 25 hours of television but watched more than 36 hours a week of television as they aged into the 25-35 cohort.”
This is compelling on the surface, but I think the comparisons are unfair. First, if you compare apples to apples – P18-24 in 2009 vs. P18-24 in 2001 – you see that the total hours of viewing have increased from under 25 per week to 31 per week in 2009. So the increase from P18-24 in 2001 to P25-34 in 2009 is consistent with the overall trend that indicates video watching in general is becoming more, not less, important.
Second, the Nielsen analysis doesn’t account for the fact that the media environment is exploding with options, making it difficult to predict how today’s 18-24′s will behave ten years from now. If the pattern of increased television holds, they will watch more, but that does not necessarily mean it will be on traditional television. ”Convergence” is something that has been predicted for a long time. Given the dramatic changes in time shifted and third screen viewing by Gen Y, it may actually come true sooner than we think. In my opinion, the changes indicate a generational shift. Those in traditional television should take little comfort in the Nielsen analysis.
Yesterday I talked about how to get Millennials’ attention online. Now, let’s assume you have it, how do you keep it, given all the competition?
The Internet is a modern day three ring circus: there’s something cool going on everywhere you look. According to Comscore, 45% of all page transitions are ‘link following’. Every web page offers multiple enticements to move on. To create interest, you must say something worth staying with, in other words ‘relevant’.
Keeping Gen Y’s attention in an environment defined by distraction requires being ‘interesting’.
Gen Y blogger, Meg Roberts, wrote an article titled “How I would market to myself’ in which she offers this advice:
“Focus on adding value rather than overloading on content. The best way to ensure we’re listening to your messages is to make them relevant to us. Learn why we’re in a given community, whether it’s Facebook or Twitter or an iPhone app, and speak to us without severely interrupting what we’re doing .”
Note the words “without severely interrupting”. When creating messages for Millennials, it’s important to ask whether or not the message meet the test of whether it’s worth interrupting.
If a friend wouldn’t interupt than a marketer shouldn’t either.
For Millennials, interruptions are the height of rudeness. There is a heirarchy of communications. A phone call is highly interruptive – and it’s little wonder that Millennials make very few phone calls. Phone calls are reserved for very important conversations, like telling your parents you need money or will be traveling to Puerto Rico rather than home for spring break. For less momentus communications, which is to say most communications, they rely on texts. A teen sends hundreds of texts a day. Texts are less intrusive than phone calls and yet still has urgency. Email is even less intrusive than texts. Email is used when a message is not time sensitive or does not require an immediate response.
Is it Relevant, Cool or Exciting?
Another test for relevance is whether a communication is ‘status update worthy’. As Gen y marketer and community member, Josip Petrusa, puts it this way:
“One thing we love to do is tell the world when something cool, great or exciting is happening to us. In a sense, we love to brag for attention. You’ll always hear about the vacation we’re going on, the sports event we’re going to, the movie we’re seeing, the concert we were at and I could go on and on. Make it something that will give me a reason to tell everyone else about it. A funny and ridiculous video-clip, a great experience or something that even seems exclusive, would all be status update worthy.” You have to reinvent cool, great and exciting.”
What’s In It for Me?
There is a myth that Millennials don’t like advertising. Actually this isn’t true. They like ads that are entertaining or funny, especially for brands they already love. They love the iPad, Axe and current Kindle ads. These are ads that give back something in return for attention.
The Associated Press (AP), a group with a vested interest in Millennials’ interest in news and ads, released a study in March that looked at ‘news ad fatigue’. The study took an in-depth, ethnographic approach that focused especially on people 18-34. The research concluded that consumers are “tired, even annoyed, by the current experience of advertising,” and that, as a result, “they don’t trust very much of it“.
Younger consumers, ages 18-34, want to be in the know, and two thirds think it’s important to be among the first to hear news compared with just 10 % of older people. Millennial consumption of news is actually increasing. According to Mckinsey the average person consumes 72 minutes of news a day, compared with just 60 minutes in 2006 and the increase was driven almost entirely by people under the age of 35.
Young adults have adopted ways of getting their news that are much different from those of past generations. Younger consumers are not only less reliant on the newspaper to get their news; they also consume news across a multitude of platforms and sources, all day, constantly. They also think of each other as their main news source.
Here’s a description of how “Mark”, a 28-year old manager of an online travel agency consumes media.
“Mark’s news cycle was continuous and he spent up to six hours a day searching for and receiving information. Mark was on the Internet most of the day and used that time to keep up to date on news coverage and sports-related information. Mark liked his news to be “punchy” and pointfocused. He read the headlines followed up online to “find out what’s happening” with stories that he wanted to track. Mark’s news consumption was related to other activities that he was engaged in and although he was actively consuming the news, it was almost always in tandem with other activities such as driving or working…
You may be surprised to learn, that brands do not do all that well in social media among Millennials. Only 12% have ‘friended ‘ a brand on Facebook. Only four brands on Facebook have more than five million ‘liking’ – only 16 have more than 1.5 million. 22% of Millennial use Twitter, a small number to begin with, but of those, only 29% follow companies. Friending a brand is a high hurdle. In terms of Facebook fans, the numbers are even lower. Just 2 brands have more than 5 million fans on Facebook, Starbucks and Coca-cola.
So what do they find relevant?
It will probably come as no surprise that the main reason to join a fan group on Twitter or Facebook is to get news or discounts. Here according to a Pace University study are the top reasons to fan a brand on Facebook:
- Getting news or product updates (67%)
- Having access to promotions (64%)
- Viewing or downloading music or videos (41%)
- Submitting opinions (36%)
- Connecting with other consumers (33%)
Meg Roberts concurs. Her blog post, “How I would Market to Myself”, goes on to offer this advice about ’free stuff’ and interating ‘conversatoinally’ with her favorite brands.
“We’re just out of college. Loan payments are becoming a harsh reality. If you want us to try out your brand, give us some free samples or coupon codes. Plus, if a company could build an entire online community based on the loyalty rewards system, I’d probably check it out to see what other users are saying about new products/sales/coupons/etc.”
“Don’t use social media as a billboard but as a telephone. Social media should be an interactive tool, and when your consumers speak, listen and respond. In my experience, the most successful Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages are those that go beyond simple @replies and wall posts. Ask questions, get our feedback, and implement changes. Everyone likes to have their ego stroked, right? Brand consumers, especially Gen Y ones, are no different. What feels better than having a company listen to reasonable, quality recommendations we’ve made?”
(This post is the second in a series about digital marketing to Millennials based on a speech given at iMedia Summit, Miami on June 15. Tomorrow: “What Do They Want? Tapping Into Desires”)
The foundation of brand equity is familiarity, and that starts with ‘hello’. Awareness is a critical first step in any brand relationship — unless you happen to subscribe to the power of subliminal advertising. It’s impossible to deliver any kind of message, let alone create engagement, interest or desire, without first gaining attention.
Are Millennials Attention Deficient?
With Millennials, earning attentions can also be the most challenging step in the communications model. Millennials spend their attention the way the rest of us doing money – very carefully. They are accused of having Attention Deficit Disorder. I disagree. They simply have superior Attention Deserving Detectors.
One of the characteristics that separates young adults from less digitally savvy older consumers is their remarkable filters for tuning out information they don’t want to hear.
This category of information includes alarm clocks, due dates, nagging parents, and negative feedback. It also includes advertisements. According to a study by the Participatory Network and Pace’s Lubin school, 81% say ads are not relevant and 36% say they never look at them. The reason is that they perceive advertising to be irrelevant at best, and manipulative at worst. Rebecca Denison, a 20-something social media analyst at Edelman and member of our Super Consumer Gen Y community puts it this way:
“The big thing for me and my friends is that we don’t want to know we’re being marketed to, if that makes sense. We’re smarter than that (or so we think), and we don’t like to be advertised to. It feels like manipulation, so I think a big aspect marketing to Gen Y has to be a lack of manipulation. You have to be really careful that you don’t make it too much like old school marketing because I think that really does turn Gen Y off.”
Information My Way: Customized, Personalized, Contextualized
Millennials don’t attend to banner ads, commercials or radio ads because they prefer to discover or search for information than have it foisted upon them. They are masters at finding the information they want. They also know how to ensure that the information they want is pushed to them. A year ago, I was introduced to NetVibes by a Gen Y’er who assumed I was already using it. They are masters of RSS feeds and bookmarks, Google alerts and customized home pages. As Kristin Dziadul, another Gen Y marketing community member put it, “In the attention economy today, we don’t find information, it finds us”.
This is not to say that ads never work. Of course they do. But with Millennials context and credibility may matter more than message in enabling an ad to breakthrough. A message from a friend or trusted source is far more likely to be attended than a randomly placed ad.
A new joint study by Facebook and Nielsen demonstrated the lift a campaign receives in effectiveness simply by being in a social context. An ad on a homepage enjoys a 10% lift in recall relative to a control group. Put the same ad on a Facebook page with some social context and it enjoys a 16% lift. But the same ad in an organic feed enjoys a 30% lift.
The key to getting attention is to stop waving your hand in the air and start thinking about how to get your brand discovered. Creative brilliance and heavy rotation is no longer enough. With the Millennial audience, attention is less about intrusion than it is hiding in plain sight. Millennials want to believe that they have discovered information for themselves. It’s no accident that the hottest bars, like El Secreto in Sao Paulo, are usually well-kept secrets. What’s the point of knowing about it if everyone else does too?
Fishing Where the Fish Are
‘Being found’ is not easy. It requires a shift in thinking away from message broadcasting to extreme narrowcasting. It also requires more imaginative ways to embed messages into places where they will be welcome. Ironically though, it may be easier to be ‘found’ on a more obscure digital site or special interest community than on Yahoo.
The top sites for Millennials might surprise you in their degree of specialization. Facebook of course is the number one site for 18-24 year olds, yet it is really is not one site but a Balkanized nation of groups, subgroups and special interests. Bill Tancer of Hitwise provided drill down data on top sites for 18-24 year olds by income, geography and ethnicity. The top sites for 18-24 year olds on an index basis might surprise you. Those with family incomes $150,000 are actually most likely to be found concentrated on sites like DeviantArt, Fanfiction, UrbanChat, OVGuide, ProjectPlaylist,and MathXL.com. Those under $30,000 are most likely to be found on some of those sites but also badoo, zShare.net, mocospace and IMVU.
A New Idea – Search Enabled Discovery
Another way to ensure your ad is ‘welcome’ and ‘hiding in plain sight’ is offered by a company I learned about this week at iMedia, Vibrant Media. Vibrant Media offers a way to provide greater context for brand messages by embedding ads within relevant content. Think of it as search meets social media. Here is how it works. As an online user is reading an article, certain words or terms are highlighted by hypertext links, similar to how they appear in a blog or wiki. When the reader, who is presumably reading this article because it is relevant to them, passes their mouse over these words, an advertisement appears (and disappears as the mouse passes on). The content can be tailored to be relevant to the key word and can offer more than a standard banner; it can be an API, video or demo. For example, BING used Vibrant to demo its search engine. (To see how it works check out my bylined article on iMediaconnection today. Near the bottom of the first page, the word ‘social media’ is hyperlinked to a dynamic search app from imediaconnection that features what else, ‘social media’!).
(This post is the first in a series about digital marketing to Millennials based on a speech given at iMedia Summit, Miami on June 15. Tomorrow: “Who Cares? I is for Interest”)
