I follow quite a few members of Gen Y in social media. It’s surprising to me how little, with a few exceptions like American University student, Chris Golden, they talk about politics.
Of the big three, Sex and Religion get more digital ink than Politics. While Millennials are hailed as possibly the next ‘civic generation’, their engagement seems to be more with making a difference through social causes than via political action.
Two new studies each purport to know where Gen Y’s partisan sympathies lie at this moment in our political history. To my surprise, the results appear to be diametrically opposed.
The first study, by the ever-reliable Pew Research Center, shows support for the Democrats among Millennials took a nosedive in 2009 following the outpouring of support for Obama in ‘08.
“The Democratic advantage over the Republicans in party affiliation among young voters, including those who “lean” to a party, reached a whopping 62% to 30% margin in 2008. But by the end of 2009 this 32-point margin had shrunk to just 14 points: 54% Democrat, 40% Republican.”
A quick look at the Pew chart above shows that the ’shift’ is actually a return to the baseline level of 37% Republican/53% Democrat for Gen Y that was seen in 2007. This ‘bounce’ suggests that the Obama campaign represented an anomaly in Millennial’s political sentiments, not a fundamental shift in affiliation. According to Pew, the weakening may have a lot to do with diminished support for Obama and his policies among Millennials, similar to the waning seen for the general population.
“Obama’s job approval rating slipped substantially over the past year among Millennials as well as among older age groups. … in February 2009, 73% of Millennials approved of Obama’s job performance — the highest percentage in any age group. One year later, in February 2010, just 57% of Millennials give Obama a positive rating.”
The second study by Frank Magid and Associates, which provided much of the data underlying Winograd and Hais’s book, Millennial Makeover, shows Gen Y’s Democrat leaning solidifying in 2009.
“In 2008, Millennials voted more than 2:1 for Obama over McCain (66% vs. 32%) and by roughly the same percentage (63% vs. 34%) for Democratic congressional candidates. Magid’s 2010 data shows this same level of Democratic identification persisting among Millennials who are attending college. Twice as many college students call themselves Democrats as Republicans (47% vs. 24%). Only 15% are independents, with a similar percentage unwilling to identify with any of those three choices.
The key difference here may be the words “Millennials who are attending college”. Indeed, if this is the case and student affiliation is stable, it suggests an even greater decline for the Dem’s among non-college educated Millennials.
While the two studies do not appear to agree on political party affiliation, they do agree on liberal-conservative self-identification.
According to Pew, ideologically, 29 percent of Millennials describe themselves as liberals, 28 percent say they are conservatives and 40 percent identify themselves as moderates.
Similar numbers are reported by Winograd and Hais in the Huffington Post for the Frank Magid study: 31 percent of college students 18 and older call themselves liberals or progressives, 20 percent say they are conservative and 30 percent describe their political philosophy as moderate, while “20% haven’t learned enough in college yet to say just what their ideological orientation is.”
What this tells me is that both parties have some work to do.
The Republicans have an opportunity perhaps to win over some of the moderates and undecided’s, or at least give them pause about voting Democrat in the mid-terms. The Democrats need to recapture their appeal by reinvigorating their party with some of the faded glow of the Obama victory. The stakes are high. As Morley and Winograd wrote in their excellent 2007 book, Millennial Makeover, political affiliations tend to persist well beyond young adult years.
“Political behavior resarch has consistently indicated that once most individual, and hence most generations, take on a party identification, they maintain it throughout their lives. As sociologist J.V. Namenorth noted, “Value orientations do not change much during a generation’s life time. Committed during its early stages a generation most often carried its value commitments into the grave”. If the Democrats can maintain this initial generational allegiance during the next two presidential elections, they should gain a decisive electoral edge for decades to come.”
For both groups, the bigger issue is that partisan politics is simply not the biggest issue in the lives of Millennials, at least right now. They are preoccupied today with understanding what their place will be in this changed world, not which party offers the most ‘hope’ for change.
I recently finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling book, Eat Pray Love. The book chronicles Gilbert’s literal and figurative spiritual journey toward a deeper relationship with God, but never actually reveals which if any religion speaks to her yearning. Gilbert, a Gen X’er, seems to have a lot in common with Gen Y.
New data released this week from Pew Research on Millennials and religion quoted in USA Today, Denver Post and elsewhere, says one in four Millennials (25%) do not identify with any one faith, instead describing their religion as “atheist,” “agnostic” or “nothing in particular.” This level of non-affiliation is much than was seen for other generations at the same age.
At the same time, the Pew study reveals that spirituality among young adults is undiminished. “Members of today’s Millennial generation, ages 18 to 29, are as likely to pray and believe in God as their elders were when they were young.” This leads them to conclude in their headline: “Young Adults ‘Less Religious,’ Not Necessarily ‘More Secular‘.”
There is other evidence to support the conclusion that the issue is more one of lack of affiliation than a lack of faith in God. A survey of Millennials reported in New Yorker magazine last year found that 43% of Gen Y believes they are ‘as religious’ or ‘more religious’ than their parents. A Marist Institute poll shows over three in ten Millennials define their primary long-term life goal in religious terms (“To be spiritual and close to God”). That figure was higher than for any other age group.
What makes this lack of affiliation especially intriguing to me is that in many other areas of their lives, Millennials are inclined to go along with their parents’ choices.
Within the 25% who are unaffiliated, nearly three quarters were raised in a religious faith tradition and dropped away. This makes faith the outlier as far as decisions that break with their parents. Recall that this is the first generation that as a rule likes their parents and even thinks of their parents as their ‘best friend’.
- 86% say they share their parents political views.
- Every single student in my Principles of Marketing class raised their hand last week when I asked who banks where their parents bank.
- According to an AARP survey, 41% of Millennials with cars drive the same brand of car their parents drive or have driven.
- The American Savings Council found 71% of Gen X’ers and Gen Y’ers turn to their parents for financial advice.
So why make the break here, over something as important as faith?
I think has to do with the strength of the Millennial subculture and its strong, shared ethical values than a fundamental change in their belief in God.
The Gen Y subculture is astonishingly ethical, both in values and in practice. ’Bad behavior’ on a variety of social dimensions from pregnancy to crime to drugs are all down among young adults. Socially, Millennials prize tolerance as a result of their inherent diversity. They are significantly more socially liberal than their parents on issues of marriage, abortion, interracial dating. Millennials are less inclined to believe that church affiliation is necessary to be a ‘good person’. According to a Marist Institute poll, 56% have donated money to a charity in the past six months and 67% have volunteered their time.
I’ll go out on a limb here and speculate that some of the lack of affiliation is due to a desire for ‘authenticity.’ The Gen Y subculture is unusually sensitive to phoniness. It’s unlikely they will go through the motions of attending church just because it is ‘the thing to do’ if they have questions about their own sincerity.
In the final analysis, reaching Millennials and getting them to re-affiliate with any one ‘religion’ may be unrealistic as a ‘marketing objective’.
Gen Y is accustomed to choices, and there is some evidence they may feel confined by a denominational label. In December I noted that Millennials are ‘auditioning’ faiths the same way they would look for a college, a spouse or other major decision (“For Millennials Belief Is A Choice“). This represents a huge generational shift and as with so many other Gen Y trends, may start to migrate into the thinking of other age groups. The Pew research shows that like Millennials, most Americans are embracing ‘multiple faiths’, with beliefs that do not ‘ fit conventional categories’.
It would be hard to find three more different brands in three more diverse categories than Google, Under Armour and Trader Joe’s. Yet each appeals strongly to Gen Y.
Google: According to blogger, Sam McRoberts, aka Samantics, Google is the ‘Millennial deity’. “While search engines in general have had a major impact, Google is very nearly the deity of Gen Y. They are dedicated to providing as much information and tools as possible, absolutely free. Sure, they charge for some things, but they have done more to bring down the cost of music, news, movies, games, and data in general than any other company.”
Under Armour: Under Armour is the brand my students pick most consistently for their semester marketing projects. According to Gen Y blogger, Greg Rollett, “those that play (or played) high school sports, or college for that matter, know that the majority of players choose Under Armour as their performance wear.”
Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s was one of the 15 brands named by Outlaw Consulting’s trendsetter panel as being loved precisely because they do not fit the conventions of being hip. Like Napoleon Dynamite, it is an unapologetically “dorky alternative to cool”. Other brands that fit this description? In N’ Out Burger and Jet Blue.
What makes their appeal even more remarkable is that they have accomplished it by rejecting the usual trappings of big brand marketing.
None of these big brands has a significant advertising presence. All of them are famous for not behaving like, well, a ‘big brand’. What characteristics do these three brands share that can help marketers understand what gives a brand “Millennial Appeal”?
For starters, there are qualities all three are not!
- They are not known for their overt sexiness. Is there anything less sexy than a search engine, a Hawaiian shirt or a hoodie?
- They are not known for Apple-like bleeding edge design. Trader Joe’s signs and web site have a homely, handmade appearance. Google’s simple home page has been more or less the same since day one.
- They do not have an irreverent attitude. None of these brands are known for their youthful sass.
In each case the foundation of the appeal lies more in who they are, and how they deliver value rather than what they do or their clever youthful take on marketing. Here are three qualities they all share:
1. They Are All ‘Trailblazers’.
All three brands creatively tried to do something that had not been done before. And each continues to go its own way, with little acknowledgement that they even have competition. They are originals, with a one of a kind identity. Millennials resonate with this go-your-own-way individualism. They do not feel a need to respect tradition. Here’s Sam McRoberts again:
“We detest mindless tradition. If you want us to do something, you better have a very good reason, not to mention the good sense to get out of our way and let us innovate and improve the process…”just because” doesn’t work for us, and neither does inefficiency.We epitomize creativity.”
2. They All Exhibit a Low Key Style of Marketing
Google just ran its first television commercial in the 2010 Super Bowl. Until now, it has relied almost entirely on word of mouth to support its consumer-facing and largely free services.
Likewise Trader Joe’s does little advertising and sells nothing online. It’s web site is purely informational.
Under Armour relies heavily on product placement for publicity. Despite its presence on the athletic apparel at the Olympics, it is not running Olympics-themed advertising.
The absence of overt marketing serves to heighten credibility with Gen Y. According to Outlaw’s Strategic Analyst, Holly Brickley,“Generation Y trendsetters are more drawn to brands that speak to them in a straightforward and stripped-down way, use plain packaging, and avoid excess,and stripped-down way, use plain packaging, and avoid excess.” Not shouting their message allows Gen Y to feel as if they discovered the brand on their own, enhancing their sense of ‘ownership’. Discovery is a key part of the appeal of each of these brands.
3. They All Have Strong Gen Y ‘Lifestyle Relevance’
While each brand has a pedestrian side (sports apparel, non-branded groceries, search engine), each transcends its category and has come to symbolize a way of life and a system of values that resonates with Millennials. These brands’ values are strongly aligned with Millennial values of simplicity and appreciation for the ‘non-corporate’.
Google famously strives to ‘do no evil’. Its services make life easier and more efficient, a core Gen Y value. What’s more, Google provides its services free of charge.
Trader Joe’s web site talks about itself as ‘your neighborhood grocery store. It emphasizes that its products are ‘unbranded’, ‘unconventional’ and ‘a shopping adventure’. It has a designated person in every store to handle charitable donations.
“At Trader Joe’s, you won’t find a lot of branded items. Instead, you’ll find unconventional and interesting products in the Trader Joe’s label as well as everyday basics. We buy products we think are winners and that’ll find a following among our customers. Sometimes it’s a product we intend to stock as long as it sells well; and sometimes we buy a product which is in limited supply, sell through it, and you won’t find it again. It’s all part of the shopping adventure at Trader Joe’s.”
Under Armour relied on the authenticity of real players wearing its products from its earliest days. According to Business Week, Kevin Plank, UA’s young founder spent four years tireless pitching his product to college and NFL teams.
“We convinced these big tough football players to start wearing tight-fitting synthetic shirts, which was completely new and different,” he says. In addition to stars such as Jeff George, Jerry Rice, and Plank’s Maryland teammate Frank Wycheck, big names in other sports, such as pitcher Roger Clemens, became Under Armour fans. The pros’ acceptance brings Under Armour an authenticity that advertising alone can’t create.”
Other brands with similar bases for appeal among Millennials include Zappos, Jet Blue, In N’ Out Burger, Red Bull, Target, Vitamin Water, and more. All of these brands rely less on advertising — network or viral — and more on their innate authenticity to connect with Gen Y. They don’t do things ‘by the big brand book’ and ironically that is their secret to becoming big brands.
The lessons of these three brands? Becoming ‘big’ with Gen Y is more about restraint than overt action. By avoiding many of the trappings of a mainstream brand, they become mainstream. This may be the ultimate paradox of Millennial Marketing.
The premise of generational marketing is that each generation assumes a characteristic set of values and behaviors. While it’s not everything you need to know to market effectively, it provides a cultural foundation and helps avoid the ego-centric mistake of thinking other generations are just like you, only younger or older.
While Millennials are socially more liberal than other generations, their values are fairly traditional.
(For more on this see earlier posts, “Millennial Values: Back to the Future?” and “Millennials More Upright than Kids 20 Years Ago“.)
They value family, personal connection, and loyalty.
They seek out the genuine and are repulsed by phony.
They are famously optimistic and believe in the possibility of change.
They advocate for the environment and social justice.
They treasure tolerance and diversity, teamwork and balance.
They seek spirituality and are open to the possibility of the divine.
There’s nothing revolutionary here, I could be describing my grandmother’s generation. It would be very easy to be fooled into thinking nothing’s changed because what has changed is not the content but the dedication to those values.
Millennials can be defined both by their strongly held values and their strong intention to live by them. Generation Y is passionate about making a difference in the world. This is a common thread through dozens of values studies conducted globally.
It’s easy to dismiss their “unwavering commitment as still too young to understand the harsh realities of compromise/capitulation”, as suggested by my Twitter friend, J. Maureen Henderson. And it’s true that their values are not that evident, at least so far, in their shopping, voting and volunteer behavior. Most Gen Y buy green products when it suits them and volunteer rates are no higher for Gen Y than Gen X. They did not turn out to vote in Massachusetts last month.
Certainly, time will tell, as this clever video from a 20-year old Gen Yer implies (be sure watch to the end, the whole thing is a Palindrome). They will either be a generation remarkable for its accomplishments, or one that is notable for its disillusionment.
Personally I think that disillusionment is unlikely. Young adults understand that ‘not everyone grows up to be Gandhi’. Leading a purposeful, life consistent with one’s values is reward enough as Henderson suggests in her Brazen Careerist blog post, “You’re Not Going to Change the World, and That’s Okay.”
“Those of us who grew up as part of the middle-class North American majority learned that we could be anything we wanted, but somewhere along the way, we got it twisted around in our heads that we had to be everything the world wanted/needed in order to be successful. Money wasn’t enough, nor was the love of family and friends, we wanted to matter, to make a difference, to prove ourselves, even if we couldn’t define exactly what this entailed. …..The desire not to hide our individual lights under a bushel is a laudable one, but not everyone is going to be a game changer. And there’s no shame or failure or inadequacy in working an “ordinary” job, in leading a quiet life, in surrounding yourself with a handful of close friends and family. In fact, those are the lives most of us end up with, with the smarter of us realizing that they’re every bit as meaningful as the marquee existences we feel we ought to aspire to.”
For marketers, whether or not Gen Y does or does not change the world doesn’t matter. Values representing the overriding, governing motivations for decision-making, and they matter a lot.
A deep understanding of values is critical to creating desirable products and meaningful communication. Employers who take Millennials seriously will be more attractive to the best and brightest. Marketers who take Millennial values seriously are better positioned to win with the consumer of the future.
This week we’ve been discussing iconic brands in our MBA Brand Strategy class at University of Notre Dame. We considered questions like What makes a brand ‘iconic? How do brands become icons? Why do brands sometimes lose iconic status?
I asked students to reflect specifically on why there are so few Millennial-specific iconic brands, and what brands do you think have the potential to become iconic for adults currently 18-29? This led to a lively discussion on our class blog, BrandStrategyMBA. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Many said it will take time to know which brands will stand the test of time, or which values will come to define this generation.
Jack: “This is a difficult topic to talk about since most iconic figures and brands don’t get that title until years after their time. When the Beatles first appeared did their fans truely feel that they were icons or did that title form over the decades that followed?”
Michelle: “I believe that in today’s culture, the so-called ‘popular’ brand is too quickly replaced by the ‘next best thing’ to even reach the beginning of iconic status. In fifteen years we will be able to identify those brands that are the past generation’s icons but it is very difficult to identify those at this moment. “
Kathryn: “Our generation seems to value instantaneous information and “the opportunity for everyone’s brand to be infamous.” When considering something in our society that does this, I immediately thought of Urbandictionary.com. It’s tagline was written to resonate with our generation: “Urban Dictionary is the dictionary you wrote. Define your world.” It doesn’t get much more appealing to our generation than that.”
Joe: “Iconic brands are things of the past. No, really. It takes a lot of time for anything to become iconic – we don’t see airports named after living presidents (do we?) and we won’t see iconic brands until they’ve at least had a solid opportunity to die. The ones that don’t – they’ll be icons someday. GE is an icon not because it’s a great company, but because it has weathered so many storms.”
Dan: “One of my first thoughts before this year would have been Tiger Woods, but now I definitely do not think he will be known as clearly as an icon. To become an icon in my opinion, you have to stand the test of time, which will only be known in time.”
2. A second theme was that Gen y is too individualistic to crown any particular brand as ‘iconic’.
Brian: “Pegging Gen Y to a single, overarching culture is difficult…and risky. In our modern age of social media and globalization, many different cultures can easily exist within the same geographic space. I believe there are many cultures within Gen Y, each currently with their own “mini icons.”
Sarah Louise: “First, I agree that we will have to take the wait and see approach with this generation’s iconic brands. Many years will have to pass before the ripple effects of today’s celebrities, politicians, etc will be completely felt. Who knew how much Michael Jackson meant to the generation until he was gone? …Second, because we have so often been told to be individuals, this generation looks to role models less. We are told be innovators, not imitators. We are segmented so much, down to the single person, that brands will have difficulty appealing to this generation as a mass market.”
3. Some students ventured that brands like Google, Apple and Facebook would become iconic by representing this generation’s relationship to readily available information.
Chris: “…at least one of the iconic brands for adults 18-29 would be the iPod. This generation feels the same way about information accessible on the internet that some people feel about the weather in the Midwest and that is if you don’t like it wait 5 mins and it will change. … They can provide information and if it proves wrong they can just as easily provide a retraction. For that reason I feel that blogging brands will be iconic. Most specifically I feel that blogspot with the backing of Google will remain one of the more identifiable/iconic brands.”
Mauricio: “… GOOGLE with only 12 years of life the brand is used for the 90% of Internet users and still growing. In 2005 It became the 38th brand in the world (Interbrand), but in 2009 ranking is the 7th brand in the world just behind Coke, IBM, Microsoft, GE, Nokia and McDonalds. My second brand will be FACEBOOK…“
Katie: “I’d have to agree with Chris that the iPod – or, more broadly, Apple – will end up being an iconic brand. …One more to just throw out there is Target. While it was not founded during this generation, the big expansion and huge gain in popularity was a more recent occurrence. Maybe it’s just because I shop there ALL the time, but to me, Target has definite iconic brand potential!”
Forrest: “From my observation, the Gen Y people hope they can been treated as special and important. So they really want to have their own personalities and want to be different from others. So we can expect the brands expressing uniqueness and individuality will become their icons, like Iphone, Itouch, Ipod….. The word “I” can really make them feel special.”
4. Others ventured that the personal brand or social networks would become the iconic ideals of this generation.
Sarah: “Who needs icons when we have a rotating cast of the Jersey Shore or The Bachelor?? =) I remember that Time Magazine that came out and declared that our generation is our own brand. I do agree but I don’t think that lends itself to a culture or a time period that creates icons although I guess time will tell. If I had to add someone to the list, I’d add Obama.”
Kate: “As for iconic brands for our generation, we are ourselves our most iconic brand, and not just because Time Magazine told us so in 2006 with You: as the Person of the Year. Who better for us to be the first to ‘discover’ our brands? …We now like Lady Gaga because there’s no one else like her, and shun N Sync and boy bands because there are a million copy cats.”
Lindsay: “It’s difficult to pinpoint an iconic brand for Generation Y because we have become our own icons. Armed with a sense of self-efficacy and self-definition, members of Generation Y define their ideals and values individualistically rather than as a collective whole. We clamor for attention; we are the generation of “me”… which is not necessarily a negative. Mes are doers. They have confidence in themselves and their ideas. They believe that they can accomplish and some have/will eventually achieve something that renders them worthy of iconic status. Still, considering this “generation me” perspective, I think that what may be the iconic brand of our generation is, in fact, the social network. The collective set of venues through which we become our beloved “mes”.
Cole: “As others have mentioned, the rapid changes in technology are not limited to the newest electronic devices but rather change the way we live and interact with one another. … In this regard, iconic brands are affected as well, and as speed and efficiency become more and more important I believe iconic brands will rise and fall more rapidly as well.”
5. Some students challenged the whole notion of generation-specific brand icons.
Amy: “I do think that the strongest iconic brands are able to transcend multiple generations, continuously reinventing themselves to remain relevant to the current culture. Along with Coke, I would say Nike is another iconic brand and one that really took off with our generation. I don’t recall owning another brand of tennis shoes from about the third to twelfth grade. But, Nike is so much more than shoes and has been able to integrate its products into other iconic brands of our generation, such as through its Apple ipod partnership. Nike has also helped define many of the iconic athletes of our generation – Jordan, Tiger, the Williams’ sisters, Lance.”
Mathew: “Bono is an ironic choice, but still relevant. However, I do think the choice is relevant, since he has transformed himself into a credible celebrity humanitarian activist. Building on this theme of transformation, I actually remember being referred to as the Nintendo Generation in the ’80s. Now, Nintendo has reinvented itself as an interactive gaming juggernaut with the Wii that appeals oddly to every generation…Perhaps many of the icons of Generation Y will be reinventions of past icons. Madonna laid the foundation, Lady Gaga seems to be the next generation. A few more examples would be: Lord of the Rings replacing Star Wars, Twilight replacing The Lost Boys, American Idol replacing Star Search, The Prius replacing the Metro, The Killers replacing New Order, Coachella replacing Lollapolooza, and Facebook replacing Myspace.
Kristin: “I have definitely been a Bachelor follower for some time. But I really didnt jump on the Jersey Shore bandwagon til a few weeks ago. It is shows like this that get so many people talking, tweeting, facebooking, and blogging about them which then cause people who normally wouldnt watch to go watch and be part of hype. Now I am not sure if either show at this point are iconic. I do agree with the previous comments that time will tell if things become iconic. But I do think social media will certainly speed up the process of determining what is iconic.”
Jonathan: “I agree …iconic brands in the traditional sense have gone the way of the dodo, simply because of the fractured nature of consumer experiences in the new millenium. Just as we’ll never see another Michael Jackson or Rolling Stones, and just as we’ll never see NBC or the other broadcast networks have the kind of ratings dominance they once had, the era of mass popular appeal has come to an end as digital technologies have allowed people to form their own communities around their own interests and establish their own dominant brands within their different social circles.”
Ali: “Most of the technology related brands mentioned above may be hugely popular amongst 18-29 year olds, but most all of them are also popular beyond just this demographic. Hence, in my mind, these brands pass more as icons for the period in which they are popular rather than for a specific demographic. Youtube for example is a recent phenomenon. So is Gmail, the iphone, ebay, and the internet in general. But do these ‘brands’ represent 18-29 year olds any more than they do current 29-35 year olds? I think not! What about the Obama brand? While Obama won the election largely on the strength of 18-29 year olds, is his brand an icon for this demographic, or is it more an icon for the post-bush sentiment for something different?”
Rob: “The biggest part of an icon is that it has to transcend just the product, and companies simply don’t control that. For that reason, I would agree that the idea of a generation-specific iconic brand is inconsistent with being an icon. It’s the difference between, say, Google and Intel. Google has more or less come to represent the combined benevolent power of the internet. .. Intel has been a brand I have been a lot more exposed to it, but it lacks the same resonance with our generation that Google encompasses.”
Suzy: “One reason why I think that it has become more challenging for brands to become icons in our time is that we are a very instant gratification generation. We know what we want, (which is usually the newest, best innovation) and we want it now, if not, yesterday. As a result, our attention span is also a lot shorter and we may not give brands the time and thought that they would have otherwise received generations ago.”
6. Nevertheless, a few names did emerge as potential generational icons, especially the idea that celebrities or people brands would be the most likely to endure:
Laura: “Red Bull / Rockstar / Other awful tasting energy drinks – Okay I am a little biased on this one, but here is another opportunity to create an iconic brand. Red Bull did not make a huge appearance into mainstream culture until the 18-29 age group was an ideal target market. Because of this, they have a product that currently associates with this generation.”
Matt: “I’d have to agree with Sarah that Obama has to be what I would call an ‘instant icon’ for our generation. Up to the time of the election, our generation has been known for being less than productive, and thus associated with the negative economic aspects of recent years…and so when Obama came on the scene as an ‘agent of change’ (I believe that’s what he ran on), it stuck to our generation as an instant icon. Hopefully if things turn out okay with Obama’s years in office, hopefully we can be known as the generation that restored our nation to greatness and prosperity.”
Paul: “Traditional brands and products have extremely short life-cycles now Very few brands stay in the public’s consciousness long enough to turn a profit let alone turn into icons for a generation. When I think about the icons of my childhood, I think about people and memorable events. I remember Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk while performing Billie Jean. I remember Michael Jordan taking off from the free-throw line. People, regardless of their attention span, will remember transcendent people and performances. No technological development can replicate the feeling of awe we feel when we witness a spectacular act, even if it’s in something as mundane as music or sports. This is why the icons for our generation will come from “people brands”.”
Youth marketing has traditionally been about understanding what the ‘cool kids want’ and then translating those insights and trends to influence the broader youth market.
Yet in an age where everyone who wants a voice can have one, is the idea of ‘influential trendsetters’ as relevant?
I love this graphic to the left (click on it to enlarge) because it laughs at the whole idea that anything is particularly hip, or unhip. One recent blog hilariously suggested that ”Eighties Nerds are Contemporary Hipsters“.
Today’s hipster can take many forms. Outlaw Consulting, a leading expert on understanding trendsetting youth for companies like Levi’s, Diageo and Nike, features this quote on their web site’s home page:
“Everyone wants to be a hipster, which makes being a hipster tricky and nearly obsolete.”
In a recent interview, Outlaw’s President, Barbara Bylenga had this to say about what Makes Gen Y different from earlier generations.
BYLENGA: “Millennials, or Gen Ys, are definitely different. They seem to feel more empowered – and more entitled– than any generation before them. They have an innate team orientation that makes them excellent collaborators. And the ideas about issues like marriage and career are radically different. Their “American dream” isn’t about the picket fence; it’s a flexible freelance career and a life defined by passion. … Gen Ys see themselves as change-makers. But they’re also busy trying to have a middle-class life, so their protests take different form than youth protests of the past. They see corporation’s as having lots of power but little heart, and they try to create change by using their dollars. The “aha” for corporations is to recognize that values and authenticity are important to this generation — and that directly affects how they spend. American Apparel, for example, has been totally embraced by youth because of its labor practices. Shopping there make them feel like they’re spending money in the right place. Companies that really “walk their talk” about core values will be endeared. If you want to be relevant to Gen Ys, you need to understand their mindset.”
Today’s social currency seems to have more to do with being ‘authentic’ than with being avant garde.
According to Outlaw Consulting’s brand report, some brands, like Converse’s Chuck Taylor shoes, are cool because they’re grounded in the past. Others, like Apple and Nike are cool for the opposite reason: they embody change and constantly reach towards the future. But there is a third category of cool brands, those that appeal to Millennials’ inner nerd. Pop culture has celebrated the nerd/geek culture for many years (Napoleon Dynamite, Jimmy Neutron, Sand Lot). Millennials are not afraid to admit to a dorky side and they admire brands that can do the same. According to Outlaw, Trader Joe’s, Jet Blue and In N Out Burger have won the love of Millennial trendsetters simply by being their quirky selves, doing things they own way and never apologizing: “(Trader Joe’s employees) wear these tacky Hawaiian shirts and publish that ridiculous newsletter. But it’s their own style. And it’s so much more inviting than the normal rigid grocery store.”
In short, the very definition of ‘coolness’ seems to have shifted.
In focus groups, Gen Y tells us that the cool kids today are the ‘DOERS’ — the ones who are fixing, leading, changing, advocating, entrepreneuring in order to make a difference in the world. When you stop to think about it, that ’s a radical shift….being influential by actually influencing something!
I was reading Josh Bernoff’s book, Groundswell, last night as part of my effort to spend more time with analog media. The book challenged me to think about to do more to bring together the community of Millennial Marketers. Voila, an idea! A wiki!
Twelve hours later, here it is, a one-stop resource for research reports and data Millennial marketers can access FREE, all neatly categorized.
Home Page: http://millennialmarketing.wikispaces.com
Millennial Consumer & Shopping Behavior
Millennial Lifestyle, Attitudes & Values
Millennials & Financial Services
Millennial Demographics & Economics
Millennial Political & Civic Engagement
Bookmark it! Use it! But most of all, please Join it!
There are about 40 links already, but it is my hope that readers will contribute their own links. The goal is participation, so please feel free to add your finds to the lists.
As Josh Bernoff puts it, “...amazingly, people are willing to spend lots of time helping each other if you just get out of the way.”
Source: CDC/NCHS National Health and Nutrition Study
On two occasions in the past year, when remarking on my observations about Millennials and their evolved food preferences, I was challenged by senior executives who quite reasonable asked, ‘If Millennials are so much more sophisticated about their food choices, shouldn’t it follow that they are less obese?” On both occasions I had no ready answer.
Are Millennials healthier than previous generations, or is all the talk about fresh and nutritious foods, gourmet tastes and healthy lifestyles, just that: talk?
The data to address this question is surprisingly hard to find. There is a lot of research on kids and obesity, but adults tend to be lumped together by the CDC and other government health reporting groups. Now, just in time for New Year’s Resolutions, I have the answer, thanks to my new Twitter friend, Rick McGuire, a writer and expert on health and medical issues. He provided a link to a 600+ page report with the intimidating title, “Health, United States, 2008, with a special feature on the Health of Young Adults.” This report draws on a wide variety of sources to paint a most comprehensive picture, based on what I can only call ‘a ton of data’.
Unfortunately, the trends suggest the opposite of what I would have predicted: Gen Y, defined as young adults 18-29, are less active and more obese than earlier generations.
“The proportion of young adults 18–29 years of age who were obese more than tripled from 8% in 1971–1974 to 24% in 2003–2004.”
“Nearly two-thirds of young adults did not have regular leisure-time physical activity and three-quarters did not report strength-training at least twice a week.”
Beyond obesity, there are other reasons to be concerned about the Millennial generation’s health. Overall, the report makes for alarming reading. The statistics on risk factors such as cigarette smoking, drug and alcohol use, unmarried pregnancy, and infectious disease rates among 18-29 year olds all suggest a generation who’s health is in serious danger. These facts are not well understood and important to consider as country is about to take on the enormous challenge of insuring a greater proportion of the population.
Alcohol: “Trends in heavy drinking remained constant for both men and women during the period, with about 6%–8% of young men and 3%–5% of young women reporting heavy drinking. Heavy drinking is defined as more than 14 drinks per week for men and more than seven drinks per week for women, on average. One-fifth reported 5 or more drinks in a day on at least 12 days in the past year.”
Illicit Drugs: “Almost 40% of young adults 18–20 years of age, about one-third of 21–25 year-olds, and one-quarter of 26–29 year-olds reported using an illicit drug in the past year.”
Tobacco: “In 2006, nearly 30% of young adults were current cigarette smokers. Between 1997 and 2006, the current smoking rate declined nearly 20% among young adult women but did not decline significantly among young adult men.”
Sex: “Twenty-one percent of women reported forced sexual intercourse before age 30.”
HPV: “45% of women age 20–24 years tested positive for HPV infection.”
Overall Health: “Eighteen percent of young women and 12% of young men reported at least one of six selected serious health conditions in 2004–2006, and 4%–5% of young women and young men reported overall fair or poor health or an activity limitation due to a chronic health condition.”
Mental Disorders: “An estimated 7% of young adults 20–29 years of age had a diagnosis of major depression in the past 12 months. 9% of young adults 20–29 years of age had one or more of these three illnesses major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder) in the past 12 months. Young women (11%) were almost twice as likely as young men (6%) to have major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or a panic disorder in the past 12 months.”
Unmarried Pregnancy: “Between 1990 and 2005, the proportion of births that are to unmarried women was highest for women under age 20. Between 1990 and 2005, the proportion of births to unmarried women rose from 66% to 84% for women age 18 years, from 58% to 77% for women age 19, from 37% to 56% for women age 20–24, and from 18% to 29% for women age 25–29.”
Health issues and health care are likely to be the single biggest issue of Gen Y’s lives. Already, the desire to maintain work-related benefits is contributing to keeping them in place on the job, according to a report by Fidelity (“Gen Y Workers Under Financial Stress Value Their Benefits”). Although they are healthier than older adults, young adults are still subject to chronic diseases, activity limitations, and death, and need health care for various reasons. As this report points out, however, “they are the age group least likely to have health insurance, and when they do need health care, they experience problems accessing the health care system.”
Looking ahead, the cost of health care overhaul will mostly be borne by Gen Y. The single biggest thing they can do to keep the overall cost of health care down in the future is to change the choices they make now. It’s a new year and a new decade. Let’s hope for their sakes Gen Y makes a resolution to take the health care debate and their own health care seriously.
If you are a food marketer trying to figure out the 18-25 year old market, you won’t want to miss what’s been happening this week at The Next Great Generation blog (#TNGG on Twitter). All week has been ‘Food Week’. A dozen young bloggers have contributed personal and revealing essays on how they think about food. Think “Slate-magazine-meets-market-research-community” and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Studies have shown there has been a generational shift in the way young adults relate to food. They were exposed to better food at home, in restaurants and through travel with their Boomer and Gen X parents. In their lifetimes, there has been an explosion in new tastes from greater accessibility to ethnic foods, TV cooking shows, specialty food stores, and not but certainly not least, Internet how-to and recipe sites. There was no Food Channel when I was learning to cook. I am embarrassed to admit how much Velveeta I ate in college. (Velveeta is shelf-stable in case you didn’t know.). I never met a garlic clove or realized salad dressing didn’t have to come in a bottle until graduate school.
Here are some of the highlights of this week’s experiment at TTNG relevant to food marketers. Think of it as an early Christmas present:
Cooking and Shopping
Matthew Nolet, “Cooking From a Book is So Last Century” “Like so many of my generation and beyond, I believed that the art of cooking was best left to others: parents, professionals, and McDonalds. However, when the moment of edible reality hit me, I found myself completely overwhelmed by cups, teaspoons, garlic, and French culinary vocabulaire. It was the confidence of Bobby Flay, the simplicity of Rachel Ray, and the “how-to” approach of Alton Brown that brought me and so many others back from the brink of dietary disaster. With the invention of the cooking show and the celebrity chef, the process of cooking, baking, and assembling meals has moved from being simply a domestic exercise into an expression of creativity, devotion, and skill. The secrets of souffles, emulsions and sauces no longer escape or confuse us. By following our favorite television chefs, we have been able to discover the ability within ourselves to create great works of delicious art. As a result, we have found ourselves with a new form of celebrity. Fandom is no longer reserved simply for athletes and movie stars. The celebrity chef now holds a devoted spot within the American psyche and television channel listing. Their restaurants are packed nightly and their faces are recognizable. Top Chef makes chefs into celebrities. The Next Food Network Star makes the everyman into a chef into a star. Food now fulfills a larger role than simply as sustenance; it is entertainment and it is impressive. As a result, food and the creation thereof is now “cool” and a highly desirable skill amongst the general masses. Now almost four years later and hundreds of Food Network episodes later, I enjoy cooking for a biweekly dinner involving close friends where we try new recipes, new techniques, and chastise each other for both our failures and successes.”
Zoe Meeran, “Cooking by Nose” “Like many of my friends I don’t grocery shop particularly often, and certainly not in the middle of the week. When I do go to the store, I buy foods that I can use in more than one dish. Vegetables, lemons, ground beef. Most of the time, I just don’t think to plan out my meals, but in addition to that I’ve always been an innovator. My love affair with Top Chef has me wondering what I can whip up using vegetable stock, corn and black bean salsa, spices, and only one hand (tortilla soup – GO!). I like the challenge of combining unexpected flavors – if, for example, you haven’t tried watermelon and balsamic vinegar, put the laptop down and head to your local farmer’s market now.”
Food Brand Loyalty and Lovemarks
Dan Rosenberg, “My Cheatin’ Heart” “When given the choice between two parity brands, love can only go so far. And I’m not alone. There are a precious few who really won’t accept Pepsi instead of Coke, or will pay that extra dollar and cross the street to go to McDonalds instead of Burger King. If you want to get an all-things-equal-and-controlled study of brand loyalty, go to the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets in Boston where a Starbucks and a Dunkin Donuts are separated by no more than a 50-foot stretch of asphalt. Here, you’ll see the hipsters and theatre-goers choose which brand of coffee gives them the buzz they love…A competitors discount, a picky friend or even the wafting smell of burritos in the wind can lure me away from the brands I claim to love. Man is a fickle beast, and my dolla-dolla billz have no discretion. But certain brands have a stronger hold than others. Everyone has their preferences, but they also have the brands that they choose to define themselves by: their “My” brands. Much in the way Miley shouts “they’re playing my jam” about the Jay-Z song that made her butterflies fly away, these are the brands that do everything right. When interacting with these brands, everything becomes right in the world. If I had to pick, my “My” brands would include Tropicana Orange Juice and Heinz Ketchup. They’re delicious and remind me of home, but I’ve cheated on them too. Damned if it doesn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.”
Pizza
David Ricaud, “Sex and Pizza” “Could pizza be what unites generation Y with its predecessors? Sex. Entitlement. Self-involvement. To me, these are the three qualities that other generations use to set themselves apart from millennials. The boomers think we are oversexed (maybe we are!) and undervalue some inherent meaning to sexual relations. Gen-Xers, the slackers, say we feel a sense of entitlement to good grades and great jobs. And they all think we are self-focused and value careers over friends and family. “You kids have no roots,” a 68-year-old New Yorker said to me. Pizza, though, connects us to the slackers, reformed hippies, and WWII heroes. At dinner, my gen-X brothers, my baby boomer parents, and my great generation grandmother show the same appreciation for this simple triangular delicacy. Dough, mozzarella, and tomato sauce form a timeless American classic—one that, even when we judge our children and grandchildren, will continue to unite us all.”
Bottled Water
Melanie Wong, “I’m Sorry This Water Is Reserved for Special People “Voss water is only available in some specialty stores, namely in Whole Foods. An admirer of good minimalist design, a bottle of Voss water costs around $3.14 plus tax. If I was to consumer just one bottle a day, that would amount to $1,146.10 a year. A thousand dollars a year on a small bottle of water in a glass. What insanity! But look at the bottle, with its sleek, elegant design. The embossed “VOSS” lettering on the bottle with a silver screw on top. With my love for gray and minimalist design, Voss water is my savior in a world of strange colors and comic sans lettering.Bottled water in any form also carries an image in each of their bottles. Fiji and Evian carry a sense of exotic faraway-ness that watch and car companies also embody. Aquafina, the official sponsor of the MLB carries a pure, water-for-athletes image that may appeal to people who are more active. Companies place stronger brand identity to everyday items like bottled water than products that speak for themselves like Midol, Kleenex, or Crayola. This branding effort does not go unnoticed for marketing majors like myself. I want to become one with the luxury and exoticism of Fiji and Voss water, because carrying around bottles of water with a brand, associates myself with it.
Eating Healthy
Adam Di Stefano, “Toxic Foods” “My previous eating habits were fairly representative of my generation, but they are without a doubt a function of our lifestyle. In a world where fast food isn’t fast enough, we take shortcuts and it comes at a cost. If at my age I was already feeling the impacts of my food choices, I can only imagine what I would feel like in my 30s, 40s or 50s. I’m not alone in recognizing this, though. We’re in the midst of a fundamental shift in the way people perceive their relationship with food. The tail end of my generation is coming of age in a time where McDonald’s has salads on the menu, and Happy Meals come with apple slices. While our parents’ generation is the McDonald’s generation, we may well be remembered as the Whole Foods generation. We have the motivation. We’ve witnessed what a generation that grew up in the golden age of fast food has led to: record levels of obesity and cardiac problems being the number one killer in North America. A generation ago, a vegan, or an organic farmer was a hippie, a fringe character. Now, they may not be the majority, but they’re mainstream minorities. We’re a generation that understands food labels. We know what organic means. We’ve turned movies like Supersize Me and Food Inc. into blockbusters.With every passing day, more and more Gen-Yers are going to come to the same conclusion I did, that we need to stop treating our bodies like dumpsters, and change the way we interact with food. Gen-Y is the generation that is going to reclaim our relationship with food as being sacred. No more toxic junk. Bring on the real food.”
Kristin Fritz, “The Real Risks of Real Food” “My mom has never used a crock-pot or Hamburger Helper. She never served Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and is proud that my brother and I were exposed to different foods growing up. The most exciting part about getting my first apartment was the kitchen and not having to rely on a dining hall anymore. I proudly adopted some of my mom’s cooking habits while discovering a few tricks of my own. Even so, my skills need improvement, so it’s nice to know I can call home when a question comes up. Food awareness is a popular trend right now. With the movie release of Food Inc. and Jonathan Safran Foer’s new book, Eating Animals, it’s evident that more people today care about where their favorites foods come from.In order to lead a more proactive lifestyle I’ve decided to pay more attention to what I eat. Whether at home prepping dinner or at a restaurant I believe it’s smart to carefully consider food options before taking that big bite.”
Colby Gergen, “Fast Food Frenzy “I’ve managed to hide my fast food fiendings from my pantry so far. I don’t think it suspects a thing. …The problem is, I don’t want to leave my pantry. It’s been great to me. And for everyone else. I feel great when I spend time with it, my friends dolphin, deer, and eagle all thank me, and the buttons on my jeans get along great with my pantry. Sure, I may not always enjoy it. There are definitely times when I’ve been with my pantry but thinking about Wendy (or Sonic, the Queen, Colonel, etc). But even when I stray, I always come back to my pantry. I know that it will always be there. As a whole, we have a rock solid relationship. There’s a future, a long one, with my pantry. I don’t see that long of a future when I’m with the King (or the Bell, Five Guys, Hardee, and so on). So I stay true, for the most part, to my pantry. I know that in the long run, I’ll be better for it. Even if there are some rough batches, err, patches.”
Online Delivery
Mariam Shahab, “Enough of the Paper Menus” “We’ve matured from the days of ramen noodles satisfying our mere hunger pangs, and upgraded to relying on delivery to satiate our palates. When searching for food delivery, one-stop shop sites like Campusfood, Delivery.com and Grub Hub have marked their territory. Since we’re all hyper-connected but shy of actually speaking on our phones, online delivery is a natural fit for my generation. A run-down of the big players in the race for the delivery game:
- Campusfood.com attests itself as the largest virtual food court in the country with a 2000 plus network of restaurants. Campusfood is also the savviest user of cultivating relationships with their customer base. They created a Facebook app called Food Friendzy based on the idea that playing online games and sharing the app can lead to wining free food.
- Grub Hub has occupied the green food delivery site niche: they buy carbon offsets on all orders and make it simple to decline extras (i.e. – plastic utensils and paper napkins).
- Delivery.com centers itself based on efficiency and convenience. The site saves your favorite restaurants and previous orders for simpler reordering.
There’s much more on the TTNG site, about Ben and Jerry’s, about binge eating, dieting (different article thank goodness), the coolness of healthy foods as well as the full articles on the topics above. Check it out.
With insights this good, marketers can only hope they tackle adult beverages next!
Frances Schwartz, 98
One of my best friends, Frances Schwartz, is 98 years young.
Until last year, Frances lived in her own apartment on Walnut Street near Laurel Village in San Francisco. Now she lives in the Jewish Home. We have been friends now for over 10 years. I feel closer to Frances than to many people my own age, even though I moved away to Michigan in 2001. She is still ’sharp’, mentally and verbally. When I lived in San Francisco, Frances loved to take me to lunch at her favorite Chinese restaurant downtown. We would have the lunch special — three courses and a glass of wine, for $20, including white tablecloths, fresh flowers and deep carpet. She loves a good joke and See’s Candies. She hates George Bush with a passion. She always wants to know what I’m up to. I want to know how she likes the food at the Home (it’s great).
Q: What does Frances have to do with Millennials?
A: Neither group feels their age.
Frances has confided to me that she doesn’t feel 98, in fact she feels like the same person she was at 19. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t look or act her age?
“The person behind my eyes is still the same girl I was in 1920. I don’t feel 98 years old. I can hardly believe it’s true.“
Blake Sunshine, wrote last month in her blog, “Do Millennials Feel Young?” Drawing on Pew Research data, she concluded Millennials are the ONLY group that feels its actual age. (Other age groups all feel younger, like Frances). Today, Blake continued this line of thought with a thoughtful essay titled, “Millennials Are Having a Hard Time Growing Up“. (Note how much Blake sounds like Frances!);
“I do not feel like an adult. I support myself, have a job and live 818 miles away from my Mom and Dad, but I still feel like a child most every day. And I know I’m not the only one. Millennials everywhere are having a hard time growing up.”
I am sure Blake is not the only Millennial struggling to take her place in adult society. The economy has thrown Gen Y a curve ball, causing many to delay the usual markers of adult life: job, marriage, mortgage, children. Living at home, ot doubt, undermines one’s sense of independence.
Yet Blake Sunshine seems to be getting at something deeper and more fundamental. Growing up requires letting go of options, narrowing those infinite dreams and choices to just a few. For Millennials, this may be harder than for other generations, since they have been told from an early age that the sky is the limit. She also places some of the blame on parents.
“We still want to be astronauts- We don’t really all want to be astronauts, but we still do want to believe that we can do whatever it is we want to do with our lives. Millennials do not want to settle, and if you aren’t a grown up then you don’t have to settle. Which is why it’s hard for Millennials to grow up and try to discover what they really want to do with their lives. … I hate to blame our parents entirely for why we aren’t growing up, but they definitely aren’t helping us either. A lot of Millennial parents (not all!) are used to hovering over their children, and they only want them to be happy. And if that means not settling for a job that they don’t want, then many Millennials parents are happy to support their children for as long as they can. But this is a terrible thing, because we need the push from our parents to force us to grow up.”
I have a different hypothesis. Perhaps the real reason Millennials don’t ‘feel’ grown up is that no one ever really feels completely grown up.
For marketers of ’grown up’ products such as investment services, insurance, furniture, automobiles and travel, this insight may prove more helpful than it appears. If Millennials aren’t feeling like grown ups – and don’t really want to feel that way– then positioning these products and services as part of an adult lifestyle would miss the market entirely. They would feel like ‘posers’.
A better approach might be to position them as responsible steps for anyone to take, whatever their age.
