I have written about my experience listening to three Millennials discuss their use of media at an ANA conference on “Innovations in Marketing”. I noted a collective ‘chill wind’ went through the room as the audience realized these best and brightest marketers don’t watch TV, block online advertising, and prefer not to get ads on their mobile devices, Facebook or IM.

A new firm, Free Hand, has cleverly answered the question of how to reach Millennials with messages they will want to read or listen to: with media that is inherently usable! Free Hand distributes note paper on college campuses, four sheets plus an ad. It’s literally a ‘hand out’, something free that is useful. As one student in the testimonial video explains, “It’s free paper so you can’t really say no to it”.

This is an idea on a par in cleverness with the refrigerator magnet, and well-suited to the Millennial market. Who wouldn’t use free paper on the way to class, even if only to doodle? The idea of branding useful items is stock in trade for promotions, but the clever twist here is that the ad itself is useful, and inexpensive enough to be practical. Now, let’s just hope the paper is recycled!