Cee-Lo’s Grammy Performance
Millennials are influencing our tastes in many subtle and not so subtle ways. I am keenly aware of the influence my Millennial age kids and students have on my tastes and purchases, in everything from cars, to clothes, to foods and entertainment.
Grammy Obsessed
To illustrate just how far I’ve come, Sunday night I was riveted by the Grammy Awards. I have never watched it before, and I actually watched it alone as everyone else in my family seemed to have more important things to do.
How could I miss Cee-Lo, Rhianna, Drake, Eminem, Gaga, Bruno and Katy do amazing performances of songs I that have become stuck in my head day in and day out? (Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” seems to be remarkably sticky.) I loved seeing Glee’s Lea Michele and Matt Morrisey in the limelight. In contrast to all that energy, Barbra and Kris seemed boring, though Mick Jagger still has the ability to energize a room the size of the Staples Center.
I truly cared whether the rap and dance artists would come out on top for Record and Album of the Year. They didn’t, and I went on line to share my woes and see if anyone else was as disappointed (here’s a great recap from a Millennial). My point? If someone had told me a few years ago that I would like rap, dance and pop music, much less care about these stars I would have sniffed and said I only listen to NPR.
Is Your Brand Culturally Aware?
Culture has always been a big part of youth marketing, and now it seems to be increasingly important to all marketing, thanks to Millennials. It wasn’t just his connections to Detroit that made Eminem a brilliant choice for Chrysler’s two minute SuperBowl spot. After all, they could have opted for Kid Rock.
A recent article by the PR firm, Edelman, titled “Why Millennials Matter to Every Brand” argues that Millennial’s influence is a strong argument for making them a key target now, even if your stated target is 25-54 or even 35-54. Edelman puts it this way:
“All of the chatter from Millennials, all of the sharing and noise, it makes an impact on the generations before them. They are listening. They are influenced by what their children and grandchildren are saying because they can say it loudly, with confidence and knowledge that only their Smartphones could give them. Millennials will continue to dominate influence and pop culture. That is, until the next generation, Generation Z, quickly changes the world once again.”
Edelman offers these reasons for even brands like diapers and home alerts to consider Millennials a key target, now:
1. Size: “By 2015, almost half (47%) of the world population will be under the age of 25.”
2. Influence: “Two-thirds of Millennials are now over the age of 21, and many have established careers, families and an incredible amount of influence.”
3. Digital Prowess: “They were raised digital. This fact alone makes Millennials unlike anything the world has seen.”
4. Global Reach: “Technology knocks down borders. Multiculturalism is the norm and new trends and opinions spread quickly.”
5. Brand-Happy: “Brand preference was the #1 personal identifier that Millennials were willing to share about themselves online.”
6. See Themselves as Influencers: “76 percent of Millennials think they are highly depended on for their opinions.
7. Active Advocates (and Detractors): “Millennials are taking action on behalf of brands, both online and offline, every week. And, those actions aren’t just for high profile lifestyle brands.”
These arguments will be familiar to reader of this blog. But they serve as a great reminder that if Millennials are not part of your target now, you may wake up and find you are still listening to NPR – and your competition is listening to B96.
