Hello! My Name Is MILLENNIAL

This will be the year marketing changes.  I mean really changes.  The year where the modern consumer jumps on the bandwagon.  The Millennial bandwagon that is.  Millennials are considered to be anyone born around 1980-2000, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the “Millennial Mindset.”  Brands no longer target a certain age group, but rather those who have adopted the modernized way of marketing and being reached via marketing.  So sit back, relax, and let me tell you why Millennials will shape the new era of marketing... you just might like it.

Making up a quarter of the United States, Millennials remind me of that friend we all have.  You know the one.  If you meet them once, you probably won’t really like them to be honest.  But after a few more hang-outs and convos, they begin to grow on you.  No more do you just see the headphones, the cell phone, text this, tweet that.  You finally see something more.  Something different.  A fresh breath of air from the stuffy, Corporate America blueprint we have known for far too long.  One of the biggest influences the Millennials, or Generation Y, has had is in the workplace.  From dress code, to the way we communicate back and forth with our co-workers.  But let me tell you where Millennials are about to really leave their mark.  Marketing (no pun intended).

So let’s begin.  One of the most admiring things about Millennials is we don’t like to be tricked.  We want authenticity.  And if you’re not authentic and pretend to be...watch out.  You think you have seen someone bad-mouth your brand before?  That was probably before Twitter and Facebook. Think about that for a second. What does that mean from a marketing standpoint? Quite a bit.  I know, I know, everyone thinks we only see the world through a digital device or screen, but I promise we have more heart than that.  Brands are adapting to a more sincere and genuine approach to marketing.  There are much fewer grey areas in marketing and a much more personal and relatable approach to marketing in general.  Just be real.  Or as the Millennials would say, “keep it 100.”

Millennials love information.  And not just any information, the kind of information that is right at your fingertips.  Reviews, product information, and even price comparisons are now available within seconds.  Everyone has had to step their game up.  From their mobile presence, to their customer service and efficiency as a whole.  Millennials do not like to wait.  But you better believe that the time they are waiting in the checkout line, they’re reviewing that purchase and especially the price. Millennials created a competitive edge all brands and companies strive to conquer in the consumer ballpark.  We made brands better, smarter, more appealing, and oh yeah, “Black Friday,” aka the biggest retail day known to man, where did that come from? You guessed it. 

    

  

I’m going to go ahead and have to credit some Disney movies for our sense of adventure.  This world or not, we want to experience that place.  Millennials do not care about location.  What used to be on the other side of the world is now in our pocket.  Videos, images, places we would never see are now pumped into a brand's marketing strategy.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Our access to information (imagine that) and the limits of what is available has grown tremendously.  I may be in New York, but I want the same experience, access and capabilities as someone in Los Angeles.  This does numerous things that make marketing better as a whole.  Nearly 80% of Millennials want to visit all 50 states as well as travel abroad.  Companies, especially marketing in those companies, know this and use this to attract new people from new places. 

Probably one of the biggest bad habits of the majority of Millennials (not to retailers) is how much we like to buy things.  And when I say buy things, I don't mean walking into a store and waiting in a checkout line.  I mean reaching in my pocket and boom, added to cart.  The rise of e-commerce has driven sales for companies to where their mobile presence is more important than their in-store presence.  

As you can see, Millennials don't have a problem clicking that little shopping cart.  At home, in the car, the gym, it doesn't matter.  And even better, Millennials actually buy more from a brand or company they feel will support or service or cause they believe in, even if that means paying a little more. 

You see, Millennials aren’t so bad. Maybe we multi-task too much, feel we need to document what we had for breakfast this morning, but without a doubt, we have changed the marketing playing field.  Marketing is as consumer friendly as it has ever been and that will only grow.  And not just in importance, but smarter. More efficient. Marketing automation knows what you want before you even really know you want it. Millennials can sure be a pain, but the impact Millennials have had on marketing is getting a Like from me any day.