Established brands and organizations have been trying to adapt their advertising strategies to appeal to millennials for years. Desperate for a solution, many businesses rush into traps following the temptation to win over this market. Failing to be inclusive, compromising authenticity and over-generalizing when addressing millennials often backfires.
With a purchasing power of $200 billion annually and a population of 75 million, this market cannot go misunderstood. Though it's unreasonable to expect a how-to guide on engaging an entire generation, following these three steps will get you that much closer.
1. Go Out Of Your Way And Into Theirs
Millennials are asked for their feedback at every turn. Naturally, their expectations are higher. Marketing to millennials means researching where they congregate and making it a point to be available there, then taking it one step further and inviting them to engage.
The Grammy Awards faced a challenge in 2009 as the event neared its 50th birthday. The organizers realized their target audience – traditionally young people -- were not the ones tuning in. Plagued by a lack of appeal, millennials laughably labeled them as "the grannys." In response, the Grammys came up with “We're All Fans," an integrated marketing strategy designed to engage millennials. The engagement was largely facilitated by social media utilizing keywords selected by the fans. The brilliant campaign combined high involvement of artists and the integration of engaging channels to place the Grammys in front of their intended target audience. As a result, the Grammy Awards achieved its best ratings in years, increasing the viewership of 19- to 34-year-olds by 32%.
Engagement issues are not limited to business. University of Utah student Satin Tashnizi identified an obstacle: Millennials aren't voting. In 2016, she brought polling locations to the university's campus. In an interview, Satin said: "Young people are hungry to civically participate; in fact, they already [participate] within their social circles. Higher voter turnout among millennials is a matter of access and engagement.”
In the fight for millennials, it is "the establishment" that faces the greatest challenge. Bringing a polling location to campus did more than cut down drive time -- it made a large, established system accessible.
2. Be Authentic
We all remember those parents who tried too hard to fit in and used slang in an attempt to connect with our friends. How did that work out for them? Do you remember the embarrassment they brought to their kids? The same mistakes are committed by prestigious brands that are losing their market dominance while trying to connect with millennials.
Dr. Nick Nugent, marketing professor at Harvard University, said, “While it is axiomatic in marketing to go where the customers are, some companies are taking it one step further in an attempt to walk and talk like those customers. Social media has made it easier for brands to create and maintain relationships with consumers, however, it has also blurred the line of what that relationship should be. Brands have to decide what is more important, staying true to their mission, or staying attractive to their market.”
Connecting to a generation that prides itself on authenticity means dissolving the outer layer of public relations that polishes your brand to a fault. Be human, but don't forget about the balance between your brand identity and appealing to your target audience.
Incorporating your audiences’ voices into your campaign is a great way to capture their attention while allowing the authenticity in their voices to present your message. In 2010, Target did just that with its philanthropic campaign to donate $500 million towards education. They turned to their customers asking them to send videos of themselves opening college acceptance letters, eventually compiling the best into a national commercial. This ad campaign put a real face on their philanthropy using genuine consumer-generated content.
3. Listen Before You React
Actions speak louder than words. In the 1990s, you were lucky to hear back from a major corporation regarding a concern. Today, you can only earn Facebook’s “responsive” badge if you respond to an average of 90% of inquiries within 15 minutes. Millennials aren’t only punishing businesses that don’t respond to their inquiries, they’re also punishing businesses that don’t adapt their strategies to their preferences.
Talk to millennials and when they respond, take note and find ways to incorporate their feedback into your message. Social media introduced a dimension of inclusivity to the world of advertising and new expectations were gradually born. Today’s consumers expect to help shape a restaurant's menu and play a role in choosing the next flavor of ice cream. Abstaining from consumer-driven messaging is no longer a luxury any business can afford -- it might be the difference between changing or dying.
It might be easier for a new company to collect feedback and implement it over an established one, but many giants have managed to find ways. Simple research enabled Coca-Cola to personalize bottles by printing 250 popular names on its bottles in its "Share a Coke" campaign; the company's U.S sales increased by 2%.
When 120,000 people tweeted at McDonald's asking the restaurants to serve breakfast all day, they did. And in 2008, when the flashlight app became the most downloaded utility app, Apple listened and built it right in the iPhone.
Listen to your audience and identify overlaps between what they want and your competitive advantage. If you find commonalities, position your newly found, authentic message in front of your audience. This isn't a passing trend. Though millennials' expectations are greater than those of previous generations, this Barkley report shows that Gen Z has similarly high expectations regarding authenticity and influence.
