CONSUMER MARKETING
Millennials
No More “Millennials”?
Taking a deeper dive into this group
BY ADAM PIERNO
M
illennials. You are likely tired
of reading about them but you
can’t stop, because with 60 million Americans in this generation, they’re
too big to ignore. This group probably
makes up the majority of your customers, employees, and potential franchisees.
Technically, we at Santy define Millennials as those born between the years
of 1982 and 2004. Even at their massive
reported scale, as a group they have begun
to seem larger, haven’t they? It’s almost
like they’re all around you.
Here’s why. As with any influential
group, their behaviors have been adopted
by older and younger people, and some
of their actions have been given a bad
rap for having caught on. The examples
to follow come from a 2015 Elite Daily
study on Millennial consumers. Some of
these may sound familiar—and not just
with Millennials.
1. They are using multiple devices.
Nearly 9 in 10 (87 percent) of Millennials
polled in the study use between two and
three tech devices on a daily basis. But
I’m sure your older customers don’t do
this. No one over 35 has a smartphone, a
tablet, and a laptop. Or even just two of
those. And it’s only Millennials switching between those devices throughout
the day, right? Obviously, we have all
become multiple device users and have
our own usage patterns based on tasks
and entertainment, as well as location.
What does this mean for your business?
Reaching consumers with a consistent
marketing message takes much more
thought today. And keeping the attention
of staff may be harder than ever as they
continue to look down at their phones.
For marketing or internal communications you’ll need to identify platforms
that provide flexibility across devices to
make sure (a) your prospective customers can find you on the device of their
choice, and (b) your staff can communicate as reliably as is needed.
2. They (claim they) aren’t influ-
70
Nearly 9 in 10
Millennials polled
in the study use
between two and
three tech devices
on a daily basis.
enced by advertising. Only 1 percent
in the poll said an ad leads them to trust
a brand more. They skip TV ads and
don’t click banners. Surely this behavior
is exclusive to people born between ’82
and ’04. Gen Xers (the tribe to which
I belong) were harshly critiqued when
they came of age for being aloof and
cynical. We invented claiming to not be
influenced by advertising. No youngster
is taking that from me!
What does this mean for your business?
Reaching people is getting harder and
harder, whether you’re selling product
or recruiting staff. This is especially true
when combined with the effects of point
number one. People’s attention is always
divided today, so make sure you get your
point across. You’ll need to be focused
on producing messages that are compelling through intriguing creative—or,
more likely, by being relevant. Capitalize
on the micro-moments that consumers
are willing to spend with your company
during that brief time they seek you out.
3. They read online reviews to inform purchases. One third (33 percent)
of