1. Understanding the
Millennial Mindset
Marketing to Millennials

2. We say: why?
They say why not?
Marketing to Millennials

3. Framework: Generations
• The seminal work done by
William Strauss and Neil Howe
has clarified the concept of
generational cohorts, cultural
eras, the events demarking the
specific cohort group and the
time banding of cohort groups.
• We will avoid “reinventing the
wheel” but also acknowledge
that other thought leaders may
define their terms differently and
bracket the generations slightly
differently.
Marketing to Millennials

4. Live Births by Year
Boom Gen-X Gen-Y
Marketing to Millennials

5. Big Picture
Cohort A.K.A. Birth Yrs Trigger Characteristics Notables
Traditionals G.I. (early) 1922- Depression Cheerful, Obedient John Kennedy
Silent (late) 1944 Conservative J.D. Salinger
Greatest Past oriented Walter Cronkite
Uniform/Conforming Joe DiMaggio
Rational/Scientific Billie Graham
Boomers Woodstock 1945- End of WWII Independent, George Bush
Me 1961 Confident, Goal- Bill Clinton
Generation Oriented, Value George Foreman
Individuality
Jay Leno
Gen-X Slackers 1962- Hostage Diverse, Flexible, Dave Matthews
13th 1979 Crisis Tech adept, Michelle Obama
Individualistic Jon Stewart
Damien Hirst
Millennials Y 1980- Columbine Adaptable, Lebron James
Echo Boom 2000 Impatient, Tech Prince Harry
Digital Savvy, Mutli-taskers, Andy Roddick
Learning oriented
Gen Next Mark Zuckerburg
Marketing to Millennials

6. Percentage of Total Adults
34%
Sized between the
26% baby boom and the
Gen-X group.
20% They have the
numbers, the
19%
education, the
technology and the
attitude to make an
impact and like the
Baby Boom group,
to change the
Traditionals Boomers Gen-X Millennial cultural landscape.
Marketing to Millennials

7. Eras and their Icons
I got you babe… The revolution is Steer clear,
And it’s so groovy. over; be happy this is serious
Marketing to Millennials

8. And so…
Boomers…Just do it.
Gen-X…why do it?
Millennials…Just did it.
Marketing to Millennials

9. Traditionals
The “American Dream”
Boy & Girl Scouts
Cheerful, upbeat, obedient
Deferential to adults and authority
Winston Churchill, FDR, WWII
Brand Loyal and “Buy American”
Work Ethic
Conservative and Patriotic
Belief in Government, Civic Minded
Male Fixated…Father Knows Best
Past Oriented
The Greatest Generation Uniformity and Conformity
(won the greatest victories)
Rational Thinking, Scientific Method
Strict Ideas about what is Appropriate
Marketing to Millennials

10. Marketing to Millennials

11. Marketing to Millennials

12. Boomers
The post-war baby-boom
From hippies to yuppies
Grew up in positive and optimistic time
Dr. Benjamin Spock recipe for a child
Perceive themselves as individuals
85% … more meaningful than parents
95% grew up with stay-at-home mom
Goal: be opposite from parents:
• Spirituality over science
• Gratification over patience
• Individuality over uniformity
• self- over community
Never trust anyone over thirty. Personal growth and self-esteem
Stay healthy, fit
Greatest consuming generation in history
Marketing to Millennials

13. Before there was
Got Milk?
There was
Got Mom?
Marketing to Millennials

14. Marketing to Millennials

15. Gen-X
13th generation (that’s unlucky)
Most aborted generation in history
Slackers
Increasing divorce rates
Latch keyed, neglected & ignored
Children less valued by society
Skeptical of authority
Not threatened by authority
Informal dress code
Personal determinism, self-reliant
Individualized and independent
We are not a
Believe in actions over words
“target market”
Hands-off supervision “I have a life”
Marketing to Millennials

16. Marketing to Millennials

17. Millennials
Raised by “soccer moms”
Psychologically impacted by danger in world
School desks in pods, not rows
Birthdays take entire week
Everyone gets a trophy (just for showing up)
Early education about pollution, environment
New breed of feminism, don’t use “f” word
Open minded and multi-cultural
Get along with and actually like parents
Politically active
Extreme tech savvy, “digital natives”
Resilient and not bothered by set backs
The re-valuation of
the American Child Job satisfaction over money or opportunity
Need lots of supervision and structure
An “echo” generation
Marketing to Millennials

18. If 7 is the new 17…
Then 27 is
also the new 17.
Marketing to Millennials

19. Goals
Gen-X Millennials
Most Important Goal in Life % Most Important Goal in Life %
Get Rich 62 Get Rich 81
Be Famous 29 Be Famous 51
Help people who need help 36 Help people who need help 30
Be leaders in their community 33 Be leaders in their community 22
Become more spiritual 31 Become more spiritual 10
Marketing to Millennials

20. God
"We have dumbed down what it • 72% “more spiritual than religious”
means to be part of the church so • 65% don’t attend church or religious
much that it means almost nothing, services
even to people who already say they • 67% don’t read Bible or any religious text
are part of the church" (USA Today Survey) • 68% do not mention faith or spiritual life
when asked what is important in life.
Marketing to Millennials

21. Google
• Google accounts for 65.1% of all internet searches.
• Google has 88 Billion searches per month
• That’s about 3 Billion per day, or 2 Million per second
Marketing to Millennials

22. Gadgets
97% 94% 56%
Marketing to Millennials

23. Geeks
Marketing to Millennials

24. Go Girls
Marketing to Millennials

25. Great Kids
It’s not so much about how
good you are as much as it is
that you just “are.”
Winning isn’t everything
when “everyone is a winner.”
Showing up is half the battle
for these kids and their
families. Partly because they
are over-booked but mostly
because they are
just so darn cute.
Marketing to Millennials

26. Good Guys
Marketing to Millennials

27. Good at influencing…
PT Barnum Dale Carnegie Don Draper
< >
Marketing to Millennials

28. Not The Tube, YouTube
In 1965, 80% of 18-49 In 2002, it
year-olds in the U.S. required 117
could be reached with prime-time spots
three :60 second spots. to do the same.
Jim Stengel,
Global Marketing Officer,
P&G
Marketing to Millennials

29. Social Media and the Internet
• 81% of 18-21 year olds have a profile on a
social media website
• 31% check it several times per day
• 24% have posted a video of themselves
online
• 59% get their news from the internet
• 32% of Millennials have watched a video
online in the past 24 hours
Marketing to Millennials

30. The ten things you should
know about Millennials…
if you want
to get
along with
them, work
with them
or maybe
even sell
something
to them.
Marketing to Millennials

31. #1: They Aren’t Like You
Millennials are more
technologically advanced
because they are “digital
natives.”
Translation: they ate MP3
Players for breakfast. They
aren’t about to switch to a box of
Wheaties and the morning
newspaper.
Implication: you adapt to
them…their media channels,
media habits and preferred
method of shopping.
Marketing to Millennials

32. #2: Team Oriented
Millennials grew up on teams.
The soccer team, the family
team and the team in the
classroom. Their desks are
arranged in pods to increase
cooperation, not rows to
promote efficiency. Because of
this, Millennials value equality
in the workplace and in life.
The good news: they are more
likely to accomplish things on
a team. The bad news: they
will resist going it alone and
need more interaction to
complete tasks.
Marketing to Millennials

33. #3: Conservative & Collegial
Millennials are more conservative spiritually, politically, sexually and behaviorally.
They achieve all of this without being particularly judgmental. They are more
accepting of different cultures, customs and personal styles without managing to
“color outside the lines” themselves. This is not “The Sixties.”
Implication: Millennials expect marketers to work with them to avoid risk…show
them the picture, e-mail something, offer liberal return policies.
Marketing to Millennials

34. #4: Privacy Paradox
Millennials grew up with their own
stuff. Personal devices are just
that. And, most didn’t share
bedrooms, computers or even
TVs with their siblings. But, they
did tolerate intrusions such as
security cameras, metal detectors
and internet spam.
Implication: Millennials value their
privacy but, paradoxically,
engage liberally in social media
free space and blogging. Give
them the single room and read
their blogs.
Marketing to Millennials

35. #5: They Like Their Parents
There is no “generation gap”
or “failure to communicate.”
Millennials speak to their
parents frequently, eat
together often, travel together
and seek their advice.
Their primary goal is not to
gain independence from their
parents; to the contrary, they
rely heavily on their parents
for emotional support, decision
making and financial help.
Implication: parents are at
least “silent partners” in their
lives.
Marketing to Millennials

36. #6: They Value Authenticity
With all due respect, Mr. Whipple,
your compulsive obsessive
disorder isn’t going to sell
anything to a Millennial.
Millennials grew up with reality
shows, a virtual world,
cyberspace, the blogosphere and
the digital universe. They know
the difference between a reality
show and reality. And they know
a cheesy spokesperson when
they see one.
Implication: “Your soaking in it”
isn’t going to work. Get real.
Marketing to Millennials

37. #7: They’re Programmed
From a very early age, Millennials are
Dude, here’s
programmed, scheduled and the deal…
committed. Not just committed to the
technology, committed to the cause.
If you are expecting 70’s style “free-
spirits,” they are not that.
Millennials grew up following rigid
schedules, going from music lessons
to soccer practice to tutoring. They’ve
had little in the way of down time and
have mastered multitasking.
Millennials aren’t dreamers, they are
planners.
Implication: Fit your product into their
plans.
Marketing to Millennials

38. #8: They’re Measured
They’ve been measured from the start. Not
just measured, assessed, benchmarked
and evaluated beginning with their APGAR
score and ending with the SAT. No
generation has been more measured than
the Millennials.
They not only accept measurement,
they’ve become shrewd users of metrics,
benchmarks and universal standards.
Implication: they accept measurements and
metrics. State your case in quantitative
terms they understand and don’t be afraid
to put any marketing claim in numerical
context.
Marketing to Millennials

39. #9: They’re Privileged
But they don’t see themselves that way. What
is still a minor miracle to a boomer or even an
X-er is the norm for the Millennial. They grew
up with their own computers, cell phones and
devices and so these products have become
basic necessities, not luxuries. Also, they grew
up expecting to replace these items every
couple of years.
When asked, the possession of these devices--
and the privileges that go with them--are
viewed as ordinary, expected and necessities
for life in the 21st century.
Implication: you will need to ramp it up to
impress a Millennial because they also have
high expectations of technology and the
advancing technology frontier.
Marketing to Millennials

40. #10: They Can Change The World
Really…well why not? That’s what we’ve taught
them. And this generation believes they really
can. Again, not in the way we thought we could
in “The Sixties” but in a more self-less, team-
oriented, community-first kind of way. Not the
me generation, the planet generation.
Millennials are not rebels; they are collaborators
and they are wired, or wireless with the
technology to make it happen. This attitude and
the emerging technology is the basis for the
social media revolution.
Implication: tap their selfless energy not
their self-importance. Millennials can
change organizations, advocate and “go-
viral” at the drop of a hat (often worn
backwards).
Marketing to Millennials