Who Actually Are Millennials: Part 1

‘Millennials’ seems to be a buzzword that is thrown around the business and marketing world a lot but is not clearly defined. According  to Goldman Sachs, “Millennials are poised to reshape the economy” as they have grown up in an age where there is rapid change - their priorities and expectations are vastly different to previous generations. A millennial is someone who is born between 1980 and 2000, and they are currently making up the largest part of the workforce as the Baby Boomer Generation begin to retire. Marketing to millennials is far different to marketing to other generations; millennials are diverse and are not just one demographic. Millennials make up different classes, they do wildly different jobs, and whilst one millennial may be a single mother, another may be a middle class married professional. Our point? Millennials are not all the same. So how can you effectively market to millennials? We’ve put together a few top tips to help get you started…

Technology is at their fingertips

You cannot forget that millennials were the first generation to grow up completely connected… to each other… via technology. Most millennials have more than one device which they use to access the internet. In fact, 4 out of 5 under 25s admit that they feel ‘lost’ without the internet, according to an opinion poll of 1000 adults by the Science Museum. Furthermore, 1 in 3 adults said they would choose the internet over television, and 60% of people described the internet as one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century. In order to effectively communicate with millennials, brands need to understand that they are not just 9-5 now that technology has come into play; constant communication and support is the way forward with millennials.

Mobile and desktop should not differ

It’s not that millennials want desktop and mobiles to have the same information, it is that they expect  it. Millennials are a generation using mobile more than ever - it is their device of choice. Previous generations are not used to having websites optimised for mobile so they don’t ‘trust’ them as much, whereas Google have shown that 66% of millennials are confident that the information they find on a mobile device, e.g. flight data, is the same on a desktop. However Google found that only 43% of traveler over the age of 35 feel the same way. Further, according to Google more than half of millennials (64%) will book a hotel stay after searching for a room on their mobile, but more than half of travellers over the age of 35 (58%) do not book on mobile.

Stay tuned for part two of our millennial series coming later this week!