How to engage with Millennials - and how they’re different from teens
- Fri, March 26 2010
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
I had the pleasure of serving on a panel yesterday at the Legacy Foundation’s event to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Truth Campaign, one my all-time favorite examples of stellar social marketing. You should check out the slides from my fellow panelists (Peter Zollo of TRU, Paul Farhi of the Washington Post and Nick Shore from MTV), which you can find here. Among these panelists’ fascinating observations:
1. NOT rebels and NOT without a cause: Teens today compared to teens a decade ago (when the Truth launched) are different. While the prevailing characteristics of teens ten years ago were prevailingly rebellious, irreverent and focused on friends and fun, today’s teens show more conformity, respect for family and responsibility. And while the number that describe themselves as religious has dropped precipitously, far more say they want to make the world a better place.
2. Glued to screens: Teens spend most of their waking hours in front of screens - on their phones, on their computers, etc. I only need my sample size of one to agree this is true (my 11 year old texts all the time). Technology is accelerating means of connection, intimacy and self-expression for them. Moreover, they trust the Internet as a leading source of information.
3. Wildly optimistic? One in five believes they will be famous. And 80 percent believe they’ll reach their life goals by age 30. MTV has tapped into this ethos with its Buried Life series, which shows teens accomplishing their bucket lists.
4. Self-organizing: Teens are using social media to create and pursue their own causes. Given the above, charities had better go out, listen, and engage with them where they play online. A whole virtual universe is out there growing by the day - and we can’t afford to stay on the sidelines.
Comments
Thanks for the help understanding MY millennial.
I want to tell readers, do look at www.thetruth.com if you haven’t already, it’s awesome.
Instead of emphasizing the benefits of not smoking - health and otherwise - it’s heavy on how the industry makes big bucks off smokers with its huge advertising budgets and deceptive practices. The message I see is, Are you going to be suckered by big tobacco?
Great post, thanks! I would also add to that list that millenials are not terribly interested in the networking and mingling that often comes with not-for-profit endeavors. They are more interested in showing up getting the job done and getting on to whatever task they have next. A weekly club lunch or a gala setting is probably not going to be the most engaging or enticing to this generation.
Thanks!