Influencers

#VanLife

Millennials have transformed their lifestyles to follow a more minimalist approach, focusing on living with only what they need. Since many millennials grew up during the financial recessession and entered the job market during a difficult time, they have a unique set of values around how they spend their money. 1 For millennials, minimalism brings about a sense of financial responsibility and makes people think twice about the ways to make and spend money. With this trend, millennials have introduced the new movement #VanLife, where rather than buying a home, they choose to purchase a camper van/caravan and spend their time living on the roads. 2 These affluent millennials actively engage with #VanLife influencers, paying attention to the minimalist lifestyle choices and experience it vicariously through the content.

For influencer partnerships, Mastercard will focus on working with those who are followed by millennials as they are the biggest target market and the only one that truly utilizes influencers. Utilizing #VanLIfe influencers will create unique connections with affluent millennials who are looking to take control of their lives in a simple and financially secure way. These #VanLife influencers will showcase how their lifestyle has been streamlined by using contactless payment methods, primarily with fast food and gas purchases.

Suggested Influencers

Sydney Ferbrache (divineontheroad) Kaya Lindsay (onechicktravels) Kathleen Morton (tinyhousetinyfootprint) Noël Russell (noel_russ) Mitch Cox (mitch.cox)

Family Lifestyle

As affluent millennials begin settling down and having kids, they are spending about eight hours a week searching for parenting advice online. Rather than looking for this advice on parenting websites or baby-related apps, these new parents turn to social media, learning from other parents and taking their recommendations. 46 percent of millennial moms rely on and trust the advice of other parents. These millennial mothers have a strong influence on the way other new parents think. 3 With a strong hold over digital influence, affluent millennials are likely to follow and actively engage with family bloggers to gain insight on parenting. While not all of the target market actively engages with these family influencers, this segment is largely influential and is actively searching for new ways to find convenience. By partnering with family bloggers, Mastercard will create a valuable influencer relationships, which will result in branded content that the targets will trust.

Family-centric influencers will be utilized to promote family-focused events and share their own personal experiences on how contactless payment has made them feel more in control of their lives. These influencers will be most engaged before and after the lemonade stand activation and the partnership with Antoni Porowski to create additional buzz and foster a deeper relationship. As the children of affluent millennials grow up, they will take on purchasing behaviors of their families, so it is important that families set the tone for their kids future habits now. Family-focused influencers will create more authentic connections with affluent millennials, who take a family-first approach in their purchasing decisions and will help increase Mastercard’s brand awareness. 4

1. https://britneetanner.com/blog/2017/10/16/millennials-and-minimalism-why-my-generation-is-clinging-to-less 2. https://westfaliadigitalnomads.com/millennials-opting-for-van-life 3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2017/06/15/millennial-moms-the-2-4-trillion-social-media-influencer/#6fe675632261 4 http://academic.mintel.com/display/860529.

Suggested Influencers

The Bucket List Family (thebucketlistfamily) Anna Saccone (annasaccone) Bratayley Family (officiallybratayley) Catherine Paiz (catherinepaiz)