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10 Essential Facts About Engaging Millennials The Most Important Audience for Building Brand Awareness Millennials are quickly becoming a powerful consumer audience, and earning their loyalty requires meaningful engagement.

Who Are Millennials and Why Are They Important?

Marketers face a new challenge in connecting with millennials, one of the most powerful consumer groups in decades with purchasing power expected to top $170 billion¹ in the next five years. Born between 1980 and 2000, they’re an incredibly social group, relying heavily on peer references to make buying decisions, yet they’re slow to build trust with brands and leery of the hard sell. Marketers must be savvy in their approach to this critical group of consumers who differ from generations prior that didn’t turn to Facebook to post likes and seek second opinions. As digital natives that outnumber Gen Xers by 63 percent, millennials need to be won over, and engagement is the new paradigm for capturing their attention and winning their loyalty. ²

What You Need To Know About Engaging the Millennial Audience…

Millennials Are Loyal – If You Treat Them Right.

1.

Most brands today have a social media presence. Just how well that platform performs may hinge on whether or not millennial customers feel incentivized to follow a brand on Twitter or participate in a loyalty program. In fact, 53 percent of millennials said they would follow a brand on Twitter – but only with the right incentives.3

Friends Are Huge – and Not Just on Facebook.

2.

Millennial networks are vital to building brand support and engagement.

Friends count not only on social channels but in real life interactions, too – in fact, millennials will adapt their work-life balance to accommodate their friends and relationships in order to keep that support system intact. Brands need to understand this loyalty at its roots, and recognize that how they engage directly impacts recommendations and advice shared between millennials and their cohorts.4

Millennials Devour User-Generated Content.

3.

Photos, videos, posts, and reviews: if it’s created by a peer, a millennial will spend at least five hours per day viewing it. User-Generated Content, or UGC, is also considered 35 percent more memorable than other types of media, and is trusted by millennials 50 percent more than non-UGC media. Better make sure your Twitter feed encourages followers to tweet photos and video, because that’s what millennials are watching – not your latest TV commercial.5

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Peer Validation Speaks Loudest of All. 4. Baby boomers relied on traditional advertising to make them feel secure in their purchasing decisions. Millennials aren’t swayed by a brand’s attempt to validate their buying activities through advertising – instead, it’s their relationships with peers that serve as the reinforcement needed when completing

Halls “Let the Cool In” Mobile Campaign

a purchase. That’s why brands need to create

Designed to drive millennials to

trusted relationships across multiple platforms

Halls’ Facebook page, this campaign

with millennials, 59 percent of whom use

featured a highly interactive

Facebook to talk about products and brands

mobile engagement experience

they love to support. 6

complementing it’s national “Let the

Digital Ads Alone Don’t Translate Into 5. Sales.

Millennials may prefer digital advertisements over traditional ad forms, but it better be truly engaging to translate that click into a sale. In fact, a recent survey found that 18- to 34-year-olds were far more likely to ignore online ads like banners and ones found on social media and search engines than traditional TV, radio and newspaper ads. 7

Cool In” initiative.  Thousands of participants during the 2 week campaign.  94% of entrants finished the experience on their mobile device.  Users spent over 91 seconds engaging.  90% of users were ages 18-

Brick-and-Mortar is a Valuable Asset.

6.

Despite their reputation as digital natives,

35, representing Halls’ target demographic.

marketers would be well-advised not to assume millennials are making purchasing decisions solely through virtual channels. In fact, new research shows that while millennials by and large use their mobile device to make e-commerce purchases, more than 75 percent prefer to buy at brick-and-mortar locations, and by 2016, mobile-influenced offline sales are expected to reach $700 billion. 8

Millennials Want to Trust Their Brands.

7. There may have been a time when a product could be sold on its merits alone, but millennials need more than a good warranty to keep them loyal. Reports show that millennials expect brand marketers to be up-front and honest with customers, and to build those relationships through context-driven content across a variety of channels. 9 In fact, 52 percent of millennials say that in order to remain relevant, brands must listen to consumers and be open to changing based on customer feedback. 10

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8.

Being the Center of Attention Isn’t a Bad Thing.

New research from the Pew Research Center shows that millennials don’t shy away from the spotlight. In fact, their group is unique in its behaviors

reThink Israel

on self-created digital networks, with

Launched in an effort to elevate

55 percent having posted a selfie

awareness of Israel’s modern

on a social channel. Coupled with 81

culture, Dailybreak Media created

percent being on Facebook with an

an engagement campaign that used

average friend count of 250, and it’s clear millennials want to have a

trivia and contests to target millennial

starring role in the social network experience. 11

audiences and reward them for their time.

9.

 Users spent over 3.5 minutes with the Challenge.  95% of users participated in the personality quiz.  89% of users completed the entire Challenge.

Millennials Are Bullish on Creating Content – and Sharing It. In addition to sharing their latest Vine, millennials are far more inclined than other demographics to self-publish content. For brands, this is an opportunity to engage more deeply with consumers, even in the event of a negative review. Millennials’ inclination to share public commentary on a product or experience is an opportunity for brands to respond and show the world they’re listening. 12

From Cars to Cancun, UGC Matters Most.

10.

User Generated Content is more than last night’s crazy party: it’s how millennials are making big-ticket purchases, from automobiles to travel plans. 59 percent rely on UGC to make purchasing decisions about electronics; 54 percent for car-buying; and 53 percent for major appliances, among other significant purchases like travel and mobile phones. 13

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….And How We’ll Help You Get There.

Dailybreak Media helps brands drive brand participation and consumer action at scale. With a custom-tailored approach to driving rapid participation and predictable action in a pay-for-performance model, Dailybreak has enabled recognized names like Chevrolet and Puma to create awareness, intent, and action while capturing the interest and mindshare of the consumer.

To find out how we can help your brand create experiences designed for driving maximum engagement, time spent, brand lift and purchase intent, contact us today: 617.451.1790 sales@dailybreakmedia.com www.dailybreakmedia.com

Sources 1. “Next-Generation Strategies for Advertising to Millennials,” Comscore, January 24, 2012 2. “Millennial Consumers: Exerting their Influence. Extending their Purchasing Power. Taking over the World,” Hartman Group, 2014 3. “Millennials Tweet About Brands When Rewarded,” All Twitter, April 30, 2014 4. “Everything You Know About Millennials Is Wrong,” Donna Sapolin, Huffington Post, April 26, 2014 5. “Millennials Are Driving Digital Media Growth: Spend 18 Hours Per Day, 5 Hours On UGC Alone!,” Vansanth R., Daze Info, April 19, 2014 6. “Millennials Seek Validation About Purchases, but Not Through Advertising,” Elizabeth S. Mitchell, Media Bistro, April 9, 2014 7. “Traditional or Digital Ads? Millennials Show Mixed Feelings,” eMarketer, April 15, 2014 8. “Millennials Aren’t Afraid of the Phone, or Human Connection,” John Busby, Ad Age, April 9, 2014 9. “Survey: Millennials Expect Brands to be Upfront,” Chain Store Age, April 1, 2014 10. “How Loyal Are Millennials to Brands?,” Ayaz Nanji, Marketing Profs, March 26, 2014 11. “Millennials in Adulthood,” Pew Research Center, March 7, 2014 12. “Cracking Today’s Digital Natives: 5 Things to Keep in Mind When Marketing to Millennials,” Allison Jordan, Womma.org, June 26, 2013 13. “Millennials Are Driving Digital Media Growth: Spend 18 Hours Per Day, 5 Hours On UGC Alone!,” Vansanth R., Daze Info, April 19, 2014

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