Without question, the most sought-after generation – and the least understood – is Millennials.
If you’re a Baby Boomer or a Gen Xer, there are more of “them” than there are of “us.” And yet, professional managers often ascribe qualities and attitudes to Millennials that are simply inaccurate.
Simply put, every workplace needs an influx of Millennials to survive and thrive. And many of the viewers and listeners we’re trying to appeal to – not to mention those making the decisions at the agency, marketing, or retail levels – are in fact, members of Generation Y.
With all the wild headlines and research studies floating around about Millennials, it’s often difficult to discern the truth from the stereotyping.
And that’s what guided us to take a deep dive a year ago into understanding the mindset of Millennials, especially as it relates to their consumption of media in general and news and information specifically.
We partnered with the Public Radio Program Directors (PRPD) and thanks to the funding from 15 forward-thinking public radio stations, we launched “The Millennial Research Project.”
It consisted of 26 one-on-one interviews in five different U.S. markets in 2015. And then following the election, we conducted 12 ethnographic interviews with respondents in four different regions – Los Angeles, Charlotte, Michigan, and Chicago in late 2016 and early 2017.
We spent the better part of an entire day with each of the “Millennial Dozen,” from the time they got out of bed, followed them through their workday, and went shopping, to restaurants or home as the day wound down. We observed their media consumption and lifestyle behavior, capturing it all on video.
The result is nothing short of spectacular. It’s a revealing look at the most misunderstood generation since…well, Baby Boomers. Here are some of key takeaways that you can begin applying to your brand’s quest to attract and nurture Millennials:
- Stereotype them at your own risk – Just as it is counter-productive to generalize any generational group, Millennials are no different. Because the generation span covers college students, twentysomethings, and even those in the early 30s, there are some major differences between Millennials across the spectrum.
- It’s all about mobile – An amazing amount of content consumption takes place on smartphones. Many don’t have a real radio and many have cut the cord, or didn’t subscribe to pay TV in the first place. They do everything on their phones, so ensuring your content is accessible in the mobile space is paramount. But we did observe old-fashioned “rabbit ears” in two homes as they wanted to access local television the old-school way.
- They aren’t necessarily techies – They tend to use the gadgets and platforms they need to access the content they want. But writing code? Most of them simply approach media and technology in a utilitarian need.
- They often have “old school” tastes – We observed that several of them owned vinyl records and a turntable. Several read books rather than reading online or on an eReader. While digital is everywhere, analog satisfies many of them.
- News “discovery” happens through social media and push notifications – To get their attention, it’s important for media brands to be present in the social space. For most, their first media hit of the day isn’t radio or TV – it’s checking their phones. Facebook is important, as are news and information push messages they receive throughout the day, along with news briefs and other short content made available to them digitally.
Millennials are the future, but targeting them requires research and strategic thinking. It starts with a firm understanding of whom they are and what matters to them. We will continue our research efforts in the space, and encourage you to do so as well.
Fred Jacobs, President, Jacobs Media Strategies
The WBA Digital Hotline is a free service of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. If you have any questions, contact Paul Jacobs at Paul@jacobsmedia.com.
