MediaPost | Engage:Gen Y

How Millennials Are Embracing Motherhood Differently

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:00:05 -0400

I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom this month - I'm a 32-year-old Millennial and had my first child last fall. It spurred me to think about how motherhood has really changed over the years, but particularly how that change has accelerated.

The Key Is Choice

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:03 -0400

Millennials have quickly become the most coveted target demographic for brands. The reasons for this are clear. This group (generally considered to be consumers between the ages of 18 and 32) is the wave of the future. According to comScore.com, they account for about 79 million people in the United States and will make up 50% of the U.S. workforce by 2030.

How 'Real World' Went From Righteous To Sloppy Drunk: The Reality TV Generation Shift

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:04 -0400

In early April, Bill Simmons' "Sports Guy" Q&A segment on Grantland featured the following exchange on reality TV.

Some Brands Really Get Tumblr. Here's Why

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:05:03 -0400

I reap the benefits of a job created only in the last five years. I write for social media sites that could be considered pet projects by companies. What they don't know is Tumblr, my favorite 'hobby,' has the potential to be a marketer's best friend.

The Recession Gap: A Look At How Older And Younger Millennials Were Affected By The Recession

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:04 -0400

For years, marketers have classified 18-35 year olds as "Millennials," because they share similar characteristics. However, there is value in segmenting this generation further into older (27-35) and younger (18-26) Millennials when looking at financial attitudes, as this generation experienced the recession and, thus, its effects in vastly different ways. Though all Millennials were affected in some way by the recession, younger Millennials, compared to older Millennials at the same life stage, have been more substantively impacted in several ways.

Become A Champion Of Millennial Wealth

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:03 -0400

Preparing to get my own income taxes done, an article on Forbes.com caught my eye. It discusses a study by the Brookings Tax Policy Center that found that the wealth of Gen Y is stagnating. They noted that people in their 30's (or younger) have no more net worth today than someone their age 27 years ago. In fact, some age groups actually lost ground. It seems for many Millennials, the American Dream of being wealthier than your parents may no longer be a reality.

From Princess To Diva: Gen We's New Beauty Culture

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:24:35 -0400

My daughter is seven, but she is so mature, articulate, and style-focused, she could easily be mistaken for a tween. And she's not the only one. Because of her, I spend a lot of time among girls age five to ten and I can tell you with certainty that the girls of Gen We are different than we were. In retail, the term "Christmas Creep" refers to the earlier displaying of Christmas-related merchandise every year. In the same fashion, the girls of Gen We are being affected by "Tween Creep," whereby girls as young as seven or eight are being targeted with style- and beauty-related products that in past generations would have been reserved for the tween years. If you are looking to explore the new beauty and style culture surrounding Gen We, there are three key places to look: the toy aisle, the makeup aisle, and the salon.

Football's Existential Crisis

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:25:53 -0500

Recently, President Obama admitted he'd have to think hard about whether he'd let a son play football, amidst growing concerns about the safety of the sport. With a keen eye on public opinion, the President is echoing the temperament of the nation. What started in 1985 with the proliferation of "Baby on Board" signs has evolved into a socialized mandate to protect children from any and every potential threat, no matter how obscure or improbable. Even the great American sport of football can't escape the gravity of our communal desire to protect our precious offspring.

Despite What You've Heard, They Seek Lasting Love

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:47:18 -0500

Thanks to Valentine's Day, a plethora of stories recently hit the online stratosphere about the dating lives of Millennials. Many of these articles, derived by the alleged Millennial experts, hint that dating has been replaced with "hooking up," technology is a crutch, courtship has ended and traditional values are being lost.

Want 2 Meet Up? How Millennials Are Redefining Dating In The Digital Age

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:20:22 -0500

Dating is often complicated and confusing, but that's especially the case for Millennials. They're coming of age at a time when it's not just about forming a connection with someone in person; rather, it's about getting to know someone through technology. Many Millennials are essentially having a relationship with their cellphone or computer screen as a portal to get to know or make plans with another person. They're constantly waiting to receive and respond to texts, attempting to interpret cryptic messages, and wondering how to define their relationship if they're not "Facebook Official."

Managing Millennials: Turning Mistakes Into Opportunities

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:55:54 -0500

Everyone knows that in the advertising business it is all about people. And a disproportionate number of those people are young. This is generally a very good thing, with lots of energy permeating the place and fresh attitudes and ideas the norm. It has always been one of my favorite aspects of this business (along with the incredible margins ... okay, not really).

From Social Causes To Social Change

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 07:46:13 -0500

If you ever thought Millennials were lazy, think again! They're globally connected, thanks to social media, and have more resources than ever to make a difference. It's what "making a difference" actually means to these consumers that needs to be understood.

2013 To-Do List

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:38:20 -0500

Life (and work) is nearly back to normal after the slow-down of the holiday season ... which means it's time to start putting your 2013 marketing plans into action! Chances are something like "connect with Millennials" or "attract more Gen Y customers" are prominent parts of your 2013 to-do list. Like achievement of any other goal, breaking down Millennial-related goals into smaller tasks makes them much easier to accomplish.

Toy Rewind

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:30:42 -0500

Why Gen We's most-wanted toys for 2012 were strikingly similar to those from 25 years ago.

The Prefrontal Cortex Is The Way To Millennials

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:26:03 -0500

Like many generations before, today's Millennials are a coveted group for marketers. Gen Y's buying power comes in second only to the Boomer age group, and Millennials are the first to grow up in today's digitally connected culture. Understanding a generation that speaks in acronyms -- like YOLO -- and keeps their eyes glued to their phones can be difficult, but achievable.

A Look Into The Crystal Ball: Top Trends For 2013

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:15:01 -0500

We track youth's habits and trends constantly, examining how Millennials, the largest generation in American history, are influencing and shaping culture. They'll be leading the way with major media shifts in 2013, stemming from their desire to make the world simply more intuitive. The following are five flavors of innovation we expect to see in 2013.

Going 'All In'

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:01:51 -0500

There's a point in a poker game when you've assessed the strength of your hand and evaluated your opponents' faces, considering the likelihood that they might have something better. You decide to trust your gut and make a bold move. You go "all in."

Let's Get Physical

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:00:05 -0500

Given that Millennials are in their prime athletic years (18-35), it might be expected that they would be in better shape than other generations and at least meeting the Centers for Disease Control's minimum guidelines of 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week. Unfortunately, researchers are finding that isn't necessarily the case. According to Mintel, while 88% of Millennials engage in some form of exercise, they are not as physical as they think. And a study by Life University found that Millennials believe they are healthier than other generations but their actual habits are in fact no different from their parents.

Bro, Don't Belittle Me: Insights For Connecting With Today's Millennials

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 06:17:57 -0500

Millennial males are not insensitive baboons. They're in tune with their feelings and willing to admit that real men cry. They put style in front of comfort, wear tight jeans and care about grooming. They don't see the success of women as The Terminator's rise of the machines, because it's never been a competition. They are partners in the household when it comes to cleaning, child rearing or grocery shopping - name it and they help.

Spring Break: Ignore At Your Own Risk

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:56:00 -0500

Mention the words "spring break" to marketers, and many turn up their noses, conjuring images of girls gone wild and underage drinking. Don't let all the hype fool you. The overwhelming majority of these kids are acting responsibly and creating the memories of a lifetime. So catch them while you can, because once they hit their 20s, this group becomes more elusive than Mary-Kate and Ashley, until they settle down and become parents. By then, they've had plenty of time to pick a favorite shampoo, decide whether to become a Mac or a PC and buy a hybrid car.

The Primer On Tech

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:57:52 -0500

Entitled, demanding, out-spoken, and flighty; there are a lot of negative stereotypes associated with Millennials. But if you look past these generalities, you will find that this generation wants to change the world and feel empowered to do so. They know how to harness and use technological resources both for their own benefit and to reach a very broad audience for their concerns.

Millennials Are Re-Shaping The Concept Of 'News'

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:12:15 -0500

Millennials are often criticized for not consuming news, but, despite this perception, they actually are reading and responding to news constantly. Their habits, however, differ from those of previous generations and, because of that, they're shaping the ways in which news exists. They're innovating the industry, making the consumption of news more social, yet they're still informed and are active in responding to what's happening in the world at large.

Supporting A Cause Beyond Your Bottom Line

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:21:34 -0400

Blame it on being raised by idealistic Baby Boomer parents. Blame it on playing team sports where everyone had an equally important role to play and everyone got a trophy. But, the result is still the same ... Millennials have a cohort perspective. They tend to think of things in terms of the impact on the group, not the individual. As such, they tend to be engaged in social issues and causes.

Stop Shouting! Why Enabling Brand Discovery Works Best

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:28:04 -0400

We've all read the headlines, that Millennials are the hardest generation to reach due to their multi-tasking, multi-screen, "always on" mentalities. With this group's tendency to overload their senses and ability to edit their lives in real time, Millennials are savvy to the ways of traditional advertising. This makes it hard to figure out how to engage them and even more difficult to begin the conversation. When it comes to the Millennial attitude towards marketing, they don't want to be told what to do, what to like, or what to buy and will quickly tune out any message that is clearly meant to sell. With all the information available to them today, they want to believe that they have organically discovered the things that they buy or associate with.

Track Away But Improve Their Online Experience

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:44:54 -0400

"Do Not Track" has been a hot topic for a seemingly long time and shows no real sign of a quick resolution. The main issue is relatively straightforward: what data can sites and services collect from my online behaviors, and what limits do these sites and services have in using this data to target me? Heavyweights such as Google, Microsoft and others are actively looking for a solution as they realize the industry's failure to better police itself could result in tighter restrictions in targeting consumers.

Making TV More Social For Multi-tasking Millennials

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:16:18 -0400

The television industry is ever-changing as Millennials, in particular, are consuming content on new media and interacting with TV in innovative ways. This generation shaped the music industry in their preference to access content rather than own it, and, in recent years, they've induced innovation across the TV industry too. We've noticed several shifts not only in how they watch content (streaming shows on computers, tablets, and smartphones more and more), but also in how they interact around television, even when they're watching shows alone. Networks, marketers, tech companies, and more are responding to their habits and preferences by making content more accessible, interactive, and sharable, and this has resulted in several trends:

Do You Have A Tablet Strategy?

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 05:48:30 -0400

In a perfect world, every marketer would get to work for an innovative tech company (Google and Apple are the dream, right?) where just about everyone, and certainly most Millennials, are inherently interested in everything you do. But, unfortunately we live in an imperfect world and marketers are housed in every industry, even ones that Generation Y isn't inherently interested in (apologies to the insurance and finance marketing folks).

Millennials Seek Adventure And Engagement From Their Fave Beer Brands

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 05:44:00 -0400

We're big fans of beer ... who isn't? We love it so much that as an agency we actually have a beer cart tradition. But over the last five years, as Millennials have swelled to make up almost two-thirds of our employees, our little beer cart has changed dramatically to accommodate the tastes of our staff. Where it used to be dominated by Heineken and Coors Light, it's now graced by Blue Moon, Fireman's #4, and Rahr Ugly Pug Porter. That made us curious: was the change the result of the influence of a couple of beer snobs in our office or indicative of a larger trend with Millennial beer drinkers? So, after much debate and one too many beers, we decided to field our own proprietary research study to find out.

5 Tips For Engaging Gen Y In Interest-Based Social Communities

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:40:05 -0400

Are any of your girlfriends planning a destination wedding? If so, chances are they're connecting with other brides-to-be on BestDestinationWedding. How about that 18-year-old collegiate who is obsessed with the latest nail polish color? She's probably on MakeUpTalk most days. Or a 22-year-old DJ who's debating the merits of the latest headphones to get that perfect balance of sound quality and style? He's definitely on Head-Fi.

Why Your Brand Needs A Soft Side

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:26:13 -0400

Ask most Millennials how often they communicate with their parents and they'll likely say once or twice a day, if not more. Thanks to technology, Gen Y can call, text, tweet, Skype, or converse with their parents on a multitude of mediums at any moment, and they're eager to do so. This ability to speak with their 'rents at any point, turn to them for advice, or constantly catch up is perhaps why Millennials have such a strong relationship with their parents and consider them among their closest friends. This reflects a major shift where Gen Y views their Mom and Dad more like "peerents" as opposed to parents and it's changing not only family dynamics, but also culture today.