6 Millennial Myths in Marketing to Ignore If You Want Your Brand to Thrive

Brands love to talk about how to market to millennials. Describing millennials in all sorts of ways, they can make or break a lot of businesses. They currently represent 27 percent of our population in North America, average a $55.45 average spend on every shopping trip which is $7 above general averages, and millennials tend to shop in less trips than prior generations. Contrary to information many assume, not all millennials are the same. In fact, myths about millennials are plentiful. Here’s some digital marketing millennial myths we think should be ignored.

Millennials all have the same politics

You may assume that millennials all have the same socio-political views and use this to inform marketing strategies however this isn’t accurate. Millennials are actually a very diverse collection of people, with beliefs running the gamut. They change depending on ethnicity, income, region, and other factors. The lazy thing to do is to assume – don’t. Take the time to get to know your demographic.

They hate advertising

Millennials routinely ignore some ads while being perfectly ok with others. Many spend hours on smartphones and other mobile devices. They appreciate marketing like emails, notifications, social media posts, and others. These work for some and for others, they do not. Traditional advertising certainly doesn’t work anymore, at least for this generation. If a millennial wants to shop with you, they will. Ultimately, this means digital marketing becomes a game of creating awareness.

Millennials care about perception

Brands may assume millennials are very selfish and very ‘me-focused’. Though some no doubt are, millennials also care a lot about charity, causes, and making a difference. In fact, many millennials are willing to align themselves with a brand with a social cause. Compared to other age groups, millennials are willing to pay anywhere from 50-100% more for sustainably produced product. To this point, when developing your SEO, content marketing, email, and social profiles, work on storytelling, aligning your brand with a cause, and sharing charity efforts you’re making.

Statistics about millennials

There are plenty of statistics and market research about there about millennials that may lead brands to believe they are all a certain way. There is no one-size-fits-all however. Millennials are people, like any other demographic. Just because the majority goes one way or the demographic may be more likely to do one thing does not mean every person will. Like any industry or brand must, treat your audience of millennials as people. Learn how they are similar as well as how they are different.

Millennials are easily led

It’s easy to belittle and misunderstand millennials, for brands run by people of older generations. Ads like the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad can come across as simplifying what’s important to a generation and completely misunderstanding their intellect. Do not underestimate millennials or speak down to them. They’re smarter than you think. Make claims in your marketing you can’t back up, appear inauthentic or dishonest, or don’t make the effort to connect in a human way, and the deafening silence from your target audience will let you know precisely how they feel.

Millennials want technology

A lot of brands see love of technology as meaning every millennial is anxious to have digital marketing that’s tech-focused. This isn’t true. What millennials love about tech is that it’s interactive, engaging, and can be highly personalized. Take THAT with you to your SEO, email, social media marketing and video, and everything else. A brand doesn’t fancy tech. In the vein of treating people as people, they need personalized brand-consumer experiences.