Although it’s not easy to define the millennial generation, the vast majority of media outlets around the world agree that this generation is marked by its use of digital technology.
Even if social and economic conditions vary depending on their geographic region, they quickly become familiar with digital culture.
Young people born since the 1980s are believed to be a distinct generation with broad ethical and social values. They comprise 22.4% of the world’s population; in fact, in North America, they are ranked as the largest generation in both income and media influence.
And since we know that Generation Y is a very important topic for the marketing world, today we’re going to address it in a fresh, digestible, and rcs data detailed way so that your strategies speak millennial language.
What is the Millennial generation?
The famous millennial generation is the descendants of the baby boomers, who were born approximately one generation later. They range in age from 29 to 42 , which chronologically places them between 1981 and 1996.
The term “millennials” is given to them because they reach adulthood precisely with the arrival of the millennium. The term was adopted by the media in 1987 when children born in 1982 began preschool ; the media placed the different types of website keywords completion of secondary school precisely in the year 2000.
Main features
There are many characteristics that define the Millennial generation. Let’s take a look:
1. Delay in making personal decisions
Compared to other generations, millennials are taking much longer to start a household, to the point that according to the European Union, the average age for marriage is 34 for men and 31 for women , something that was almost impossible just a few years ago.
2. Increase in the age at which children can be born
As mentioned in the previous section, Generation Y tends to take longer to have children. Studies show that women give birth to their first baby at 29 years of age , a significant change compared to previous generations.
3. Highest level of training
The millennial generation is characterized by having many economic problems, since they had to go through the transition from the analog era to the digital era , so they did not experience the boom times of previous eras.
This has forced them to prepare much more professionally, so much so that more than 40% are professionals , while the previous figure was only 24%.
In this sense, women of the generation Y, aged 25 to 34, account for 44% of the professional indicator, while men account for 33%.
4. First digital generation
On the other hand, it should be mentioned that they were born in the midst of a technological boom, along with mobile fax list phones, laptops , computers, and the proliferation of the Internet.
The latest reports indicate that 90% of European millennials aged 20 to 34 use digital media for work or entertainment.
5. Hyperconnected
Another fundamental characteristic of Generation Y is that they are always connected, searching for new information, products, and services.
Marketing strategies for Generation Y
Do you want to attract millennials but don’t know how? Check out some strategies that will help you build loyalty in the shortest possible time:
1. Mobile phone as the epicenter
Naturally, marketing to millennials must begin on mobile devices, and we must find ways to connect with them across different platforms.
To do this, you need to make use of the most commonly used applications today, such as the following:
2. Importance of the brand
Another very important aspect of marketing to the millennial generation is the brand value of the product or service they are purchasing.
Perhaps the influence of the 2008 economic crisis is decisive in this case, since for millennials, spending indiscriminately is not part of their principles: the brand must be in line with their hard-earned money.
Therefore, the message must be aligned with the company’s values, the product’s image, and the needs of millennials… it must resonate with them as much as possible.
3. Experience as property
In addition to their attitude toward money, another consequence of the 2008 economic downturn is that millennials prefer sharing experiences over acquiring material goods ; meaning that for many of them, saving up for travel is more important, which means they prefer to treasure the memory of the adventure.
This indicates that Generation Y cares more about creating Instagram memories than actually purchasing the new product . This is where visual thinking comes in as the best marketing strategy to connect with this select group of consumers.
4. Authenticity
While authenticity works for all generational groups, millennials prioritize that the brand values they advertise align with their own. And many consumers believe that few brands truly practice authenticity.
For millennials, an authentic brand is one that shares consumer-generated content through social media.
5. Image
In various marketing surveys conducted with millennials, the issue of authenticity and the importance of visual resources as. A means of supporting a brand and its product have been highlighted . If it’s authentic and original, they shouldn’t hesitate to showcase it in videos and photographs.
The audiovisual resource used should not be flat; it is recommended to use websites that allo