Millennials are now the “it” group. Many marketers are courting this target to have them consider a purchase and be loyal to their brands.
With older generations (Boomers and Gen Xers), it was fairly simple to gain their attention and evoke an action. However, it has really become a different ballgame with Millennials. They view purchases through a very different lens, and digital is their preferred platform.
This audience is keen on consuming video, entertainment, and music channels. With this segment, news is not a focal point. However, let’s dispel a few myths about this generation.
Millennials Don’t Consume News
In fact, Millennials do consume news and some of this consumption is more serious news than superficial. However, it is the platforms (digital) that they are using to consume the news that is very different from the older generations.
Some news searches from this target find them reading news that is socially-relevant, community-based, and those that try to solve a problem.
Millennials Have Myopic View on Current Events
While some Millenials only look at feeds that support their viewpoints, many others will lean towards feeds that offer different viewpoints. Plus, these different viewpoints may spur them to do additional research on said viewpoints.
Many of the different perspectives read are stemming from social media outlets.
Millennials Won’t Pay for News
To the contrary, there are numerous Millennials who will pay for news services, subscriptions, and apps. This behavior is mainly due to the services being relevant and offering some useful utility.
Millennials are very connected but not all are always plugged in throughout the day. When it comes to considering news as a means to reach this audience, many consume news topic daily. Therefore, this channel becomes highly desirable.
The main point to understand is that the digital platform is the primary consumption area. When deploying campaigns on news-related sites, be sure these digital sites are relevant, provide honest open reviews, and provide links to other sites to allow further exploration on a given topic.
As with all marketing campaigns, be sure that your message is “always on” capture these avid devourers of content.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years experience, freelance writer and author of “Elements of Buying” (self-help advertising guide); available at Amazon.com. Adele was listed as Black Enterprise’s 2011 Top Execs in Marketing & Advertising and Black Enterprise’s 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: adelelassere@gmail.com
