Marketing to Millennials – Three Essential Tips

Millennials represent one of the most intriguing and passionate generations in today’s society. Millennials, the term used to refer to those born from 1979 until 1996, grew up in a culture dominated by change. Nothing stayed the same for long. As technology, culture, and society itself were rapidly transforming year after year, Millennials grew accustomed to a world in which change was the norm, and they embraced this change wholeheartedly. Now, Millennials live their daily lives in reflection of their welcoming attitude toward change. Millennials’ passion for embracing new things is referred to as their tendency to be “All In.” Likewise, their tendency to get on board with the next big thing is deemed as their being “All Out.”


1.) Millennials are a generation who want to fully experience new, exciting things in their lives.

Always ambitious multitaskers, Millennials desire to try as many new experiences at the same time as they possibly can. Effectively, Millennials are driven by the aspiration to succeed in learning something new. Once they find a job or activity that they are passionate about, Millennials are “All In.” These strong, albeit short, bursts of intensive commitment characterize Millennials’ belief in personal growth in all disciplines. In essence, Millennials want to be the best they can possibly be in all areas. Being well-rounded as an individual is now paramount to specializing in just one area. Consequently, Millennials are much more likely to try new and exciting things than members of previous generations would be. Non-athletes are now training for marathons, young single moms are taking college art classes, and university students are practicing being DJs at local clubs.Marketing to Millennials and Centennials

This desire to try new things also manifests itself in the job sphere. For instance, Millennials are much less likely to commit to one profession for their entire lives than previous generations were. Whereas Gen Xers may have been perfectly content to remain at a job for 50 years, Millennials are much happier changing jobs every few years in order to avoid boredom and monotony. Millennials are turned off by the thought of a long-term commitment with anything, preferring the option to quit something easily if it is deemed to be too unexciting.

Similarly to their passion for being “All In,” Millennials also have a tendency to be “All Out.” Since Millennials are always ready to try something new, they get “burned out” very quickly and therefore need time completely separated from their new projects. These periods of being “All Out” look different depending on the individual, but most are characterized by simply removing oneself from work, technology, and daily stressors. Whether a social media fast or a weekend camping trip, Millennials need these periodic times of quiet and reflection in order to maintain their passion and enthusiasm for being “All In.”

2.) Now, how are marketers supposed to reach a generation characterized by such extremes?

The most important thing for marketers to keep in mind when determining how to engage Millennials is that brand loyalty is key. While Millennials have a tendency to change brands frequently, when they do connect with a brand and its message, their loyalty to that brand is strong and intense. Marketers must ensure that they work to build brand loyalty with Millennials during this period that they are “All In.” The intensity supersedes the duration. In order to succeed in capitalizing on Millennials’ intensity, brands should promote the very values that Millennials believe in–determination, adventure, and authenticity.

3.) The Millennial generation represents a complex yet powerful consumer base.

While keeping up with Millennials’ tendency to be “All In” and “All Out” can be daunting for marketers, understanding Millennials’ enthusiastic yet fluctuating attitude is well worth the challenge. Marketers must focus on building brand loyalty quickly by capitalizing on Millennials’ passion for being “All In.” While Millennials may decide to be “All Out” rather quickly, the strong brand loyalty built during this “All In” phase will result in a mutually beneficial relationship between these brands and Millennials.


Helpful Millennial Resources