Why Millennials And Traditional Marketing Don’t Gel

I remember the days when my dad would wake up early and go outside to grab the newspaper while my mom would go to the entertainment section in Kinokuniya just to check on the latest goss. Yo, those were the days, dude. But now? Smartphones. Tablets. Laptops. You name it; this is the new playground for this new generation that we are oh-so-familiar with, the Millennials.

If you are wondering, honestly speaking, this is the generation that is slowly taking over the workforce and out-numbering Baby Boomers or as I love to call it the “old-school gen”, and don’t be surprised, I would say Millennials are the largest generation of entrepreneurs. Here, let me share a bit of trivia. Did you know, according to the Brookings Institute, 64% of millennials would rather make $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring? Beat that, passion wins!

So why do Millennials rule nowadays? For once, let’s admit the fact that they are actually an economic force. Let’s look at it this way; aren’t they the ones that hook most of us to utilise the Internet to get our almost daily things done online? This generation is not only the most responsive to online shopping opportunities but any recommendations from their friends, family and even comments on the social media will make them get on board in a flash, thus, they will easily be motivated by anything that can ease them. Talk about buying things on the go.

The question remains, why does traditional marketing not gel with them? To summarise it, I will say this: according to ClickZ in 2019, Internet users now make up 57% of the global population and on average, people spend 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day. By 2021, a projected 73% of all eCommerce sales will come from mobile. Wow! But if you want to know the whys, maybe it’s because:

Digital media FTW! Would you believe me if I say Millennials are quite haughty towards TV and radio ads? Trust me, this generation is all about digital; considering that almost four-quarter of millennials have smartphones, you can say they always glue themselves to it, ignorant to almost everything. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, you name it – all this to stay connected to the world, family and friends. Interaction and engagements through comments and posts draw them to this modern technology and public figures; to them, personalisation and individual interests set them apart from everything because the aura of popularity and being part of the A-list social media crowd is the new marketing.

Video is the new trend. TikTok? Dubsmash (okay this was so yesterday). Snapchat? Anyone? Okay, try this. Newsflash! According to Hootsuite, 1.9 billion logged-in users visit YouTube every month – that’s half the internet and every day, they watch a billion hours of video! I’ll put it this way – the majority of millennials tend to follow brands they like on social media and any relevant YouTube ads from brands that have earned their trust, let’s just say you have better chances in getting them on board by clicking your ads straight from the video. But traditional per se, how do you expect them to do that again? Maybe, just maybe, now you wonder why digital marketing is the new trend, yeah?

Engagement, engagement and more engagement. Admit it, traditional marketing somewhat lacks interaction. They advertise their products and services on newspapers, TV and radio and that’s about it. But for this generation, they crave attention. They want acceptance and nothing makes them feel appreciated if you address them personally. Build a bond with them, earn their trust and in the long run, they are the ones to provide good reviews, share content, and tell their friends about you – earn this and they will sugarcoat your brand indefinitely.

Bye-bye traditional marketing. Somebody needs to say it and I probably will: traditional marketing no longer works for this generation. The fact remains that the Millennials “worship” social media; this is where the community stay connected to the world and this is where the interesting stuff finds you – they no longer watch TV because there are Netflix and YouTube. They no longer listen to the radio because there is Spotify and they definitely do not watch ads on TV because everything is now digital and at the tip of their fingers. What I am saying here is, Millennials are reshaping the way that goods and services are being marketed by staying “away” from traditional marketing tactics. This generation not only decides where to eat based on Instagram pictures or chooses hair stylists from Facebook or taking decorative ideas from Pinterest. No, they too, are the ones that have their groceries delivered to their door!

Today, there may be a negative stigma to this generation but whether we like it or not, traditional marketing is quickly fading away – ‘Out with the old, and in with the new’ as they say. Trust in the Millennials and let’s show some love for the new era of digital. Cheers!