You’ve got a product, and you know that millennials will absolutely adore it—if only they would just connect with you online! Well, I’m here to give you a bit of good news and a bit of bad news as well. The bad news? Millennials couldn’t care less about your product. The good news? They absolutely will if you market your product correctly.

So, What are you Doing Wrong?

Currently, you’re probably engaging online every day, adding the right hashtags, showcasing your products, sharing the right content, and interacting with the right people—but that’s only one-half of the equation.

The other half is your brand’s image. Some marketing companies are going to tell you to keep a basic image so as to not stir the pot or get negative attention but I’m not going to do that. Why? Because that tactic is complete nonsense when it comes to the younger generation. You absolutely can create content that won’t get the attention you hoped for. But, it only takes a basic understanding of millennial culture to know how to avoid this and connect with them in a positive manner.

Creating Content With a Millennial Target

The truth is that millennials were born into a world of complete chaos. The economy has led to most millennials not being to afford quite literally anything, the job industry’s demand over supply has increased so heavily that most can’t even seem to find a job—especially one that works with their busy schedules of school, work, and life, they are continuously blamed for the fall of various industry eras and companies, and the media all too often portrays them as whiny, selfish, and entitled.

Let’s play a game of MILLENNIAL MONOPOLY. The rules are simple, you start with no money, you can’t afford anything, the board is on fire for some reason and everything is your fault.

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) May 6, 2018

This couldn’t be further from the truth, however. In fact, most millennials, whilst struggling to survive in our economic climate, have turned to humor and sarcasm as a way to laugh at the rather grim world they’ve been cast into.

This is where your brand comes into the picture. You can either blame them for their lack of money, strange senses of humor, and desire to only buy the essentials, or become an essential product that understands them and caters to this humor and sarcasm.

How to Connect With the Younger Generation

Companies stuck in the past will simply tell you there’s no amicable way to connect with the millennial generation. That’s why they’re going bankrupt. There are plenty of ways to successfully connect with millennials and encourage them to support your brand.

One of the best ways is to stay connected with their culture. Memes, trending topics, environmental awareness, and a basic understanding of how to market to those on a budget are great starting points. However, if done wrong, you can quickly become more of a joke than anything else. W

hich, by the way, can also be a way to gain traffic if you do it right!

How to ‘Tell a Joke’ Successfully

Marketing to millennials is the equivalent of telling a joke; if the joke is too serious, no one will find it funny. When the comedian doesn’t take the joke seriously and is confident, the joke will go by perfectly. If the comedian is over-the-top in telling the joke, it becomes cringe-worthy. Lastly, if the joke is a certain level of cringe-worthy and awkward, it becomes funny once again.

I know this sounds weird, but think about it. There are many ways to do comedy but the joke has to first be funny to get a laugh. Now, I’m going to show you a few videos below and explain the reasons they either work or don’t work!

Let’s start with the ‘unfunny joke’, so to speak. This commercial is dubbed ‘The Most Boring Commercial Ever,’ and it’s pretty obvious why. This is a perfect example of a person that has no idea how to market their company; not just to millennials, but to anyone.

This, right here, is a great example of genuinely funny marketing. The content is unique, the topics are outlandish, and these ads have been praised time and time again. The best part, though, isn’t even the connections, but the results. From these videos alone, Old Spice sales went up by 107%.

Okay, remember how I said some marketing campaigns can become more of a cringe meme than anything else? This is one of them. This ad came out and people couldn’t stop making fun of it. Wendy’s, the company known for making some seriously awesome clapbacks on Twitter, created a bad marketing campaign. This is a perfect example of why really knowing your market beyond ‘you guys like memes’ is essential.

This right here is one of the best self-aware commercials out there. Why? This guy knew his job as a lawyer wasn’t that interesting! He knew he could easily make one of the ‘most boring commercials ever’—but he didn’t. Instead, he created a marketing campaign that gained national attention and went viral in no time flat.  

Lastly, remember how I mentioned that even cringe content could quickly gain traction? These two videos went viral and found themselves all over the world. Sound clips were used in music, other viral videos, and even in other commercials! The craziest part is that it actually helped the companies gain traffic!

The Mind-Blowing Millennials Conclusion

So, what can we learn from this? The millennial demographic rewards those that ‘get it’. With a bit of creativity and humor, you can take any brand and make it relevant to the millennial generation. So, stop being afraid of a bunch of young people and get involved in their culture! Soon, you’ll become their favorite brand of 2019 in no time! But, if you need a bit of assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out! I will gladly point you in the right direction! After all, that’s what this community is all about; working together to expand your brand!