I’m sure you’ve heard the terms often used to describe millennials and Gen-Z: entitled, lazy, sheltered, narcissistic. However, dig a little deeper and other words will begin to surface – ambitious, tech-savvy, idealistic and ethical. Recently, I had the chance to closely interact with some millennial and Gen-Z marketing leaders that genuinely and surprisingly shifted my view and instilled a newfound respect for “the kids today”.
As an experienced marketer with 20+ years in the business, I felt pretty bad about myself after leaving PRWeek‘s ‘Swipe Right’ conference. Let me explain…
The event itself was great – a one-day, immersive event featuring some incredible speakers like Gary Briggs (CMO at Facebook), Michelle Peluso (CMO, IBM), Derrick Thompson (Senior Editor at The Atlantic), and Claudia Oshry (The Girl With No Job). I learned a ton. The one panel that really stood out to me, though, was titled, “ZPreneurs: The Future of Marketing” featuring the three co-founders of Millennial Ad Network. These three young men are entrepreneurs, business people, savvy marketers, and – high school seniors!
From what I remember of my senior year, I was interested in music, dating, hanging out with friends and having a few laughs – I can tell you unequivocally that I was NOT focused on starting my own business!
Another standout attendee from the conference was Nadia Masri, founder of Perksy. Perksy delivers market research “for the mobile generation” – using an app-based rewards system to power “in-the-moment research of Millennials and Gen-Z.
Following the conference, Rebel Gail hired both firms to help us with a client initiative for one of the largest beauty companies in the world. We brainstormed ideas with Millennial Ad Network and used Perksy to glean insights into the critically important and often misunderstood audience of Gen-Z. Both partnerships drove big ideas and wowed our already very savvy client – providing unique solutions that only those who live Gen-Z day in and day out could provide. As an agency, we pride ourselves on always delivering outside-the-box yet on-strategy campaigns for our clients – and finding the right partner in this case was key.
The huge impact of Millennials and Gen-Z on today’s marketing landscape cannot be overstated with a combined spending power of $244 Billion (and growing), these distinct demographic segments are unlike any other and will be critically important for brands. For more about our work in targeting millennials and Gen-Z, drop me a line (link to email), I’d love to hear from you!