#196: Marketing to Millenials

NOTE: As we prepare to begin a new year, I am making a few changes to the way I create and deliver content to you. The first such change: the main podcast will now be published on each Monday. – Ray Edwards If you market products or services of any type, your audience, your customer list, and your workplace is filled with them: Millenials. They are maligned, misrepresented, and misunderstood. Cutting through all this noise and disinformation about the rise of tomorrow's leaders can enhance your family, your relationships, and yes… your business. In this episode: This week we turn the tables and I interview Sean – who is my c0host for this show, our company's Director of Strategic Development, and – surprise! – a Millenial. How to receive wisdom from your adult children. The surprising element of life that is vital to Baby Boomers, but very low on the priority scale for Millenials… and why understanding  this is your key to connecting with them. Who are Millenials, and how are they different from other generations? Are Millennials really suffering from entitlement and narcissism? What you must know if you want your marketing messages to hit home with Millenials… and the mistakes you must absolutely avoid. Why (and how) Millenials will change the world for the better. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations "A wise son makes a glad father." – Proverbs 15:20 "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." – Proverbs 13:20 Don't just teach your children, learn from them. Featured Segment: Marketing to Millenials Some fact about Millenials to set the context for our discussion: Millennials are the demographic cohort following Generation X. Most researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe believe that each generation has common characteristics that give it a specific character, with four basic generational archetypes, repeating in a cycle. In their theory, summarized in their book The Fourth Turning, Millennials will become more like the "civic-minded" G.I. Generation. Jean Twenge, the author of the 2006 book Generation Me, attributes Millennials with the traits of confidence and tolerance, but also identifies a sense of entitlement and narcissism based on personality surveys that showed increasing narcissism among Millennials compared to preceding generations when they were teens and in their twenties. The University of Michigan's "Monitoring the Future" study of high school seniors (conducted continually since 1975) and the American Freshman survey, conducted by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute of new college students since 1966, showed an increase in the proportion of students who consider wealth a very important attribute, from 45% for Baby Boomers (surveyed between 1967 and 1985) to 70% for Gen Xers, and 75% for Millennials. But the percentage who said it was important to keep abreast of political affairs fell, from 50% for Baby Boomers to 39% for Gen Xers, and 35% for Millennials. The idea of "developing a meaningful philosophy of life" decreased the most across generations, from 73% for Boomers to 45% for Millennials. The willingness to be involved in an environmental cleanup program dropped from 33% for Baby Boomers to 21% for Millennials. In March 2014, the Pew Research Center issued a report about how "Millennials in adulthood" are "detached from institutions and networked with friends." The report says Millennials are more upbeat than older adults about America's future, and 49% of Millennials say the country's best years are ahead. Interestingly, they're the first generation in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt and unemployment. Most this data was obtained from this article at Wikipedia. Listen to the episode to hear Sean's startling take on Millenials, and how they will change the world. Seans website is SeanEdwards.com. Connect with Sean on his Facebook Page. Sean's New Book – Highly Recommended Reading American Resurrection: The Failure of the U.S. Constitution and the Rebirth of a Nation The Constitution has failed, and most people don't even realize it. Over the past century, both Republicans and Democrats have forgotten its purpose… and our nation's great destiny.  No one party is to blame. We have just forgotten the reason why our nation exists. Hidden behind misunderstood and empty party slogans, our country is caught in a confused struggle to do what is right. We have cannibalized our principles and forgotten who we are. This book is an attempt to reawaken the giant that changed the world. The ideas that the led to our nation's founding still have the power to radically change history. We only need to remember them. Liberal or conservative, this book will challenge you to see the world in a new and powerful way. Sacred cows in both parties will be put to the test. And hopefully, our nation can begin the journey back to greatness. The United States still has a destiny to fulfill in the world, the only question is… will we do what is necessary to realize that future? Find out how by reading American Resurrection: The Failure of the U.S. Constitution and The Rebirth of A Nation. If you'd like to try two free chapters from the book first, just click here and enter your email address. Your free sample will be emailed to you. How To Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn. Get The Transcript Click here to get the transcript now. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.