In the beginning, millennials were described as “lazy”, “entitled”, and “narcissistic”. Over the years when their number rose, those stop being used. Instead, they are described now as “avid users of digital”, “highly visual communicators” and “greatly influenced by one another” with a fear of losing out. In order to reach them better, companies have divided millennials into 14 types of buyer personas about which we are going to talk next.
Buyer personas
First, there is the “Boss Babe”, who are career-driven women, without children. This category has a strong purchasing power and is concerned about making it on a professional level. They have a hectic lifestyle including work, gym, and going out, and are attracted to images and ads that display that.
The “Brogrammer” is a young career-focused man that is an avid sports fan and always down for a beer after work. They tend to idolize people that play by their own rules. This category is drawn to images regarding the latest gadgets, high profile athletes, or experiential activities
The next category is the “Nostalgic”. They are young people that fondly think of the past although they never experienced it. They pride themselves as unique, are inclined to shop at vintage shops. Therefore, they are attracted by unique clothing, difficult-to-obtain items, or quirky images.
Next, we have the “Underemployed”. They are young people who can barely afford rent, living in a shared flat. They treat themselves with any chance they can and are also proud when scoring a deal. Speaking to this category are images revolving around city life, inspirational quotes, and bargains.
Next, there is the “Shout out”. They are males with an impractical/no degree, low earning potential, and likely to live with their parents. Even though they have low earning potential, they play an important role in their parents’ purchase decisions. They are defined by comedy and so images that cater to their type of humor will win them.
In the sixth category, there are the “Travel enthusiasts”. They are young adventurers that seem to be underemployed/not employed at all. They are keen to experience cities as the locals do so those types of images are very important for getting their attention.
The next category is the “Culinary explorer”. Also, one type of adventurer but more inclined to be roaming in their city. For them, food is an experience. Images that speak to this group are of their favorite chefs, exquisitely plated meals, and behind the scenes from restaurants.
In the eighth category, we have the “exuberant”. They are content creators constantly seeking to show off how awesome their lives are. They care a lot about likes and comments and have as aim to be the first ones among their friends that get to experience something. For this category, photos of unique activities, luxurious items ad mind-blowing deals are a to-go.
Next, there is the “Collector” which is the opposite of the exuberant and collects the experiences of other people. They lack the dedication to create adventures and respond well to behind-the-scenes peeks into the lives of celebrities.
In the tenth category, there is the “Millennial Martha” who is a typical female happy to share their latest DIY masterpiece on social media. They respond well to DIY crafts and are motivated by the marketers to tag their brand for further reach.
Next, we have the “Millennial mom”. Their social feed is full of baby-related content, but they didn’t lose their identity as women. This category still spends on beauty and hair products.
The twelfth category is the “Quarter-life crisis”. More inclined to be a young woman still in the process of figuring out what she wants from life. They seek motivational quotes and self-deprecating humor.
Next, there is the “activist” who is very aware of social-political and economical inequalities. Highly present on social media, this category responds well to cause marketing such as brands supporting social issues.
The last category is the “High-end minimalist”. They are typically male with a strong purchasing power which prefers quality over quantity. They love tech, traveling, and staying out of debt. Very hard to reach them on social methods because likely they don’t use them.
Marketing strategies
For tackling best those categories, companies can use one or more of the following 5 strategies.
- Make it easy to shop.
- Feature user-generated content on your site.
- Turn content into commerce.
- Contests and campaigns.
- Tap influencers
Objections
Based on what was presented before I have to say that I am quite amazed by the buyer personas. I never thought that companies have to pay so much attention when making an ad based on who they want to see it. Furthermore, I must say that I do not quite agree with the last 5 strategies presented and in my opinion, numbers 1 ad 2 should be changed.
At the beginning of the article, it was explained that 78% of millennials have a fear of missing out. This translates into the fact that they would rather spend money on a desirable experience rather than buy something desirable. For this reason, I think that the first strategy would be for brands to market their products as an adventure. If a company’s products don’t quite fit in the “adventure” category, they should first use user-generated content for marketing.
The article explained that for 25 major brands, over a period of 30 days, 69% of the top three posts shared by the brand, originated from fans. I think that those should be in the first place. From my experience, if you really like something you are willing to go the extra mile to find it and order it. Now, if you don’t really like that product, it doesn’t matter how easy or convenient it’s to order it.
In third place, there should be contests and campaigns. This is a very important strategy because it can be done under a handful of forms. First, you have pools that can help you gather information from your customers. There can also be giveaways which are a simple way of driving sales. Another option could be a quiz that will offer your audience the opportunity to answer some questions and even win a small prize. (Perry, 2021)
In fourth place is tap influencers. The influencer marketing industry has massively grown in the past years and in 2021 it reached $13.8 billion. This shows just how big of an impact influencers make on products’ popularity. Moreover, 90% of the people believe that influencer marketing is an effective marketing form. (Geyser, 2022)
In the last place, there should be turn content into commerce. This method helps companies drive engagement with fans and use content to inspire new products. I don’t think this strategy is that important because you can reach the same results using contests and campaigns in the form of pools or surveys.
To sum up everything, the only statement I do not agree with is the order of the strategies. Although I do agree that all of them play an important marketing role, I think that the first concern should be on making the product desirable.
References
Curalate. (2015). Marketing to millennials. Engaging a generation of visual buyers, 1-31.
Hi Alex,
thank you for the interesting article! I wonder where you see yourself among the personalities?
I have to say no one of the personalities perfectly matches mine so I would call myself a “quarter-life crisis high-end minimalist” 😀