Who owns your Branded Millenni

four friends jumping into a lake in the mountains

Who owns your Branded Millennial Heart?

Moving into the domain of the employed and working class Generation Y (anyone between the ages of 20 – 35) now actually has an income to market to. We are now poised to become biggest target audiences in the world.

Who owns your Branded Millenni

four friends jumping into a lake in the mountains

When not living in our parents’ basement, our group of age peers is known for being confident (I am awesome), connected (I literally just updated my status) and individualistic (I am taking unicycle lessons).

But on top of all of that, with our new found bank balances, how are brands adapting themselves to appeal to us?

It’s a discussion being held over boardroom tables around the world – even in the home country of Trevor Noah.

Some brands have taken to appealing to us through connectivity, using hash-tags, or taken the approach of talking to our quirky side by having a man doing magical tricks with diamonds. Old Spice used to be brand you bought your grandfather for Christmas, now it’s what the bros wear when pulling shapes at the gym.

Some have transformed themselves completely – like some sort of brand Transformer – from normal and a bit boring to robots of brand awesomeness that come with epic filters for taking instant selfies. The marketing hunt for your money has started.

Appealing to our lust for being constantly connected has been the marketer’s first move. Many brands are following this route to connect to us. A great example of this is Old Spice with their online adverts, or even Dollar Shave Club. These guys speak fluent “Gen-Y-Nese” (an official language I’ve just made up), and their tone is making us stand up and scream, “Take my money!”

It’s not accidental – our responses were carefully planned.
Talking like them/us is a good route. But then there are some guys who’ve rebuilt an entirely new brand from the ground up just for Gen Y. In South Africa my first-hand experience with this purpose built brand is Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!

In the last few years, this hotel brand has evolved more dramatically than my opinion on electric cars (I wasn’t fan, now I want one). I used to think of Protea Hotels as a place men in suits booked into for work trips. That was until I found myself at the group’s local Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! having a drink, surrounded by people just like me (confident, connected and individualistic), listening to some cool music. Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! (sorry, I’m not shouting, that’s how they write their name) is the cool Gen Y little brother of a very established brand.

That’s no coincidence that I found the vibe so awe-inspiringly awesome either. They literally highlighted us as a market here. Now check out why I had a drink and took a selfie there here.

The change is on, but who is winning at getting us to fork out the most money to them? Well, it’s hard to say as it’s more of an emotional battle for your heart. So here’s an unscientific way to gauge who is winning your thumbs up. Take this quick questionnaire and see who owns your branded heart.

  • Which was the last brand advert you quoted in a normal conversation?
  • Last time you were in a shop you chose their brand over a cheaper opposition?
  • Have you taken upon yourself to follow their brand online?
  • In the last 6 months have you shared online an advert of theirs?
  • Were you tempted to take a selfie in their establishment or with their product?

If a certain brand popped up more than once in this questionnaire, I’d say that’s the brand that owns you.

Sooner rather than later we’ll be the top of the target market list and when that day comes – be ready for an influx of hash-tags. #JustSaying

Cover Image: Peter Beavis/Getty Images

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