THE MONEY SIDE OF LIFETM

REACHING
YOUNG ADULTS

clicks
in the age of

& LIKES

tweets

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Reaching Young Adults In The Age Of Clicks, Tweets & Likes

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INDEX
abstract .............................................................................................. 2 the generation that wont be pinned down .......................................... 3 money, marketing & media: the lay of the land .................................. 4 so, what to do about all this? .............................................................. 7 bringing it home ................................................................................. 9 brass content: when you need it, where you need it ............................. 9

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ABSTRACT
getting the attention of young adults isnt impossible, but its certainly an uphill battle for reasons more complex than shortened attention spans or rapidly evolving tastes. Marketers need to understand that simply starting a Facebook page or opening a Twitter account wont cut it. A successful marketing campaign is no longer a stand-alone TV spot featuring a trio of beer-drinking frogs. The overwhelming flow of information streaming at young adults has forced them to become more savvy and sophisticated in the way they filter the content theyre interested in out of the daily flood. Though its tempting to wish for a secret sauce, theres no single right way to make it through that filter. However, with the right style and the right media, it is possible. Its a matter of putting the right message where it counts, and not just doing it for a month or two, but consistently presenting relevant and remarkable content over the long haul. Its only in that environment that real trust and engagement can be created.

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the generation that wont be pinned down

young adults hold a ton of economic power: $211 billion in purchasing power annually. Everyone wants a piece of that pie. However, this demographic is probably the most slippery, for several reasons. The first lies in the definition of young adult. It describes a vague age range anywhere between 15 to 25 or so. But anyone who has watched a 15-year-old and 25-year-old interact should immediately realize that theyre light-years apart. Think instead of three stages of youth: 1. Discovery (ages 16-19) 2. Experimentation (ages 20-24) 3. Golden (ages 25-34) The broader age range is included because delaying adult responsibilities is becoming more common. Because of the inherent differences in the three stages, this demographic must be approached with an intentional strategy encompassing multiple formats and channels. As a result of the enormous amount of time spent on the Internet, it is essential for every brand to have a web presence. After all, the new law of advertising is bring the game to them, and if a brand trying to reach young adults isnt on the web, it deserves a major facepalm. When it comes to young adults, the Internet boils down to social media. Of online 18- to 29-year-olds, 72% use social networking sites, with Facebook being the preferred choice for nearly three-quarters of them. Still, even the best of campaigns can have limited success. Its also important to note that young adults have become adept at tuning out traditional advertising altogether. As a result, more and more marketers have been experimenting with other methods. Though the use of product placement in television and movies has increased over the last few years, and some have tried encouraging customer-created ads, neither has proven effective. The challenges in marketing to young adults are many, but before crafting an effective strategy for reaching them, its important to explore the situation.

74% OF YOUNG

ADULTS USE SOCIAL NETWORKS TO TALK ABOUT PRODUCTS WITH FRIENDS & MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS. BUT...

ONLY OF 18TO 24-YEAR-OLDS AND... ONLY OF 12TO 17-YEAR-OLDS ACTUALLY WANT TO FRIEND A BRAND.

12% 6%

ALMOST OF 12- TO 17-YEAR-OLDS THINK BRANDS SHOULDNT HAVE A PRESENCE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
source: Forrester Research via Adweek

HALF

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money, media & marketing: the lay of the land

[money]

first timers
As young adults wrap up their last few years of high school and fly the coop whether to higher education or the working world they will, for the first time, get cozy with money. Theyll take out their first loans, open their first credit card accounts, start checking accounts, and begin budgeting for household expenses. loans. Last year alone, 10.3 million college students took out federal Stafford Loans and more than half of college graduates left school with debt an average of $22,000 per student, according to the College Board. credit. According to Sallie Mae, 84% of all undergraduates have at least one credit card, and of households of those under 35, nearly 85% have debt: either installment loan or credit card debt. banking. Those under 35 are very likely to have a checking account, but heres something you can confirm with your own eyes the next time youre standing behind a young person in a checkout line: they are more likely to use debit cards to pay for purchases than cash or check. The financial decisions they make at this point will lay the foundation for their financial futures, yet these decisions come at a time when theyre focused on other things, leaving them vulnerable to potential poor choices.

OF TEENS SAID THEY HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT WITH PAYING BILLS OR MANAGING A BUDGET. AND

93%

46% DONT EVEN SAY THEY

KNOW HOW TO MAKE A BUDGET. AND

78% WOULD SAID THEY

LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT INVESTING, SAVING, BUDGETING, CHECKING ACCOUNTS, AND FINANCING BIG PURCHASES LIKE A CAR OR HOME.
source: Capital One

mistakes and ignorance

It should come as no surprise that young adults struggle when starting out. Just a year or two before, most major financial and life decisions were resting squarely on the shoulders of their parents or guardians. Many will tell you that they are struggling with their current financial situation. Its not that young adults are unaware of what they should be doing. They know that they should begin saving for retirement early, and a majority consider making better choices about managing money, the most important individual issue to act on.

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[marketing]

rethinking traditional methods

Young adults are an incredibly confident and discerning generation that is causing marketers to rethink the methods they use. Think about it: this generation has grown up being marketed to constantly and as a result has developed a barrier to receiving many of these messages. Traditional methods of marketing are no longer effective for this analytical, educated, and media-savvy generation. To reach them, its necessary to understand how they perceive marketing tactics and how they are significantly different than previous generations.

72%

OF YOUNG ADULTS BELIEVE THAT USING SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A FORCE FOR CHANGE.

traits of millennials
Young adults, more so than their predecessors, crave engagement with the brands they buy. Many post and re-post advertising or marketing clips to social media and video sites as a way to create a brand experience that is both relevant and customized. Meanwhile, user-generated content like online reviews and opinions of products has an influence on what they buy. Despite having enormous purchasing power, young adults came of age in an uneasy time. Due to the recession and its long-term effects, they are reevaluating their spending habits and what makes them happy. Transparency and authenticity are the two most important keys to effectively reaching young adults. While marketing to GenX had a very in-your-face attitude, marketing today requires a focus on inclusiveness and potentially positive outcomes mirroring the socially conscious, globally minded, Internet-connected youth of today 1.

SAY THE THINGS THEY CONSUME HAVE THE POWER TO CREATE MORE CHANGE THAN THE PEOPLE THEY ELECT.
source: Euro RSCG via Adweek

50%

opinion sharing
Todays young adults are not shy about sharing their opinions on a product, rely heavily on the experience of others when evaluating a future purchase and use, on average, more than four different methods to communicate these messages. User-generated content (product reviews on buying sites, Facebook posts, Twitter updates, etc.) has a huge impact on the way young adults consume. While more than half of all Americans trust this kind of user-generated content more than information supplied by a company about a product or service, a whopping 84%

OF YOUNG ADULTS TRUST THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH A PRODUCT MORE THAN THEY TRUST THE OPINIONS OF THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
source: Bazaar Voice

MORE THAN

1/2

footnote 1 Thomas, Pardee. Media-Savvy Gen Y Finds Smart And Funny Is New Rock N Roll. Advertising Age. 81. no. 36 (2010).

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of young adults reported that this information had an impact on what they bought. Additionally, more than half of young adults trust the opinions of other consumers who have experience with a product more than they trust the opinions of their family and friends.

value and change

By spreading the word, young adults believe that their consumer choices can impact others and that new technologies are equipping and enabling them to actually create change. In everything from politics and sports teams to soft drinks, young adults are highly averse to turmoil and unpredictability, and want a brand that stays consistent and focuses its efforts on the consumer 2. As much as young adults are focused on themselves (look at their Facebook pages or Twitter feeds if you doubt it), they are also very communal and civicoriented. They are not hesitant about aligning themselves with a product as long as that product is genuine and focused on them.

IF ADVERTISING IS DONE IN A RELEVANT AND CREDIBLE WAY, YOUNG ADULTS ARE ACTUALLY EAGER TO INTERACT, SHARE OPINIONS AND EVEN PASS THE MESSAGE ON.
Beth Uyenco Global Research Dir. Microsoft Advertising

[media]

evolution of interaction
Young people barely remember when information was delivered in the daily mail or newspapers, so they have no reason to tolerate leftover old-media behaviors. Teen and young adult Internet adoption in the U.S. crossed the 90% threshold as far back as 2005, with broadband access in around 60% of homes since 2009. More and more, people of all ages automatically interact with media by giving feedback to producers and recommending quality content. Every day, more than half of Internet users online time is spent consuming published media, and 27 million pieces of content are shared every day. Eighty-three percent of online 18- 29-year-olds are engaged in social media and nearly two-thirds use it on a typical day. Recently, the adoption of social media appears to be leveling off, which may indicate that the tools have reached a saturation point and could now become a more regular even boring part of daily information flow. That may be good news for everyone as the social media discussion becomes more about whats being said rather than where its being said.

34%

OF CONSUMERS AGES 18-29 HAVE PURCHASED SPECIFIC PRODUCTS OR SERVICES SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY LIKED THE SOCIAL OR POLITICAL VALUES OF THE COMPANY.
source: Pew Research Center

footnote 2 Feld, Peter. What Obama can teach you about millennial marketing. Advertising Age. 79. no. 31 (2008).

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a flat, connected media world

The massive disruptive effect of a highly connected consumer base is that, suddenly, consumers are prolific and trusted producers of content. When there is no hierarchy and the cost of entry approaches nothing, the new communications landscape connects people with each other and puts individuals on equal footing with traditional media. A key feature of any social media environment is the ability to share content with others. Sharing isnt new. Conversations over lunch and retelling stories with friends is a staple of everyday life. Whats different is the single persons ability to share more content from more sources with more people more often and more quickly than ever before. Keep in mind that consumers are primarily concerned with using social media to keep in touch with friends and, when sharing, to be relevant among the groups they affiliate with. Each opportunity for sharing is also a transaction of trust. People must first trust a source before they are willing to pass messages along to their peers. No one wants to be ridiculed by friends for posting something stupid or inauthentic. Sixty percent of sharing is made up of links to published content, just 4% contains direct links to corporate websites, and the remainder link to branded entertainment. The need for contextual content reinforcing trust in a brand message is clear.

WHETHER THEY DO SO THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS OR IN FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSIONS, THE REASONS PEOPLE SHARE WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY AND THE PUBLIC ARE SIMPLE:

TO BRING

USEFUL CONTENT TO OTHER PEOPLE IDENTITY THROUGH AFFILIATION AND IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS THE WORD ABOUT CAUSES AND BRANDS

TO SHAPE

TO ADD TO

so, what to do about all this?

have materials worth sharing and talking about
Young adults are not afraid to share what they think, what they like, and what they experience. Giving young adults something that is worth talking about drives peer-to-peer recommendation and your brand then becomes part of their conversation. The method in which materials are marketed is not as significant as the quality of the information. Content that is good enough to email, retweet, and share takes on a life of its own.

TO SPREAD

source: Customer Insight Group/ The New York Times

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be fast (concise and snappy)

We live in a world where anything from how-to instructions to unlimited amounts of entertainment content can be accessed at the click of a mouse or tap of a touch screen. When marketing to young adults, dont take two pages when you can use one. This is the Twitter generation; if you can say it 140 characters, do so. Millennials hate to feel as though their time is being wasted, so be fast and be efficient in your message.

72%29-YEAR-OLDS OF ONLINE 18- TO

USE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES & FACEBOOK IS THE PREFERRED CHOICE FOR NEARLY THREEQUARTERS OF THEM.
source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

be smart and funny

With this generation on track to be the most educated to date, just being entertaining doesnt cut it 3. That said, young adults still expect a certain degree of humor when they receive a message. Combine a level of sophistication with humor in order to capture the attention of young adults. Never underestimate the intelligence or sense of humor of this demographic. Theyll often surprise you.

be honest
Young adults are highly aware that marketing serves to convince them of the benefits of a product or service; trying to pretend otherwise is one of the quickest ways to lose all credibility among young adults. Be honest and transparent in the tone and efforts that are being used. The risk of losing the purchasing power of young adults and gaining their viral negative reviews due to fake and cloudy marketing efforts is simply not worth it.

ITS NOT THAT [YOUNG ADULTS] CANT HANDLE LONG-FORM PITCHES, THEY JUST KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER. SO DO BETTER.

keep things fresh

Marketing must be constantly moving and evolving. Young adults are relentless in their search for new products, people, and self-images. Dont ever expect to figure out young adults, their constant motion makes this impossible. Rather, acknowledge that marketing efforts must be a fluid process. In order to reach them, staying fresh is key.

Thomas Pardee Advertising Age

footnote 3 Thomas, Pardee. Media-Savvy Gen Y Finds Smart And Funny Is New Rock N Roll. Advertising Age. 81. no. 36 (2010).

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bringing it home
Social media marketing presents a great opportunity for marketers trying to reach young adults: the cost of access is cheap and the traffic is there and highly engaged. But just having a presence on those channels isnt enough to deliver the demographic to your door. Remember: great content is key to having your brand noticed and talked about. Todays marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Make connections by providing valuable and honest information about your company and the industry you represent. Once the conversation has started, be a regular presence in a young adults information stream to maintain the relationship and reap the rewards.

ARTICLES

VIDEOS

GRAPHICS

brass content: when you need it, where you need it

Our range of turnkey solutions featuring terrific multimedia content created for young adults by young adults make it easy for you to reach out, build trust in your brand and create a community of loyal customers:
n

Digital tools make it easy to fill your social media channels, newsletters and email blasts with clickable, shareable content. Dedicated websites serve as a hub for all of your young adult marketing. Post from our huge library of articles, videos and graphics, and highlight your social media and promotions with a simple, intuitive interface. Print and digital magazines full of amazing content, in a range of customization and branding options.

To put this content to use, contact us today for a personal demonstration of all these tools. Call 541-753-8546 or email us at sales@brassmedia.com.

THE MONEY SIDE OF LIFETM

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