Don snuck into his daughter’s bedroom (aka her sanctuary) and searched for her diary. Once he found it, he turned to the next blank page and wrote a note.
The note said, “Hi honey, it’s Daddy! If you get an A in science class, Mom and I will take you to NYC for a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue! Love, Your favorite Daddy.”
Don left his daughter’s room with a proud smile, thinking how excited she would be when she found his strategically placed note.
Any guesses how “excited” Don’s daughter was after she found the note? Try “mortified.”
She felt violated. How dare her dad go into her private space to leave her a message! Instead of getting an A, Don’s daughter intentionally failed the class just to spite him.
What does this story have to do with your marketing? Well, think about the sanctuaries a teen has today. There are social communities, cell phones (for talking, sure, but most of all texting) and other online spaces.
These are not only their tools for communication, but also their media platforms of choice. They love to hear from their friends and keep up to date with these modern digital tools.
Sounds like a great place for you to market to Millennials, huh? They live online, so where better to reach them?
Here’s the rub—Millennials hate being directly marketed to on these platforms. Loathe it. There is a ton of research out there that proves it. You can also do your own grassroots study by asking any teen you know if she likes receiving an unsolicited text ad on her cell phone.
Recently, Next Step Magazine (my company) teamed up with research experts Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) to poll about 6,000 teens.
The teens told us that the Internet—the medium they use the most for communication and objective info—is the medium they trust the least when it comes to advertising messages.
There are still ways to reach Millennials; it’s just not as easy as it used to be. Here’s the secret: You need to get them involved.
You need to get them to virally spread your message. Word-of-mouth (or cyber-mouth) still rules. And the interaction needs to feel natural. If they sense an advertisement in their sanctuaries, they will rebel against your product just like Don’s daughter rebelled against science class.
So how can you engage and involve Millennials in your marketing? How can you obtain their trust in their digital sanctuaries?
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