Get Them Young Get Them For Life

(photo by ojimbo)

Going into my feeds for the first time this week (man how is it Thursday already) I came across a post by Carol Phillips, writer of the Millennial Marketing Blog and a professor at Notre Dame. In it she describes the feeling in the room at a recent presentation on Millennials that was presented by Millennials towards 70+ CMO's.

Carol states:

Millennials are the 'target of the future' and what better way to start to understand them than to listen to the Millennials in your own organization. While many of their tastes and habits are age-related, many others are generational. These differences will shape their lives as consumers for many years.

Here's my two cents.

Companies that focus on gaining the trust and brand affection of younger patrons now with undoubtedly have more affect on long term growth and profits. Want examples.

Rock For Hunger.
At our nonprofit we aim to attract volunteers and donors from the college crowd. Our goal is to get into the mindset of the new freshmen coming into UCF. Why? I mean they have no money and no authority.

The reason is that over their 4-6 years at UCF they are going to develop, find career paths, skill sets and networks that can help any organization grow. If you get them early enough you will have them forever (or until they leave for a great opportunity). So over the next 4-6 years we get a devoted volunteer, one who shows up every week, makes small contributions, but more importantly, tells their friends about our shows and events, uses their network to help find sponsors and uses their skill sets to help us grow.

Under Armor.
I love this company and their branding. They came quasi-mainstream when I was in high school and our entire team was fitted in their gear. As their marketing grew, they started to reach every level of youth activities. Want to know what happens next? When I have kids and they play sports do you want to know what I am outfitting them in?

Yup, Under Armor. So not only did they get me to buy some undershirts, but I am going to continue to buy them and then pass it down a generation so my kids can become rock stars in their Under Armor gear.

So...
You see, if you treat Gen-Y great today, you will be rewarded with life long advocacy and loyalty. Talk smack to us and decide that you don't care, then we are just going to find the brand that does, and guess what they probably have a better product than you anyway. One that uses more efficient manufacturing, supports a social cause, goes green and tastes better and is better for us.

Pay attention folks, us mean old, self-serving Millennials want to make the world a better place and really there is no stoping us.

-Greg

Brands and Celebrities Part 2

I saw this ad/video from Tobacco Free Florida and had to post it. It hits home in so many ways and came at the perfect time.



On the heels of Monday's post on celebrities whoring products, also comes the flip-side and brands whoring celebrities, offering sponsorships for tours, videos, albums, movies, etc.

One tour that I remember was the Roots Tour, sponsored by Kool Cigarettes a few years back. The hip-hop purists in the Orlando community threw a concert in protest of the show, a "Hip-Hop is Not Kool" show. The point was that no rapper, artist or celebrity needs the money so bad that they should be promoting products that are dangerous, especially to the younger audience.

There are 2 sides to blame for this blatant attempt at promotion:
1. The artists/celebrities the see dollar signs
2. The brands that are willing to give money/products to anyone with a respectable audience

Neither side is better than the other and it is hard to say if the celebrity is the in the wrong for accepting money to continue to put food on their table and provide for their families, at least in the case of the Roots, who are not mega millionaires, but well off musicians.

Anyway...short post as I'm on the road to the Keys...hope the weather stays nice.

-Greg Rollett

Gen-Y Gives Up On Celebrities Hawking Crap

Before Chris Brown got all Mike Tyson, he was singing songs for Wrigley's Gum. There are 2 big problems with this scenario:
1. Do I/we believe that Chris Brown feels passionate about the gum? No.
2. Is Chris Brown (remember to think back before the last few weeks) going to make us rush out of our seats and buy the gum? Again No.

Celebrities no longer have the same affect on Gen-Y and youth culture as they once did. I attest a few reasons for this:
1. It seems like every teen can have their 15 minutes of fame - from YouTube to Myspace to Facebook Apps to whatever else, it has never been easier to display a talent, or non-talent an have the whole world notice.
2. We have seen celebrities dump brands and brands dump celebrities overnight - thus not allowing the 2 to grow together. When there is no brand loyalty, there is no reason to believe the person telling the message.
3. Ad campaigns are shorter than ever. With attention spans speeding up quicker than 10 year-olds on Riddlin, advertisers are launching new campaigns to get attention rather than growing story lines and initiating brand loyalty with young consumers.

Brands can overcome this position by being genuine with their younger audience. There are core influencers in the young demographic who are preaching for brands, who have a real affinity and pureness about them. The kids who throw brand names around in rap songs, the kids who race cars in the underground, the ones on forums who will tell Windows to shove it to every PC person in the room or the group that will time after time pay the extra dollar, two dollars to get a beer that makes them feel comfortable.

Right now I am in the middle of looking for a clothing sponsor. When I was in a band, I always thought it would be cool to get free clothes, and there are so many companies out there that will take care of musicians who take care of them. Now that I'm off one stage, I am in another. I have a great core audience here, a growing audience at Gen-Y Rock Stars, speaking engagements across the country and some really cool clients and partners. Representing an up and coming t-shirt designer would mean increased exposure for the company and confidence in myself that I am wearing a brand that I can be proud to show off.

But can the company expect to sell many shirts because of my association?
They will get some exposure, sure, but they will ultimately need to come in, have great products and find a group of core influencers who can extend their brand. Bloggers, musicians, pro athletes, etc can open the doors, but not sell the product. The youth with big wallets are not going to buy because someone like me told them to, they are going to buy because it will make them look cool on a date, give them confidence walking the halls, make them more money or make them drive faster.

As I am closing in a deal with a sponsor, the core values that I need in a brand sponsor are:
1. Growth potential from both parties. I want to play a factor in helping the brand grow, from marketing tips to utilizing my network to getting in front of people and wearing a logo I believe in. At the same time, they need to be ready to watch me grow. As my career grows, so will their need for support, swag, custom items and new initiatives.
2. Long term commitment. I'm not in this for a month, 6 months or even a year. I am looking for a brand that is in this for the long haul, to help create a brand image that is innovative, yet sustaining. Nike and Jordan are one of the only great examples of a partnership that has made sense over the past 20 years. No abandonment.
3. Great creative vision. I am a marketing guy and my design skills suck. Hopefully they won't be looking at me for design concepts!

As pockets get tighter, the young pockets are going to contract as well. This past weekend saw the lowest movie ticket sales of the year, down 16% from last year, and the Watchmen is only in week #2!

I found an interesting article from New Dheli in India that shared a similar perspective on young people:

They do not see celebrities as demonstrating what is either real or authentic, and that should serve as a blow to companies that spend a fortune on celebrity endorsements.

Only 6% identify with celebrities. Instead, they look up to real-life heroes and their parents. They appreciate companies and brands that are trustworthy and authentic and stay true to their values.

Even in a culture as different as apples and oranges from kids here in the states, core values and authenticity play a major roles in what kids buy, wear, feel and do.

If you are using a celebrity to promote your products, what do you expect from that person? If you are looking for advertisers, or sponsors for yourself or your business, what do you expect from the brand? Should they be different? I'm all ears.

-Greg Rollett