Marketing to Millennials

As we look to the New Year, Millennials feature heavily in many of the predictions for 2016.

I’m exhausted by the constant claim that the Net Generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will change how we do business. Forever. Sometimes I sit and wonder, what the reality is behind the hype.

For example, we’re always being told that Millennials are digital natives with no concerns about privacy. But don’t confuse a willingness to express themselves publicly with no concerns over privacy. Just because Millennials use the internet, doesn’t mean they share everything online. The public persona can be very different to the person you meet.

We each have a version of our self in the virtual world, one that affects how others behave. Many big brands use predictive analysis to identify the likelihood of future purchase. It’s still a blunt tool, as the recommendations from Amazon only go to show. Their machines have learnt from your browsing behaviour, that you like rom coms. But do you?