Millennials remain a crucial audience to reach out to, but it’s find the right way to cater to them is always a challenge, since the wrong way can backfire in big ways. However, a recent study indicates that some companies could be changing the way they think about advertising to this audience next year.
A number of marketing and communications-based companies will stop trying to push towards millennials as a single demographic, and instead cater to younger consumers based on what they’re passionate about or take a liking to. The Communications Trends Report gathered data from over 400 communicators across 22 countries, and concluded that a more “age-agnostic” program could be more effective, zeroing in specifically on certain values depending on their tastes.
Additionally, the report also points out how some companies are scrambling to find a solution to ad-blocking, which has been on the rise over the past few months for both desktop and mobile devices. These solutions include better native advertising, as well as sponsored podcasts and influencer partnerships.
Other takeaways from the report are broken down as follows:
- While brands will continue to post plenty of content on their channels, there will be more team-ups with distribution services, including LinkedIn Pulse and Medium, to round out the effectiveness of certain marketing campaigns.
- Digital video is seeing an increase in audience, with more “cord cutters” joining every day. As a result, some marketers could utilize different tools, such as production experts and accounts, to find effective formats for their advertising plans.
- Brands will still heavily use communications strategies, but value will take more of a focus, particularly with social and political issues that are gaining buzz.
- Marketing needs to find a way to “give back,” and some companies will launch campaigns that cater more as services to consumers.
- Singling out smaller pieces of hyper-targeted content won’t be enough for advertisers. The report suggests that they get at least 10 specific messages set up for subset groups within the identified audience.
- Real-time content should take a larger focus next year, with less time spent on planned editorial calendars. Spontaneity with certain programs could possibly pay off.
- The consumer will pay a vital part in certain programs, leading more companies to create targeted campaigns and content to encourage them to buy directly from them, instead of e-tailers such as Amazon.
- Other mediums could play a huge part in programs, including virtual reality, which will get a huge push across the board next year. Look for marketers and advertisers alike to find a way to integrate its content into this medium, among other formats.