Millennials: Engaging an Enigmatic and Influential Generation

Millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—have been the subject of abundant analysis and commentary, mostly regarding their avid use of technology, changing media consumption habits, and entry into the workforce.

Less has been explored about Millennials as consumers. How do they interact with brands? Where do they eat and shop? How do they make buying decisions, and what factors influence their opinions and choices? Companies must be ready. Marketing to Millennials is a challenge worth taking on.

The Center for Customer Insight—together with BCG’s Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice, and the Barkley and Service Management Group—set out to debunk the stereotypes about this booming generation by developing an insight series on Millennials.

What was found was a generation engaged in consuming and influencing. This is a group that embraces business and government and believes that such institutions can cause global change. It is generally an optimistic generation—but it often brings with it unexpected attitudes and behaviors. Those companies that truly “get” the Millennials and engage with them appropriately have an opportunity to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and forge long-term relationships with their customers.

The Center for Customer Insight continues to explore who these Millennials are and their profound impact on marketing:

Eight Attitudes and Behaviors That Define the Millennial Generation

  1. “I want it fast, and I want it now.”
  2. “I value experience; my friends are credible sources of information.”
  3. “I prefer to do things in groups. I look to family and friends for advice and validation of my choices.”
  4. “People care about what I say, where I am, and what I am doing.”
  5. “Show me the technology!”
  6. “I am socially networked and hyperconnected.”
  7. “I care about myself and the planet. I strive to be clean and green.”
  8. “The world is my oyster.”
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