Millennials are, says Bauer Media, a highly valued audience; making up one in four adults in the UK with a predicted audience growth to 17m in 2019. Bauer Media’s insight comes from a study of over two thousand Millennials to provide an in-depth analysis of current behaviours and implications for brands. Participants in the study were asked to review adverts and media brands, keep diaries of the media they used, and write passionate ‘love letters’ to their favourite media brands.
Bauer Media’s study revealed Millennials seek meaningful experiences in both work and life, but some struggle to achieve the balance they want:
* 74% of Millennials agree that they ‘enjoy the shared experience of events’
* 77% agreed they ‘love having new and original experiences’
* Social media sharing also drives proliferation of experiences with 71% agreeing that ‘I’d rather tell people about something I’ve done than something I’ve got’
* The group are part of an ‘always on’ culture that live online and 56% admit that they are ‘constantly checking social media to make sure I’m up-to-date’
* However 42% of Millennials feel like ‘they are constantly bombarded by updates from friends and news’ which can often mean they feel the pressure of self-esteem and exposure
Through the research, Bauer has defined five segments of the Millennial demographic: The Influencers, The Adopters, The Apprentices, The Entertained and The Contented. Bauer have looked into how advertisers and brands can communicate to these different segments and the different ways to approach them.
Krissie Ford, Head of Client Development, Bauer Media said, “Our new insight exposes Millennials’ hyper-connected world as pressure-packed, but brands can overcome this by offering relief through entertaining and inspiring content. Experience is a key theme across all groups and brands should help empower this through doing, feeling and sharing.”
Anne-Marie Lavan, Group Marketing Director, Bauer Media, said: “Our media brands reach 57% of UK Millennials and we’ve always had a strong track record with this age group. It’s about concentrating on ‘who’ they are rather than just ‘how’ they are accessing media; by defining the five Millennial segments, this research gives our commercial partners unprecedented insight into a previously stereotyped group, allowing for a much higher level of consumer understanding.”
