The Meme Series: Part Two - Using Memes To Market To Millennials

We’re not all the same, dagnabbit! We don’t all wear indigenous watches, or refuse to drink anything but Himalayan microbrews, or pray to Portland five times a day. (I only do the mandatory two.) Millennials are not reproductions of each other. We are different genders, races and ethnicities, and we were raised within a wide range socio-economic backgrounds.  

Basically, we don’t all look like this: 

(And this is just the women.)

There are countless Millennial subcultures and age groups. Yet unlike previous generations, we as a society seem to hold fast to Millennial stereotypes more than any other group. (Nobody assumes that all Gen Xers were dirty hippies. I’m looking at you, Mom.) We’re labeled as lazy, narcissistic, and unproductive. #HowToConfuseAMillennial made a splash among Baby Boomers this year, which also perpetuated these stereotypes.

These same prejudices can apply to Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, and Millennials alike. Productivity has nothing to do with age…it has to do with character, health, and circumstance. 

The real differences between Millennials and our predecessors is that a) we are more diverse group in terms of racial and gender identity and b) we were born into a very technological world (and even this varies by age group). Computers and Internet access were household staples to a lot of children. As a result we tend to be more intuitive with tech, adapt better to change and social advancement, are more straightforward and yes, take way too many pictures of food. (We can’t all be perfect.)

(Please let it be level-four vegan!)

Wanting to tap into the Millennial market is not only understandable, it is necessary if businesses want to thrive. We have officially surpassed the Baby Boomers as the largest generation in America at 83.1 million, making us the consumer goldmine. (So you better please us, Minions.)

In my previous post, I mentioned that marketers often rely on pop culture to create brand awareness and connect with Millennial consumers, and that memes can be an effective marketing tool. However, brands that do choose to use memes as a form of marketing have to realize that a) because Millennials are diverse, only a portion of the population will relate to memes, so they would have to accept marketing to a smaller niche, and b) they better nail it. 

Brands that do choose to take the meme route better know their target audience. The Culture Vulture Trend Report investigates “behavioral trends and insights—spanning demographic shifts, media consumption, sociological insights, and much more – including the role for brands.” The report reveals a lot of fascinating statistics on consumer behavior, including Millennials.

According to the report, Millennials care more about their social media personas than they do about material objects like cars, phones and clothing. The report also reveals that Millennials are more attracted to uniqueness than mass produced goods. In other words, Millennials care less about goods and services, and more about identity and personal style. This insight is crucial. 

                                                 (Source: The Culture Vulture Report)

In Marketing To Millennials Jeff Fromm and Christie Garton discuss how Millennials have given way to a participation economy. They write, “Not willing to be passive consumers any longer, this generation wants to actively participate, cocreate and, most important, be included as partners in the brands they love.” In other words, younger consumers don’t want to be sold to, they want to build meaningful relationships with brands.

Fromm and Garton also find that Millennials expect brands to participate in social media. They continue, “Certainly, we are witnessing an increasing number of brands turning to social media to tap consumer insights and engage fans of all ages, but where we are really seeing the most engagement – the participation economy at play – is with Millennials.”

(Traditional marketing model vs. new model geared toward Millennials)

Memes embody this type of economy. They’re shareable, engaging, and allow consumers to “cocreate” as Fromm and Garton (and the participation economy model) suggest. A killer meme could be a marketing home run for brands, but they also have to realize that memes or viral videos are not a magic solution to their marketing woes. Most memes have a short life span. And like any other branding strategy, your meme has to resonate with your intended audience. When your consumer is obsessed with uniqueness and participation, nothing could be more damning than a stale joke. It’s risky.

But life is all about taking risks, isn’t it?

Yes, memes can work. And there are brands that have made hilarious (and lucrative) memes happen. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest success stories, and of course, some of the biggest bombs.