Marketing to Millennials

Not all execs use methods they deem best

eMarketer, October 14, 2008 — Executives surveyed worldwide thought the best way to target millennials was with viral marketing, peer-to-peer recommendations and sponsorship of millennials' favorite programs, according to a survey conducted in May and June 2008 by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Genesys.

But more than one-half of respondents said they had yet to come up with a strategy for targeting, attracting or retaining millennials; just under one-third said they had done so.

Social Media and Shopping Behavior

Retailers join consumers in the online conversation.

eMarketer, October 2, 2008 — Consumers' use of social media is altering the way they make purchase decisions. To stay relevant, retailers must determine how to incorporate social media, such as social networks and blogs, into their marketing strategies.

Generation Gab†

Brandweek, July 2, 2008 — For those who think media fragmentation and niche marketing have redefined marketing permanently, here's something to chew on. What if the microscopically splintered youth demo out there right now—recent college grads on down to kids riding the bus to preschool—ends up gelling, melting and solidifying into a uniform power bloc of consumers? And what if, contrary to popular wisdom, they're not self-important, undisciplined individualists riding on digital highs, but a team-playing, risk-averse group that fosters familial bonding? All this would mean that Gen Y actually looks a lot more like, well, AARP. It would mean that the billions of dollars'worth of microtargeted marketing being created right now just could be a . . . waste of time? Then what?

The Post-Soccer Mom†

Brandweek, June 23, 2008 — Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce—and, while you're at it, hold the Dodge Caravan carting the cartel of kids to the soccer game. Hold the culinary classes, too, and those oboe lessons for junior. In case nobody noticed, that mythical '90s personage known as the Soccer Mom is no longer with us. The domestic superwoman who balanced family and checkbook, put Bill Clinton in the White House twice—and, lest we forget, was the demographic darling of brand marketers everywhere—is gone.