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MillennialMarketingTop 20 From restaurants and appliances to CPG and apparel, we rank the 20 favorite brands of consumers ages 18-35
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A letter from The Millennial Marketing Guy ™
With 80 million consumers falling into the millennial generation, it’s no wonder companies are scrambling to connect with this powerful demographic that has $1.3 trillion in direct spending power.
Our methodology
FutureCast has spent the past four years studying this group. Our first study in 2011, “American Millennials: Deciphering The Enigma Generation,” was a joint effort with Service Management Group and the Boston Consulting Group in which we interviewed 4,000 millennials against older consumers. We’ve conducted multiple studies since, which have led to hundreds of blogs, articles and two books on millennials and how brands can connect with them. Through this research, we’ve learned a thing or two about this cohort and the brands that are winning with them.
We not only used our own research to compile the Top 20 list, but we also looked at data and trends from other leading research firms, including YouGov Brand Index, Consumer Orbit, BERA Brand Management and Forrester.
As you read on, you will notice the brands on our list adhere to one or more of the following strategies when it comes to engaging millennials.
1. Allow consumers to co-create products, services and experiences. Millennials want to have a shared voice in building their optimal brand and brand experiences. Allow them to co-create, and you’ll be amazed by their interest, ideas and engagement.
2. Leverage technology within their brand authority. Millennial Mindset™ consumers know that “Useful is the new cool.™” The great brands are simplifying the consumer journey and creating added value consistent with their brand authority by creating and implementing technology into the customer experience.
3. Act with authenticity.
Millennials expect more honest and genuine behavior from today’s great brands.
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4. Engage in transparency.
Millennials want brands to admit errors, attempt to share more, hide less and act like “friends” they would trust, which is often difficult for CEOs, who grew up in a different era.
5. Stand for a purpose that is beyond the products you sell.
If you stand for more than your bottom line, millennials will view your products/
services more favorably. If you stand for nothing but your bottom line, you limit
your potential. Millennials care about causes and are more likely to show a
preference toward companies that support causes – even if it means paying
more for that company’s product.
6. Act like a conscious capitalist.
Making a profit is a good thing, but being sensitive to the entire business eco-
system, including your employees, vendors, the environment, as well as your
shareholders is even better.
7. Treat your consumer as your partner not your target audience.
Millennials don’t want to be treated like a target audience, and they expect
to have a shared voice in your brand planning and activation. Stop thinking
“target audience,” and start thinking “consumer partner”.
8. Create real differentiation
If you are playing in a market where you aren’t the only company selling your particular goods or services, you must do something to stand out, whether it’s offering an innovative flavor or a creating a funny commercial that makes people remember your brand.
Today’s brands can learn a lot from the Top 20 brands on this list. Hopefully,
they’ll inspire you to find new ways to engage your millenial consumers!
Sincerely,
Jeff Fromm
The Millennial Marketing Guy™
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1Shoes and Apparel
NIKE
When it comes to shoes and apparel, Nike is tops. According to our research,
millennials often name Nike as their top affinity brand. Nike, which started in
1964 as a distributor, no longer simply sells shoes. After reinventing itself to
appeal to a broader audience, Nike became the authority on leading a healthy
and athletic lifestyle. Now, its mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to
every athlete through products and sponsorships well beyond footwear.
Millennials also feel good about supporting Nike because of its commitment to
social responsibility. More than 87 percent of millennials donated to a nonprofit
in 2013, which is another reason Nike resonates with young consumers. Nike
Livestrong, focused on cancer awareness, and NIKE Red, a campaign to raise
money to help fight AIDS in Africa, are just two of the programs Nike has funded.
The company is also known for trying to improve the working conditions of
contract factory workers, increase productivity and reduce the environmental
footprint of manufacturing.
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2Appliances
LG
LG, which sells high-definition televisions, scored the highest out of all
appliance brands with millennials, probably because of the way it uses ads
to create shareworthy experiences. Last year, for example, LG released a
video prank that made its subjects think they were watching the end of the
world. It went viral, but that wasn’t the first edgy ad from LG.
Another commercial fooled
people riding in an elevator
into believing that the
elevator floor was actually
falling out from under them.
In another, men in a restroom
were tricked into thinking
that attractive women were
watching them use the
bathroom.
This type of marketing inspires consumers to seek out the brand in order to
spend time with it and to share it with their friends.
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3Beverages
COCA-COLA
When it comes to engaging millennials, Coca-Cola understands it’s all
about customization. For example, its Share a Coke campaign, which ran
this summer, featured 250 of the most popular names among teens and
millennials on 20-ounce bottles. What could be better for a millennial than
to have his/her name on his bottle of Coke?
Over the past two years, Coke has introduced more than 500 new
beverage offerings. Its recent claim to fame is the next-generation
Coca-Cola Freestyle dispenser and accompanying mobile app that
allows consumers to create their own drink flavors.
The company, however, doesn’t only rely on customization. It also embraces
collaboration and social responsibility to drive its innovation agenda. Last
year, for example, it launched EKOCENTER “downtown in a box” kiosks, which
deliver clean drinking water and other essential services and resources to rural
communities with the support of DEKA R&D and other partners.
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4Beverages/Beer
SAMUEL ADAMS
Although it has only 1 percent of the U.S. beer market share, Samuel Adams
is the top choice of millennials, who are demanding craft beer now more
than ever.
The brand is known for
its innovative flavors,
including its cider beer,
Angry Orchard, but also
for delivering a high-
quality product. It refused
to offer bottles with screw-
top caps, for example, even when U.S. airlines asked for them, saying it would
compromise the quality of the beer. Instead, it gave flight attendants free
bottle openers.
The brand also earned millennial love when it launched “Brewing the American
Dream,” a micro-lending and coaching and counseling program for small
businesses in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
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5Beverages/Spirits
BACARDI
Launched in 1862, few brands are as old as Bacardi, but the rum brand has
no problem appealing to young consumers. Instead of simply relying on old-
school advertising mediums, Bacardi went digital last year, partnering with
the popular music app, Shazam to show one of its videos in about 100,000 U.S.
movie theaters. In an effort to convey the 151-year-old brand’s authenticity
and spirit, the video highlighted the roles played by Emilio, eldest son of the
brand’s founder, Don Facundo Bacardi Massó, in Cuba’s fight for independence
from Spain. When the video aired before movies in theaters, moviegoers
could also access additional content about the brand via Shazam on their
smartphones.
The Don Facundo spot
wasn’t the only shareworthy
ad campaign the brand
has used to connect with
millenials. It also partnered
last summer with Rolling
Stone to host a “Bacardi
Rebels” concert on Cuban
Independence Day, which was live-streamed on RollingStone.com. In August,
it created its own graphic novel to share the brand story.
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6Car Makers
HONDA
Millennials are known for their optimistic attitudes, which is one way
Honda connects with them. The car company, for example, recently aired
a 30-second TV commercial, which runs 2:38 minutes online, for the Honda
Civic. It begins by showing a few things young people are anxious about,
but eventually taps into the generation’s optimistic mindset, focusing
on silly and serious reasons to feel positive.
The brand realizes that
millennials, as a whole,
are hopeful and think they
have the power to make
a difference in the world.
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7Audio/Visual
APPLE
What is cool, innovative and trendy all over? Apple. It should come as
no surprise that the tech giant has made the millennial Top 20 list. Apple
aligns with some of the most basic core millennial values — innovation,
imagination and simplicity. According to 2014 Neilsen findings, more than
85 percent of generation Y owns a smart phone. Further, 42.7 percent of
the U.S. population owns an iPhone.
The attention to customer service
has also been a key factor as to
why millennials have such a positive
relationship with the Apple brand.
Have you ever walked into an Apple
store? You are instantly greeted by
a tech genius, who can answer your
most basic question or your most
difficult one (and if they don’t know the answer, Siri also lends a helping hand…
or voice). Millennials are a relationship-driven generation and value brands
that are genuinely interested in building friendships and partnerships with their
customers, something Apple does exceedingly well.
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8Women’s Clothing Stores
VICTORIA’S SECRET
Millennials are not only digital-savvy; they want to belong and feel important,
which is key to how Victoria’s Secret connects with them. Last year, for
example, the lingerie brand launched an iPad app that serves as a hub
for its Pink Nation loyalty program.
Targeting college-aged women, the
app syncs with Facebook and allows
consumers to shop from the app’s
Pink line via a feature that pulls
from the Victoria’s Secret site. The
app includes a “shopable” look book,
a monthly calendar that contains
pieces of weekly content that
incentivize users to open the app on
a daily basis and also GPS to help
them locate the nearest stores.
Like all millennial-savvy brands, Victoria’s Secret understands the importance
of useful content; the app contains a photo filter that allows consumers to
upload and customize photos with Victoria’s Secret logos and images.
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9Clothing Stores (Non-Female Only)
OLD NAVY
Old Navy is often referred to as a brand in which millennials have maintained
a consistent relationship. The Millennials as New Parents Report from
FutureCast shows that Old Navy solidified its spot as a Top 10 millennial brand
both before and after millennials became parents. Additionally, its marketing
has focused on digital and social and adapted to millennial attitudes.
According to Nielson ratings, Old Navy’s advertisement featuring Amy Pohler
ranked seventh on the list of Top 10 ads among millennials in September 2013.
With Old Navy,
millennials know
what they are getting
– seasonal wear that
is both inexpensive
and trendy and can
be easily paired
with designer shoes.
(Remember we’re talking about millennials who embrace that trade up/trade
down mentality). We don’t foresee Old Navy dropping from the list anytime soon.
In fact, we predict more brands will start emulating Old Navy’s approach.
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10CPG Big Brands
SNICKERS
When it comes to shareable content, Snickers is winning big with millennials.
Its latest ad campaign, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” has been a major
hit on Youtube. In fact, the Snickers UK video released last month featuring
Mr. Bean has received more than 5 million Youtube hits.
Anther commercial starring Cleveland Browns Johnny Manziel, who turns into
Johnny JamBoogie and teaches aerobics when he’s hungry, has received more
than 1 million hits on Youtube. Manziel, AKA Johnny Football, returns to normal
after he eats a Snickers.
Shareable content isn’t the only way Snickers is pleasing millennials; the
brand is also embracing the generation’s love of supporting brands that
stand for something more than the bottom line. Ethical Corporation, a global
business publication focused on global ethical business named Snickers’
parent company, Mars Incorporated, the 2013 Best Private Company in its
Responsible Business Awards.
Mars has committed to reducing the company’s environmental impacts through
its “Sustainable in a Generation” program. The goal is to eliminate fossil-fuel
energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 2040, along
with similar commitments for water and waste. The company also boasts the
Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, a program that seeks to help farmers create
sustainable businesses, by ensuring the future of the cocoa supply chain and
increasing incomes and securing livelihoods for future cocoa farmers.
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11Department and Discount Stores
TARGET
Millennials are known to be frugal shoppers, who embrace a trade up/trade
down mindset. When it comes to necessities, however, they don’t mind
paying the premium. The sweet-spot is offering a premium product at
an affordable price, which private-label brands, including Target’s Market
Pantry, are doing well.
Target, however, knows it can’t always compete on price with other big-box
retailers, such as Walmart, so it has upped its game when it comes to offering
millennials high-quality experiences as well as products.
The chain, for example, boasts more than 7 million users on its Cartwheel app
and recently overhauled its wedding and baby registries, adding integrated
shopping lists with live store maps and is also testing same-day delivery for
some online orders.
The chain also created a new app that allows users to build shopping lists that
tell them exactly where in a store to find items. Another 140 stores are now
doubling as warehouses for online orders now that Target has a ship-from-
store capability to help deliver online orders more quickly. Online shoppers will
also see more personalized product recommendations and offers with the roll-
out of a personalization engine.
Lastly, the store is also replacing all in-store registry kiosks used for baby and
wedding registries with iPads and iPod touches will replace scanning guns.
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12Casual Dining
OLIVE GARDEN
It’s no secret that the chain restaurant is not a favorite of the millennial,
but Olive Garden set out to change that last year when it launched tapas,
including Parmesan Asparagus and Grilled Chicken Tapas. The chain, which
has been known for its large portions in the past, also added other small
plate options, including garlic hummus, chicken meatballs and tortelloni
stuffed with cheese.
Since the September 2013 menu
changes, same-store sales have
increased .6 percent, proving that the
chains’ decision to add millennial-friendly
portions is paying off. The chain however,
hasn’t abandoned its roots, launching
a campaign this year giving 1,000 of its
fans seven weeks of never-ending pasta.
Millennials, after all, want choices.
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13Fast Casual
CHIPOTLE
Chipotle understands creating commercials, running print ads and having a Facebook and Twitter presence aren’t enough to engage millennials, who demand shareworthy and participatory experiences. Instead, Chipotle provides consumers with original content that they’ll want to share with friends.
The burrito chain, which recently reported 17 percent same store sales increase despite increasing menu prices by 6 percent, was one of the first brands to embrace this concept of content excellence. Over the past few years, it has created content to teach consumers about its mission of using ingredients raised responsibly with respect for the farmers, the animals and the environment. Creating funny commercials and hosting Facebook contests only go so far, and Chipotle blew the doors off standard marketing earlier this year when it launched its own Web series, “Farmed and Dangerous.”
The show, which is running on Hulu.com, is about Chip, a millennial-aged, sustainable farmer fighting an industrial food production company engaged in corrupt practices to increase profits. From, a love triangle, political corruption and musical performances by up-and-coming artist, Rae, the show features a variety of components that would make consumers want to share it with their friends. There’s even a petroleum-eating cow that explodes. What’s more shareworthy than that?
Shortly before the first “Farmed and Dangerous” webisode aired, Chipotle created “The Scarecrow,” an arcade-style adventure game for the iPhone, along with an animated short film of the same name. Both the game and the film depict a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people by providing an alternative to the processed food that dominates his world. The 3-minute short set to a haunting version of “Pure Imagination” by Fiona Apple, has received more than 13 million hits on Youtube.
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14Fast Food
SUBWAY
Millennials heart subway. According to BERA, the world’s largest brand equity
assessment platform, the sandwich chain is at the top of the love curve. BERA
studies how consumers feel about thousands of brands and ranks them on a
curve, which includes three stages: Dating, love and divorce.
Subway earns its
millennial love for
many reasons,
including its focus
on healthy, fresh
food but also for
staying current
with millennial
culture. Its recent
partnership
with Diet Coke
to help Subway fans meet millennial icon, Taylor Swift, is proof that the brand
understands that providing an experience for millennials is more powerful than
price cuts.
The chain’s limited-edition, 30-ounce cups featured specially marked codes to
enter the #MeetTaylor contest on Subway’s website. Fans could also play by
downloading the Subway Freshbuzz app, in which they could also pre-order
Swift’s latest album, “1989.”
Source: Bera Brand Management
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15Dining: Specialty
STARBUCKS
Starbucks is another brand that sits on the peak of BERA’s millennial love
curve. The coffee giant is talking the millennial talk and walking the millennial
walk by going digital and offering relevant rewards. It’s mobile loyalty app,
which rewards consumers with freebies when they pay with it, has more than
15 million users.
Even though Starbucks is a highly digitized company, it still creates an
environment that makes millennials feel like they’re a part of a community.
From family style seating to urban high-top tables, Starbucks creates
an atmosphere that aligns with millennial culture and encourages
face-to-face interactions.
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16Skin Care & Cosmetics
DOVE
Consistent with the overall millennial theme of charity and the drive to make a
difference, Millennial women want to be inspired by the products and brands
they are using.
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has successfully created an image
that women can relate to and feel good about supporting. The goal of the
campaign is to inspire and empower women to broaden the definition of
beauty. Inspirational messages and targeted campaigns are key to winning
with millennials.
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17Home Improvement/ Furnishings
IKEA
IKEA is an obvious brand when it comes to attracting millennials. The
Swedish furniture chain is known for its trendy, inexpensive designs that allow
consumers to use them in a variety of ways. IKEA connected with millennials
again this year when it launched a flexible product line designed for “a home in
constant motion.” It included 40 pieces from its more affordable line, PS, that
fit in unconventional or small spaces.
The launch was accompanied by a video featuring young millennials carrying
portable IKEA furniture all over cities, showing consumers how IKEA is made for
“young-in-mind people living in the moment.”
The chain also made news this year when it opened its first “millennial-
savvy” hotel in partnership with Marriott. Moxy, which launched in Europe this
year and has plans for several more over the next 10 years, was intended to
capture the heart of the emerging millennial traveler. The new brand combines
contemporary design, approachable service at an affordable price.
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18Specialty Retail B: Sports. Electronics, Music
CVS HEALTH
When CVS Health, a $126 billion pharmacy and health care provider, stopped
selling cigarettes in February of this year, many predicted failure. However, the
move has attracted millennials, who prefer brands that make a positive
impact on the world.
The chain reported in November that revenue
jumped 9.7 percent in its latest quarter from the
same period a year ago. It was due, in part, to a
nearly 16-percent gain in revenue for CVS’s
pharmacy services, which rose to $22.5 billion in
the quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier.
Front-of-store sales, however, dropped by 4.5
percent, which the chain admitted was a direct
impact of the cigarette ban. The decision to stop selling cigarettes was not
only “the right thing to do,” according to CEO Larry Merlo, but it will help the
chain pick up more money by positioning it as a health-care provider.
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19Airlines
SOUTHWEST
By 2020, 50 percent of the U.S. workforce will be under the age of 32,
and millennials will make up half of all business travelers, according to
Travel Market Report.
Although Southwest has mostly based its
competitive advantage on price over the last
few years, the airline had to up its game since
millennials care more about their
in-flight experiences than cheap flights.
One way Southwest has delighted the
tech-savvy millennial is with its mobile app
that allows passengers to not only book flights
but also check in for flights and use phones
as boarding passes. Another smart move was
offering wi-fi on flights for less than $10.
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20Hotels
HILTON
The hotel industry is growing by catering to millennials. In fact, the
number of U.S. rooms being built increased by 20 percent in Q2 of this year
compared to last year. More than 60 percent of those rooms will be upscale or
mid-range rooms featured in hotels aiming to target younger travelers. Hilton
Worldwide holdings is the brand leading the charge with this innovation.
The chain has created Canopy by Hilton,
featuring millennial-inspired technologies,
including the ability to use a mobile phone
for check-in and as a room key. Each of
the 11 hotels already in the pipeline will
boast a local feel with neighborhood
products and personalities, including craft
beers and art.
Hilton is planning to open 100 Canopy by
Hilton hotels over the next five years.
Thank You!» CHERRYH BUTLER
Cherryh Butler, of Barkley and FutureCast, was the lead author of this paper .
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
» JEFF FROMM President of FutureCast & Co-Author of “Marketing to Millennials: Reach the Largest and Most Influential Generation of Consumers Ever” and “Millennials with Kids: Marketing to this Powerfull and Surprisingly Different Generation of Parents.”
Reach Jeff at: [email protected]
» LEAH SWARTZ Millennial Account Coordinator, FutureCast
CONTRIBUTING Editor
» JORDAN McCORMACK Millennial Marketing Coordinator, FutureCast
