Then Life Happened: Millennials Out of Their Formative Years and Into The Fire

1

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2© ResourceAmmirati 2014

Millennials’ Formative Events

1998

Clinton

Impeached

2001

9/11

Start Afghan War

2003–2006

Iraq War

2005

Hurricane

Katrina

2007–2009

Great

Recession

1999

Columbine


Portrait of a Split Personality

Multicultural & tolerant

Open-minded & inclusive

Information-adept

Network-empowered

Entrepreneurial

Civic-minded

Globally engaged

Persistently optimistic

Narcissistic

Self-entitled

Impatient

Stressed

Lax work ethic

Extreme moral relativism

Lack of empathy

Poor coping skills


Paradoxically, They Are…

1. Prematurely affluent and suffer from

financial melancholy.

2. A trophy generation now trying out

“medium chill”—working toward

good-enough.

3. A generation whose social media

obsession has morphed into

“professional narcissism.”

1 Neil Howe, The New York Times, March 26, 2013

2 David Roberts, grist.org, June 2011

3 Alissa Quart, Frontline, June 21, 2013


Archetypes Help to Unfold a Multi-Faceted Generation

OPEN brands believe it is the consumer who is the real

protagonist in a life they are making for themselves and

others using age-old, mythical patterns, icons and

characters as well as contemporary cues and content.

Marketers consequently need insights into consumers’ life

ambitions, self-concepts and sources of tension, and

Jungian archetypes are ideally suited for generating

these.

© ResourceAmmirati 2014 6

Methodology

Proprietary

iCitzen

Persona

Methodology

Ongoing Study

-literature reviews

-ethnography studies

-surveys Carol S. Pearson

Carl Jung


Among the first wave of

millennials, ages 18-33,

22% are more likely than

the general population to

identify with the

Hero/Warrior archetype,

20% more likely for the

Explorer, 15% more likely

for the Creator, and 11%

more likely for the Lover.

Millennials’ Four Dominant Archetypes

Source: ResourceAmmirati proprietary methodology


The Hero/Warrior

Goal: Win, get own way, make a difference through struggle

Fear: Weakness, powerlessness, impotence, ineptitude

Response: Slay, defeat or convert it

Task: High-level assertiveness; fighting for what really matters

Gift: Courage, discipline, skill

“Warriors live by, and when necessary, fight

for, their own principles or values even when

doing so is economically or socially costly.”

-- Carol S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within


Life Context of the Millennial Hero/Warrior

Millennials’ stress level is a 5.4

out of 10; 3.6 is considered

healthy. (American

Psychological Association and

Harris Interactive, 2013)

Two-thirds of recent bachelor’s

degree recipients have an

average of $27,000 in student

loan debt, almost double what it

was two decades ago. (Urban

Institute, 2013)

Seven in 10 Americans say

today’s young adults face more

economic challenges than their

elders did. (Pew Research,

2014)

Millennials are becoming parents and professionals in a world marked by deepening ideological and financial divides. Their Hero instinct tells them to use their education and attitude to overcome the deep-rooted problems facing this generation.

A third of older millennials have

a four-year college degree or

more—making them the best-

educated cohort of young adults

in American history. (Pew

Research, 2014)

Forty-nine percent of millennials

say the country’s best years are

ahead of them, compared with

42% of Gen Xers. (Pew

Research, 2014)

LIABILITIES ASSETS


In response to the Great Recession, the

collapse of the dotcom bubble and today’s

growing income equality, many millennials are

defining success in less materialistic terms,

opting for experiential riches. It’s not about

owning more than the Joneses but about doing

more with the Joneses—and then sharing the

tales.

Source: Thomas Picket, Capital in the Twenty-first Century


Building a Hero/Warrior Brand

1. Forge a Social Contract: For this generation more than any other, brands have social contracts. Make your corporate social responsibility initiatives part of your brand, not a sideline, and enable your Hero fans to identify with and contribute to your causes.

2. Achievement Appeal: Stress levels are high for older millennials so demonstrate to the achievement-oriented Hero how your product, services and business are at the top of their game and will help them get to the top of theirs.


Chipotle

Millennial Heroes want to engage with Hero brands as

change agents and have a causal rather than casual

relationship with them.

CHIPOTLE has rejected the herd mentality, particularly fast food’s

relationship to factory farming. It focuses on changing our food

culture where it needed it the most, while the brand voice balances

calling out the food-industrial complex foes and keeping it lively and

approachable.


SMART

Millennials need a dose of humor and a lot of heart

from their Hero brands. Nowhere is this more true

than in the automotive industry, which is barely on

millennials’ radar of preferred brands. Millennials

aren’t buying cars like older generations due to

their leaner, more urban millennial lifestyles—or is

it that car marketing is in need of a reboot?

SMART cars have been deftly exploiting their David essence

and the gas-guzzling Goliath rivals. The brand’s tone mixes

levity with a confident “go small or go home.”


Toms

Millennial Heroes expect a cultural perspective that is

backed by action. Marketing is deeds more than words,

and for this cohort, brands are businesses with social

contracts. Seventy-four percent of millennials believe

businesses can do much more to address society’s

challenges in the areas of most concern: resource

scarcity (68%), climate change (65%) and income

equality (64%). (Deloitte, Millennial Survey, 2014)

TOMS matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new

shoes for a child in need. According to Toms, “What began as a

simple idea has evolved into a powerful business model for helping

address need and also advance health, education and economic

opportunity for children and their communities around the world.”


Nintendo

A majority of 18-34 year olds (57%) play video games

at least three times a week. (Zogby Analytics, 2014)

Gamification is important to millennials, and it plays

directly to the Hero’s need to take on challenges and to

be victorious.

NINTENDO, with its stable of beloved characters and gaming

systems designed to imitate users’ movements, has created new

ways to collaborate—and compete. Whether competing with friends

in the same room or connected through social experiences, the

Nintendo customer is the epitome of the Hero/Warrior as they seek to

slay the beast and beat their opponents.

* ResourceAmmirati client


The Explorer

Goal: Search for a better life or better way

Fear: Conformity, becoming entrapped

Response: Leave it, take off, escape

Task: Be true to a deeper or higher truth

Gift: Autonomy, ambition

“The Explorer in each of us challenges us to

explore what we fear most, so that by braving

the unknown, we ourselves are transformed.”



The Life Context of the Millennial Explorer

The underemployment rate is

32.8% among those living at

home and 15.4% among

those living on their own.

(Gallup, 2014)

A strong entrepreneurial

streak has emerged, driven by

the cohort’s “digital native”

skills and their social

conscience. Fifty-four percent

of millennials either want to

start a business or have

already started one.

(Kauffman Foundation, 2011)

Achieving autonomy is a

goal keenly felt by those

first-wave millennials who

have delayed marriage,

buying a home and having

children. Economic

constraints keep 36% of 18-

31 year olds living at home

with parents (Pew

Research 2012), which

prompted research into the

new “emerging

adulthood” life chapter.

Millennials’ trailblazer

orientation is most evident

when it comes to

employment.

On average, millennials stay with a

company only two years, compared

with five years for Gen X and seven

years for boomers. (Millennial

Branding, 2013)

Men are redefining their role; the

number of men who are the primary

household grocery shopper

increased to 31% in 2011, up from

14% in 1985. (US Chamber of

Commerce Foundation, 2012)

The most racially and ethnically

diverse cohort in the US; 43 percent

are non-white, so perhaps not

surprisingly, 55 percent favor a path

to citizenship for undocumented

immigrants. (Pew Research, 2014)


Millennials going their own way to seek

authenticity and spiritual depth? As adolescents,

they were described as profoundly team-

oriented and not particularly individualistic or

introspective. What happened on the way to

adulthood? Some of millennials’ Explorer

traits are undoubtedly tied to their life stage,

an early mid-point on the journey of life that

typically sees individuals turn inward to

cultivate the Soul after the Ego has been

formed.


Building an Explorer Brand

1. Acts of Independence: Explorers prize autonomy, but the economy has thwarted rites of passage into adulthood for many. Empower Explorers to achieve independence in small acts or unconventional ways.

2. Freedom Focus: Assure Explorers that in a conformist age, you’re with them as they journey down the road less traveled, and associate your brand with movement, free will and the pursuit of higher truths.


Virgin

Millennials’ desire to have a large variety of

experiences and travel often includes exposing

themselves to a certain amount of danger in the pursuit

of excitement. Seventy percent of millennials agreed

that “visiting every continent in my lifetime could be an

achievement and is something I’d like to do” vs. 48% of

non-millennials. (Barklay, The Enigma Generation,

2011)

VIRGIN’s Explorer culture stands out even in the travel category,

thanks to founder Richard Branson, who is currently working on a

public space travel program.


Red Bull

Millennial Explorers in search of deeper

revelations about the world favor brands that push

conventional boundaries: 69% support legalizing

marijuana, up from 34% eight years ago, and 68%

favor same-sex marriage, up from 44% in 2004.

(Pew Research, 2014)

RED BULL, befitting an Explorer brand, can be consumed on

the go, and to drive home the point, the beverage brand’s

philosophy is to give “wings to people and ideas.” The brand

finds those wings far from the mainstream of sports, in cliff

diving and downhill bike racing through Rio’s most notorious

barrios.


Airbnb

The sharing economy had projected revenues of

$3.5 billion in 2013. Millennials have been culturally

hardwired to borrow, rent and share not just out of

economic necessity but also due to their

determination not to be entrapped in the living-to-

work cycle of their parents.

AIRBNB offers a more authentic local and shared experience,

as well as a new way to make money.


Schwinn

Cycling is on the rise for millennials due to high fuel costs,

urbanization and a deeper understanding of environmental

factors. This cohort drives about 20% less than their

parents’ generation (PIRG, 2013) and seeks brands that

help their Explorer self to travel more freely.

SCHWINN is well-attuned to this generation’s travelling

aspirations and seeks to help all of its customers “enjoy the ride” of

life and the bike ride of the moment.



The Creator

Goal: Creation of a life, work or new reality of any kind

Fear: Inauthenticity, miscreation, failure of imagination

Response: Accept that it is part of the self, part of what one

has created; be willing to create another reality

Task: Self-creation, self-acceptance

Gift: Autonomy, ambition

“The ability to see and name that potential in oneself or another is the primary creative act of liberation. It is only when we begin to uncover who we are—beneath insecurity and grandiosity, beneath ingrained habit and social conditioning, beyond our outer appearance and our persona—that we can have some confidence that our actions are helping to expand rather than shrink our individual, collective and world Soul.”



The Life Context of the Millennial Creator

They are in a league of their own

when it comes to producing online

content—60% compared with 20%

for non-millennials. (Barkley, SMG,

Boston Consulting Group, American

Millennials: Deciphering the

Enigma Generation, 2011)

When asked "what word best defines

the DNA of your generation?” the

most frequent response is “creative"

and the second most frequent is

“self-expressive.” (MTV’s Innovation

Generation study, 2012)

Many millennials are early adopters.

Fifty-two percent of millennials rank

far above or above average when it

comes to being early adopters of

technology. (Experian, 2013 Digital

Marketers Report)

Newer platforms like Snapchat

enable experimental venues for self-

expression. Seventeen percent of

millennials (18-34) use Snapchat on

a monthly basis. (Comscore, 2014)

Thirty percent of millennials’ media

time is spent with content created

and curated by their peers, which

means they are also acting as

“always-on” publishers.

(Crowdtap/Ipsos, 2014)

Millennials far outpace

others with the amount

of content they create

and consume. They

also have “slashitude,”

as in “I’m a retail

associate/CEO/Techno

DJ/food stylist.” The

trend toward personal

branding and

professional narcissism

is a method for

identifying millennials’

passions.


The challenge for many millennial Creators is

to find the right balance between creating

and being created by their social conditions.

This cohort craves validation and social proof

that the self and life they’re creating are

worthwhile. But the sheer magnitude of their

digital output has enabled them to continuously

self-create and recreate, resulting in a

generation of “mashionalities,” comprised of the

free artistic and information riches of the web

and animated by the videogame prerogative to

reset and play again.


Building a Creator Brand

1. Let Them Express Themselves: The challenge for many millennials is to create and self-express in order to forge an identity and do work that is authentically one’s own. Align your brand with the Creator’s quest for self-discovery.

2. New Realms and Reinvention: Millennials are the first generation to have their entire life, juvenile faux pas and all, exposed to the public, but Creators need the possibility of reinvention. Provide ways for your Creator fans to inhabit another world and persona temporarily.


Taco Bell

Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, which

enable users to create and erase, provide

experimental venues for self-expression that don’t

have the high cost associated with other social

platforms’ permanent digital record.

TACO BELL is the QSR brand for the millennial generation.

Leveraging platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, the brand

encourages customers to co-create the brand, extending Taco

Bell’s stories and driving pop culture.


Google

Creator brands should provide ways for their fans to

inhabit another world and persona for a while.

GOOGLE is on millennials’ favorite brands list in no small part

because they would like to work at a company that offers perks

and “balance enhancers,” including its policy of allowing

employees one day a week to work on personal projects.

(“Generational differences in work values: A review of the

empirical evidence,” Journal of Management, 2010)


Etsy

The disintermediating web has made it possible

for anyone to promote and sell their own

creations. Brands hoping to appeal to millennial

Creators can learn from these P2P

marketplaces, particularly the manner in which

the creative legacy or personal inspiration for the

product is conveyed.

ETSY is one of the definitive marketplaces for the maker

movement, connecting creators with customers who are looking

for something special that can’t be purchased elsewhere.


DiGiorno

Small acts of creativity constitute the oxygen for this

generation, but given interesting goals and

parameters for co-creation, millennials will respond

even more favorably, as they seize the opportunity

to stretch themselves.

DIGIORNO lets customers co-create the brand with engaging

experiences like build your own pizza and Twitter trash talking

with #DiGiorNOYOUDIDNT.



The Lover

Goal: Bliss, oneness, unity

Fear: Loss of love, disconnection

Response to problem: Love it

Task: Follow your bliss, commit to what you love

Gift: Commitment, passion, ecstasy

“We know Eros when we experience a passionate connection to a particular landscape, to our work, to an activity, to a cause, a religion, a way of life. Without Eros, we can be born but never really live; our Souls simply never fall to earth. It is Eros—passion, attachment, desire, even lust—that makes us really alive.”



The Life Context of the Millennial Lover

Fifty-seven percent of those

surveyed say they tell their friends

about their purchases; 44% prefer to

“show off” their purchases, even if it’s

in subtle ways, seeking constant

reassurance. (Moosylvania, 2014)

Millennials are twice as likely as Gen

Xers to say that they were influenced

by celebrities and four times more

likely than boomers. (BCG, 2014)

Seventy percent of millennials are

more excited about a decision

they’ve made when their friends

agree, compared with 48% of non-

millennials. (Barkley, 2013)

The real power of this

archetype is in the

millennials’ ever-

present digital

togetherness. This

generation is

connected like no other

in search of their chief

values: happiness,

passion, diversity,

sharing and discovery.

Millennials are also charitable and

keen to participate in “public life”:

63% of millennials donate to

charities, 43% actively volunteer or

are a member of a community

organization and 52% have signed

petitions. (Deloitte, The Millennial

Survey, 2014)

When asked what would have the

most influence on them, more than

95% of millennials say they want

brands to court them actively and

have coupons sent to them.

(Accenture, Who are the Millennial

Shoppers?, June 2013)

Forty million millennials are already

parents and 52% of millennials

rank parenting as one of the most

important things they can do with

their lives. (Pew Research, 2014)


Millennials are less trusting of people in general

and a recent report shows them subordinating

friendships to career advancement more readily

than boomers. But their digital connection to

others creates a diffuse but ever-present sense

of “being in this together” that has translated into

a tolerance of and curiosity about other cultures

and peoples. And their intimate involvement

with digital media turns brands into friends,

friends into brands, and the self into a

dispersal of passions big and small.


Building a Lover Brand

1. Eros, Not Ego: Millennials are nothing if not egotistically developed, so the Lover brand’s role is to encourage a fuller giving into Eros (not Ego)—passionate involvement with a cause, culture, place, idea or set of experiences.

2. (Really) Be There For Them: Millennials expect more from brands than other cohorts: brands should know their Lover fans personally, court them deftly and facilitate more social graph intimacy and interactivity.


Smirnoff

The spirits category is far less homogenous than

one would imagine, with Outlaws, Rules and Lovers

aplenty. Millennial lovers warm to cultural codes of

group fun, of social cohesion and tribal belonging, a

pivot away from boomer’s codes of close

encounters.

SMIRNOFF, to stand out from the pack, has positioned itself

as being about inclusivity and unpretentiousness by mocking

mixologists and “VIPing.” The message separates the brand from

claims of exclusivity and speaks to millennials inclination toward

“the more the merrier.”


Coca-Cola

Millennials appear to be shifting away from what

used to be the be-all and end-all, money and

power, in favor of happiness, passion, diversity,

sharing and discovery. (Iconoculture, Consumer

Insights, 2013)

COCA-COLA remains a millennials’ favorite because its

happiness message hasn’t dimmed in decades. It still resonates

because of the brand’s clever marketing of friendship and

interpersonal connection—from customized cans sent to

strangers to vending machines the world over that require social

interaction and other passionate feats before they’ll dispense a

drink.


Sephora

Millennials are far more data-disclosive than

boomers (Mintel, 2014) because they grew up

grasping and negotiating the balance of sharing

personal preference and habits in exchange for

personal perks and coupons. Millennial Lovers have

high expectations of personalized brand

interactions.

SEPHORA’s push into personalization, from the sortable “My

Beauty Bag” filled with a fan’s past purchases and favorites to the

in-store Pantone and ColorIQ system, reminds customers that

Sephora is the go-to brand for creatively expressing one’s

persona and learning just what that persona is.


VS Pink

The connective tissue of this cohort leads Lover

millennials to use their network to help them

make decisions, including what to buy, while also

desiring to be courted by their favorite brands.

VS PINK has redefined sexy, downplaying the romance and

intimacy of Victoria’s Secret while emphasizing flirty fun.

Particularly appealing to college age millennials is the brand’s

focus on the connection fans have to the college or university of

their choice, and leveraging brand ambassadors on campus to

court co-eds and spread the love.



Forge a Social Contract: For this generation more

than any other, brands have social contracts. Make

your corporate social responsibility initiatives part of

your brand, not a sideline, and enable your Hero fans

to identify with and contribute to your causes.

Achievement Appeal: Stress levels are high for older

millennials so demonstrate to the achievement-oriented

Hero how your product, services and business are at

the top of their game and will help them get to the top

of theirs.

Acts of Independence: Explorers prize autonomy, but

the economy has thwarted rites of passage into

adulthood for many. Empower Explorers to achieve

independence in small acts or unconventional ways.

Freedom Focus: Assure Explorers that in a conformist

age, you’re with them as they journey down the road

less traveled, and associate your brand with movement,

free will and the pursuit of higher truths.

Hero/Warrior Explorer

Let Them Express Themselves: The challenge for many millennials is to create and self-express in order to forge an identity and do work that is authentically one’s own. Align your brand with the Creator’s quest for self-discovery.

New Realms and Reinvention: Millennials are the first generation to have their entire life, juvenile faux pas and all, exposed to the public, but Creators need the possibility of reinvention. Provide ways for your Creator fans to inhabit another world and persona temporarily.

Creator

Eros, Not Ego: Millennials are nothing if not egotistically developed, so the Lover brand’s role is to encourage a fuller giving in to Eros (not Ego)—passionate involvement with a cause, culture, place, idea or set of experiences.

(Really) Be There For Them: Millennials expect more from brands than other cohorts: brands should know their Lover fans personally, court them deftly and facilitate more social graph intimacy and interactivity.

Lover


Who We Are

Born digital, ResourceAmmirati is an entrepreneurial

creative independent with 400+ associates across five

offices. We help ambitious marketers like Coca-Cola,

CVS, Nestlé, North American Breweries, P&G,

Pirate’s Booty, Sherwin-Williams and Victoria’s Secret

build OPEN brands and embrace “everywhere

commerce” to accelerate growth.

TO LEARN MORE:

Dr. Nita Rollins

Futurist, Director of Cultural Insights

[email protected]

www.resource.com

Lifestyle

Then Life Happened: Millennials Out of Their Formative Years and Into The Fire