Marketing to Millennials... POKEMON - Halo Branded Solutions - Promotionally yours, Sheri Breaux

Marketing to Millennials – Gotta Catch ‘Em… Posted: 03 Aug 2016 09:54 AM PDT *Logo from PokémonGO.com “Millennial” – it seems this marketing buzz word should have outlived its time by now, but buzzworthy or not, marketers need to pay attention. There are many proposed dates for what qualifies one as a “millennial,” but most people can agree to define the generation as born sometime between 1980 and 2000 (give or take a few years.)  When choosing a target market, demographics can help you fine-tune your advertising methods. Consider today’s hottest trends in fashion, music, TV and movies. Clothing styles, bands, television shows and movies that were popular in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s are all coming back. In 2015, the second generation of the popular TV show Full House, aptly titled Fuller House made a successful debut. Movies such as Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters and Independence Day have all recently been rebooted. And lately, the most successful throw-back is the Pokémon GO app – In less than two weeks of its initial launch, the game had 21 million active users in the United States. These 20-30 year olds are not just running around catching Pokémon, they may be your customers. So, in honor of the Pokémon GO phenomenon, we present to you – Marketing to Millenials—Gotta Catch ‘Em! Using important skills from Pokémon GO we’ll review some basic principles to keep in mind while marketing to millennials. 1.      The game is not for everyone. Although it’s a popular game, there are some people who have not downloaded Pokémon GO and have no intention of ever doing so. Similarly, marketing to 20-30 year olds isn’t for everybody. Always remember your primary target market. If this isn’t it, consider a secondary market, but don’t force it. If you’re selling retirement homes, it’s unlikely anything you do will entice this group to buy from you. 2.     Approach with respect. Just as “Baby Boomers” and “Gen-X” are names of generational groups, “Millennials” (also known as Gen-Y) is also just a label for a group of people born in a particular date range. These men and women deserve your respect just as much as anyone else. While some may run around catching Pokémon in their spare time, at work they are likely to face the pressures of being managers and even executives. Don’t discredit them because they are younger or assume that they fall into stereotypical roles because someone told you “all millennials” act a certain way. Approach carefully, or you may never “catch ’em.” 3.      “Pikaaachuuu” – Don’t try too hard. If you don’t speak their language, you can still speak to them. Trying too hard to be trendy and relatable will be recognized as a façade, and it may hurt you with this large potential client base. Connect with the millennial crowd through trust-building content and social media outreach. Like your other clients, they’ll appreciate your real, personal approach, even without their vernacular. 4.     Evolve as needed. One important aspect of Pokémon is that most of these fictional creatures can evolve at least once (often twice) to become larger, stronger Pokémon. Sometimes your business needs to evolve, too. In a tech-heavy, fast-paced world, if you’re marketing to the younger generations, you’ll need to evolve more often. Stay on top of trends through social media and trend-spotting business magazines like Forbes, Fast Company and AdAge. 5.      There are always more. The world of Pokémon is vast; there’s one on every corner… in fact you may be next to one right now. The same is true for Millennials. If you haven’t “caught one” yet, don’t worry. There’s still time. This generation is also sometimes called “Echo Boomers” because many are children of Baby Boomers and (more importantly) the birthrate increased in the 1980s and 1990s, so there are many people in the U.S. that fall into this age group. Remember, one of the best things you can do when trying to market to a new audience is conduct your own research. Go to places they frequent. Eat where they eat. Shop where they shop. Listen to the same music, and check out the same television shows. You can find this research on the internet, but experiencing your audience’s life firsthand will help you be more relatable without faking it, and that is really the secret to catching ‘em all. Have you ever shifted focus from one audience to another? What helped you with your new audience? Leave a comment below.