Marketing to Millennials – Don’t miss the ‘un’obvious

Written by Robin Sumner, Managing Director at Romax Marketing & Distribution.

Marketing to Millennials – Romax Marketing

In our drive to find the best way of marketing to millennials and gain the attention of those individuals who make up that market, we often miss the obvious, that is to say, the route we take is the polar opposite of what works best.

Who or what is a Millennial?

Millennials are a group of people who by 2020, will have a cumulative spending power of $1.4 trillion. They are individuals reaching adulthood in the early 21st century – generally cited as being born between 1979 and 2000.

Fashion repeats itself 

In the 1980’s (that’s a period before the internet by the way), tight jeans were just the coolest thing!
In the 2010’s tight jeans are back – tight jeans with rips now there’s a novel idea I bet they never thought of that in the 1980’s

Yes – Fashion repeats itself – so what
Imagine this: an audience that is more perceptible to a ‘new’ style of marketing, if fashion repeats itself and the audience has not experienced it before, it is ‘new, novel and cool’ to them.

Why not take this theory and apply it to marketing?

If a Millennial, a digital media native, so used to electronic communication, perhaps so much so that they let it wash over them were to receive a piece of relevant print, sent to them in the post with decent images and content that allowed them to then, go online and order/purchase or comment about it using the available technology to full advantage.

Now wouldn’t that be a new and innovative thing?
Yes, trends repeat, so get ahead of the curve now. Lead the way and start reusing a media that produces the highest levels of brand trust and enhancement exceeding electronic marketing. Re-start using mail marketing, printed and posted to real people proven to be more likely to respond – to what to them is new media – who will tweet and emoji all about it.

Who says this will work?
It may seem counter-intuitive to target this tech-savvy millennial generation so used to electronic communication with a tangible, print-based offer, but let’s think again, perhaps that is just the way to target to such a market.
Remember fashion repeats itself and the next new best thing is often just a modern twist on an old theme.

But, nobody sends mail anymore and the mail market is reducing I hear you cry……
Ahh hold on – Have we just had an epiphany? Has the light bulb now lit up? Yes, a market that is not saturated. Where your message may well just stand out.

The junk mail expression may well have been associated with printed DM in days gone by but the junk mail term now clearly applies itself to the electronic marketing market rather than the direct mail market.

There is MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY for your brand to stand out creating a reaction to your physical mail piece landing on the doorstep of your next prospective customer.

How do we create a direct mail campaign that will produce a physical mailing?
There may be a lost art on how to create a successful direct mailer, perhaps the secret lies in the Lost Arc of the Covenant  (see Raiders of the Lost Arc – another 80’s success!!), but there are ‘Oldies’ out there who may have the secret and just maybe you could add a modern twist.

Go on, see what you can do.

Resources: Do Millennials Read Direct Mail? The Answer May Surprise You – Quantum Postcards, USPS and Royal Mail’s research. Why does data decay so fast? MyCustomer 

Romax Marketing & Distribution provides a wide range of services in Direct Marketing for B2B and B2C, including Direct Mail, Data Management, Printing, Discount Postage, Membership Communication Services, and Consultancy. 

Contact us, either by phone +44 (0) 20 8293 8550, email hello@romax.co.uk, or filling the form: