Millennials are being blamed for the decreasing sales of another product, Comedy Central will start replacing a monthly commercial break with branded videos, Uber rides now come with Snapchat filters, and more. Happy Holidays!
1. What Did Millennials Kill This Time?
Although it’s understandable that young consumers act differently than the generations who preceded them, the media is continuing to hold on to the “Millennials are (insert industry/product/institution here)” narrative. Don’t miss how the generation is now being blamed for Procter & Gamble’s fabric softener sales decreasing by 26%. According to the brand, the fall in product sales can be boiled down to the fact that young consumers today “don’t know what the product is for.” Consumerist also points out washer and dryer improvements and athletic wear that can’t be washed in fabric softener as possible influences. The company hopes the product can make a comeback with a rebrand to label it as “fabric conditioner” instead.
2. Comedy Central Ramps Up Branded Content
As the reach of traditional marketing continues to weaken, sponsored video content (a marketing star of 2016) is offering brands the opportunity to reach the ad-skipping generation—and it’s also producing results. A recent Nielsen analysis found that branded content generates 21% more brand recall than a pre-roll ad. Don’t miss how Comedy Central is taking this into the new year, dedicating one full commercial break monthly to one of their branded video series. Ad content will appear alongside relevant programming: during a commercial break for 50 First Dates they aired an episode of the web series Handy, sponsored by Zales which featured a hand model filming a beach wedding proposal with a Zales ring.
3. Snapchat Filters For Uber Rides
There is no question that this was Snapchat’s big year. Ypulse’s most recent social media tracker found that 58% of 13-17-year-olds are using Snapchat daily—more than any other app—so it makes sense that they are using many of the app’s functions to communicate with friends every day. Don’t miss the platform’s latest collaboration with Uber that is encouraging them to communicate while riding to their desired destination. Uber riders will now be able to unlock exclusive filters through the ride-hailing app, one of which tells the estimated time of arrival for the commute.
4. Dove Does The Mannequin Challenge
For the second year in a row Dove was named the favorite beauty brand of 13-33-year-old females. Big box stores and drugstores are the top two places that 13-33-year-old females are purchasing their health and beauty products, which is where they would find Dove, but the brand love also has to do with their authentic and ground-breaking marketing. Don’t miss Dove’s version of the trending Mannequin Challenge meme that made a “clever point.” The brand put real women side by side with actual mannequins to show “the body image message that one-size-fits-all mannequins….sends to women IRL.”
5. Millennials With College-Educated Parents Are Less Optimistic
Traditionally, young people have thought they would achieve greater wealth than their parents, but the Great Recession changed these circumstances for a majority of Millennials. Our latest survey on life milestones revealed that only 51% of 18-34-year-olds believe they will be better off than their parents. Don’t miss a further break down revealing that Millennials with college educated parents are even less optimistic. According to a Federal Reserve survey, only 17% of 18-30-year-olds whose parents have a college degree expect their standard of living to surpass their parents. However, for those with parents who’ve earned have a high-school degree or less, only 1% believe they will be less comfortable than their parents.
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