Jeff Fromm - Marketing to Millennials: Reach the Largest and Most Influential Generation of Consumers Ever

It feels like yesterday when my husband and I bought our oldest daughter her own personal computer. One night, my husband and I wondered why it was so quiet in the house. We thought the three kidsour oldest daughter and our twinswere upstairs in their rooms, sleeping or doing homework. When I went upstairs to check, I found them sitting on my oldest daughters bed hunting and pecking on the computer with the television on and the radio playing. They were completely enthralled with the new technology in front of them, while simultaneously listening to music and watching TV. This capability to multitask with various kinds of technology immediately stood out to me. With a constant connection to the outside world, I knew my childrens generation would inevitably be part of the most influential generation of workers and consumers ever.

Today, my oldest daughter is 25 and the twins are 17. They fit perfectly in the Millennial cohort. I converse with them as consumers and listen closely to their opinions to ensure I maintain a fresh perspective. As the chief marketer for Applebees, our brands future depends on being relevant and attracting this very large group of tech-savvy, highly independent, and creative thinkers. Understanding what motivates them, what drives them, and how they consume media is all-important work.

This is where Jeff Fromm and Christie Gartons new book, Marketing to Millennials, comes in.

Millennials are different. Boomers grew up answering the question Where were you when President John F. Kennedy was shot? Millennials answer the question of where they were on the day of the 9/11 attack. Boomers grew up with racial tension and cultural divides, and Millennials helped elect the first African-American president. Boomers went to the library; Millennials access Google. Boomers signed yearbooks; Millennials log in to Facebook.

Though Millennial attitudes and behaviors can be unfamiliar and challenging, this book facilitates an understanding and appreciation of this generation.

Christie is a Millennial herself, and Millennials are a topic close to Jeffs heart. He has three children, two of whom, at 21, are Millennial twins. In addition to coauthoring articles and regularly speaking about Millennials at various events, Jeff also coauthored a report called American Millennials: Deciphering the Enigma Generation, based on a joint study conducted by Barkley, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Service Management Group. The findings from this research are the foundation for this book. They yielded insights that provide practical frameworks for building business strategy, product ideas, and marketing and media plans, as well as for better aligning corporate cultures with Millennial values.

Marketing to Millennials is a must-read for all of us who hire, coach, and market with Millennials. Notice I said market with Millennials, as it is no longer acceptable to market to your target audience. Today, we converse and connect with Millennials to build their trust and earn loyalty. We once commanded and provided feedback. We now coach and provide feed forward.

Jeff and Christie explain that this group of 84 million young adults does things dramatically differently from generations prior. They prefer texting to talking. They join companies for their values not just their cultures. They graduate from high school, go to college, get married, and have children, but not necessarily in that order.

Walk up and down the halls of your offices and many of them are wearing headphones and listening to music. While that made me a little crazy at first, thats how they get things done. Send out an e-mail in the middle of the night and they respond. Trying to keep them off their cell phones is impossible. They like cocreating products and services, and, if they participate in the cocreation process, Millennials are more likely to share and endorse. They are adventurous eaters and more likely to try new foods and flavors. They are skilled and they are educated, and they have been told they can do anything.

So here we have it, a whole new workforce and a whole new generation of consumers. Dive into this book and learn about the unique Millennials. This book will give you new insights and strategic tools that will enable you to reach out and connect with this enormous crowd of free-spirited and optimistic young adults called the Millennial generation.