Millennials Are Out There, But Brands Are Having A Hard Time Getting Their Attention

The Millennial generation – roughly 18 to 34-year-olds – are a tough, but much-desired,  market for the brand advertising community. Millennial consumers are young, influential, are getting married and having children, have discretionary income, are buying houses and cars, and are choosing the brands they’re likely to stick to for the rest of their lives. The problem is, they just don’t focus much on traditional media – TV, newspapers, magazines -- where traditional ads appear. They skip or block ads on the digital media where they spend a lot of their time. As one advertising consultant advised, “Everything you know about advertising — chuck it.” Tactics being tried in this brave new world include emojis, smartphone apps, and eye-catching special events.