Want Millennials’ Business? Make it personal!

Posted by on Jan 23, 2017 in Generation Y, Marketing, Millennials | 0 comments

A major influence on millennials’ style and lifestyle is their need for personalization.

If you’ve ever wondered about tattoos on young people, it’s a matter of personalization, as are body piercings and brightly dyed hair! From ring tones and case covers for smartphones to patterns on millennial women’s polished fingernails, millennials just love personalization.

Toyota built a car aimed at millennials: the Scion. When the Scion first came out in 2002, it was unusual in that the number of options offered allowed millennial drivers an opportunity to design their own version of the car. Today, many carmakers offer options simply because they know millennials want to put their own personal stamp on what they buy.

Fashion designers also recognize millennials’ need for personalization. An article in the Wall Street Journal talked about all the options fashionistas have when they pick out a pair of jeans: straight leg, boot cut, skinny, with zippers, buttons, extra pockets, sanded, distressed, plain, blue, another color, etc. That’s so millennial!

But the champ of personalization is Coca-Cola and its “Share a Coke” campaign. Coke talked to millennials at eye level, swapping its iconic logo for America’s most popular names! An e-commerce component allows customers to print their names on Coke bottles. Next, the Share-a-Coke campaign encourages millennials to invite someone to: Share a Coke with Mary, Jerry, or your name. Millennials are then encouraged  to share the good time and fun they had with Coca-Cola by posting a picture with their specially made bottles, apparel, collectibles and other Coke products via social media (#ShareaCoke).

When Coca-Cola made drinking a Coke a personal experience for millennials, one of the best-performing marketing campaigns in Coke’s history was born.

What can your business do to personalize your products and services? It pays to let this generation become part of your marketing campaign. Why? Because there are are 80 million millennials! Personalization lets you make that connection with each and every one of them! To paraphrase … it’s not business, it’s personal!