What Millennials Look for in a Brand

Millennials are interesting customers. They don’t respond well to annoying sales pitches. Instead, they are eager to hear the story behind the brands. Are they socially conscious? Environmentally sustainable? They’re also interested in knowing more about the history of the brand and the company.

Millennials also love a good Instagram page. So brands with even, consistent aesthetics are bound to catch their eye. Each photo must have good lighting, and it’s best for all of the photos to have the same filter. Everlane, Free People, and Miu Miu are just a few examples of companies that “get it.” Lots of bloggers and influencers will team up for a paid partnership with a brand, where they’ll take high quality photos wearing their clothing, it almost looks like ads themselves. These Insta-bloggers are so creative, it’s no wonder they’re bringing in tons of business.

A witty sense of humor on Twitter will take you a long way as well. Think of Chrissy Teigen and her brand. So many people found out about her and are now buying her cookbooks because they know who she is from Twitter. Sure, she may be a supermodel and the wife of John Legend, but now, she’s a business woman too, making constant appearances on TV because of her personality, which she showed to fans online.

Personalization is important as well with millennials. They tend to want a product perfectly tailored to them. Levi’s is a great example of this. People love them for that local, American, homegrown feel that people love to support. But Levi’s isn’t just an American brand. Their clothing is sold nearly everywhere, and is extremely popular overseas, especially in Europe. It goes to show how big of an impact a personalized story can have on the consumer. Now, people all over the world are wearing “American jeans” because they love the story.

Brands can now be found in multiple ways, such as print ads, social media, and public relations. It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to reach and impact them. When millennials come across brands they like, they also expect authenticity. You can no longer just say, “buy my product.” They want to know the attitude of the brand and what it represents.

You have to be innovative to reach millennials, because they expect significantly more in communicating a brand than previous generations have. You can’t just put up a poster and hope that people will buy your product these days. Some newer techniques include pop-up shops, discounts when using a specific influencer’s code on the brand’s website, and meet and greet events. You just have to get creative.