David Deeley, Consumer Insight and Innovation Team, Bord Bia
Our latest piece of consumer research, Understanding Millennials for Better Connections, is a study that will help your brand better communicate and interact with Millennials (people aged 22-30). We looked at their needs, the emerging themes in their lives, product choices, and behavioural patterns. The research showed that Millennials are collecting and talking about food and drink experiences the same way previous generations talked about travel, a great fashion purchase, or a new album. Food at festivals is being talked about almost as much as the music. We’ve taken inspiration from this and suggested that to better connect with Millennials food and drink brands need to ‘get festival ready’. We’ve identified 10 rules to help you get festival ready, last week we covered 4-6, below are rules 7-10.
Rule #7: Be Generous
Appreciate their custom, always and forever
Millennials can be a fickle bunch, changing from one brand to the next and always trying out different things. They don’t feel any great desire to be loyal; often claiming not to be interested in brands, and shopping on price alone. Price is a big consideration for them, so brands need to work that bit harder to justify their price point. Therefore, it’s really important to be generous and demonstrate that you appreciate their custom. They don’t want to be taken for granted, or for you to assume their custom. This isn’t about offering deals or discounting, but more about finding a way to reward your loyal customers and creating fans of your brand.
Rule #8: Be Virtuous
Effort free goodness for Millennials
When asked directly most Millennials say they aren’t really that pushed or willing to pay more for more sustainable or ethically produced products. However, when asked in a quant survey, the results would suggest that it is, in fact, pretty important to them. The reality is they want a brand’s “good” credentials to rub off on them effortlessly. They prefer to make the better choice – better for the world, better for the farmer, better for the animal – but they need to be able to make that decision without making much effort, so you need to build goodness into your brand. For brands this is about minimising harm, acting with integrity and goodness, and not expecting your customer to pay more for simply doing the right thing.
Rule #9: Be Brave
Millennials want more adventure in their life and this spills into their food and drink choices.
Many love trying new products. The cooking enthusiasts love expanding their repertoire and finding a new ingredient that works for them. They appreciate new and unusual pairings and flavours that they can talk about and share with friends. Millennials travel a lot so their minds and palates are becoming more open and adventurous; leaving them craving discovery and more stretching experiences. Brands need to be brave to rise to this challenge. Push your boundaries to start stretching theirs.
Rule #10: Be Interested
Prove you’re fascinated by them
Watch their TV shows; listen to their music; read their magazines or blogs. Follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Hang out in their cafes and bars. Go to their gigs. Tune in to their lives. Observe and listen, over and over again. Know what’s hot and what’s not. By being interested in Millennials, you’ll know which rules are most relevant for your brand. By delivering on those relevant rules, you’ll be interesting to Millennials.
The full report, infographic and speaker presentations from the insight session are all available to download here.
If you have any questions, please email info@bordbia.ie for more information.
Source: BordBia – Understanding Millennials for Better Connections: Part 3
