Who Are Millennials?

I read this week that Snapchat has new filters. Just when I thought I were over Snapchat and began to prep myself for a return to the real, filterless world, an update to the app arrive to drag me back in.

I immediately called my consultant to learn more about this. My 17-year-old niece did not pick up the phone but texted me just a few minutes later: ‘sup uncle. You called me… you know I don’t use the actual phone lol. 

I know that! But I risked it… obviously it didn’t work.

I asked her about the new filters and she said, “They’re lit.” Which means she approved them, use them, and liked them. Nice and brief. Very millennial.

In terms of generations, I’m generation X. However, I behave like a millennial: I hate calling people and leaving voicemails, I prefer texting or sending emails; I don’t like reading instructions; I feel suffocated in small offices, I prefer working from home in my pajamas; I don’t like going shopping, I rather order everything online. Should I continue and keep describing how millennials are?

-       When millennials want help, they want it now; but when they don’t want help, they expect the sales staff to be invisible.

-       Millennials are fast and multitasked, and they can quickly separate out what’s important for them.

-       Though fiercely loyal to themselves, they adapt easily and thrive on change

-       Millennials need to be trained well because they hate looking stupid.

-       Millennials hate old jokes from TV, those from the 90s.

-       They’re not about to wear a dumb-looking uniform.

-       They eat when they’re hungry and not by the clock. Also they may eat pasta for breakfast and a croissant with OJ for lunch. (OJ means orange juice…smh)

-       Millennials take technology for granted.

-       They’re not shy about sharing opinions. That’s how the concept of social TV got started. They’re not simple viewers, they’re very active.

-       Millennials are fast learners in negotiating. They negotiate everything.

-       Millennials grew up digital. They’re not intimidated by technology, and they show little patience with those who shy away from using it to its full advantage.

-       Power Point presentations are tedious, boring, and so 90s.

-       Everything lives in their smartphones. Everything.

I have several more facts about millennials, many, many more. This is the market I’ve been studying for the past three years. It’s a complex target audience that changes and evolves every day. But I feel I’m up to the task. I know I can learn how to market products to millennials via social media because I know what they want, how they want it, and when they want it.

From TV Screens To The Other Screens

When I was 17 all I wanted to do was working for a TV station. Live TV production was something I wanted to do. I obtained my B.A. in Broadcast journalism in 1999 and interned at well-known TV networks in the New York area. I still don’t know what convinced my former employer to hired me as a full-time Production Assistant, my good work, my persistence, my enthusiasm, or probably all of them.

From Production Assistant to Producer was my first promotion. The second was from Producer to Senior Producer. I couldn’t believe my dream came true. I was enjoying live TV and that rush of adrenaline during the live newscast was only compared to firing a gun or skydiving. I was having the time of my life! Long shifts of 10-12 hours everyday were not a big deal for me as the hours were very short when trying to book live guests, edit video, check breaking news, review scripts, take guests to make-up room, etc.

Five years later, the story was completely different, I was feeling exhausted at the end of the day, stressed, constantly sick with allergies, and colds. My doctor told me I needed to slow down because the past five years were very intense. Two years later I started losing interest in the daily hectic environment of live TV. When I celebrated my eight-year at that company I started looking for a new job, something in public relations. I thought it was still a crazy environment, but not as insane as live TV. A few months later, just before celebrating my ninth year, I was laid off, along with 300 more people. Instead of feeling sad, I was happy, and ready to start a new chapter in my professional life.

I freelanced for a couple of years in public relations and started doing social media for independent filmmakers. This is how I started working “professionally” in social media. By professionally I mean being paid for doing social media, but not necessarily because my strategies were professional and highly competitive. Actually this is the reason I’m pursuing this Master’s Degree. I’m not new to social media, but I’m new at producing a competitive social media campaign and provide solid results.

Social Media, Higher Education, and Millennials

(This is a blog post from last year. This is how I traditionally write and think.)
 
There is one question people ask me all the time: What do you think will happen to social media in the future. My answer is very simple and honest: I don’t know. What I do know is that it will keep growing, expanding, and evolving.

Many things have changed since the old days of Friendster, MySpace, and Hi5. Nowadays press releases are distributed first on Twitter and later posted on the company website. Music videos now live on YouTube, Vimeo, or Vine; polls are now conducted on Facebook and resumes are now reviewed along with LinkedIn profiles. Is Higher Education the exception? Not at all!

Do you remember Cliff’s Notes? Some students may not even know what that is, however, they do check YouTube videos when they don’t understand something discussed in class. As you all know, generation Y or the so-called “millennials” are the great majority of students currently attending college and grad schools; they are the target audience for colleges and universities across the country and they are extremely tech savvy. They want interesting commercials geared to their needs. They want brief messages, compelling stories, and fun videos.

Social media use and consumption accounts for a much larger part of college students’ time than most other age groups. Therefore, it’s no surprise that social media continues to play a significant role in students’ lives throughout their college career. 

My goal is to become more strategically oriented, and to discover new tools to properly engage with my audience. When millennials want help, they want it now; but when they don’t want help, they expect the sales staff to be invisible. In the new age, the best marketing is going to be invisible. In higher education and in any other industry this is currently the challenge, how do you pitch a product to a millennial? Perhaps that should be a future blog post?

Testing my brand new Blog!

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