Marketing firms follow emerging demographics, so as Millennials transition from the spotlight to the steering wheel, the focus of the advertising industry will begin turning to upcoming generations. It’s worth remembering, however, that advertising is always most effective when directed towards groups with disposable income, so as the job market improves, Millennials will increasingly meet that description. While the term “Millennial” isn’t quite the buzzword that it used to be, the demographic that it describes continues to be just as relevant as ever.

“Generation Me”

While the children of the 90s were granted their right (or denial) of passage in an environment of scarcity, characterizations of the generation have frequently revolved around an abundance of two traits: narcissism and entitlement.

Lesson number one of promotional materials is that negativity doesn’t sell. The current presidential elections stand in remarkable defiance of this platitude, but the rule of thumb still holds sway in advertising. That said, while it would be nice to pretend that the tendency towards self-absorption is really just misunderstood self-expression, the characterizations aren’t entirely off the mark. This can be observed through a brief review of the cultural momentum of contemporary youth.

Beards and Bass

There are two major subcultures that emerged from the Millennial generation: the EDM scene and hipsterdom. There has also been a vague revival of 60s counterculture, now infused with eastern philosophy rather than strong Christian overtones, however, it’s really more of an adoption than a creation. There are countless other niches where Millennial youths found solace, but these were the two major cultural forces of the 2000s.

The EDM (Electronic Dance Music) scene flourished from within earlier iterations of 90s underground techno. In its early days, the subculture was defined by the acronym PLUR, short for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. In certain small bubbles of any given music festival, that concept still breathes, but the reality is that EDM festivals very quickly degenerated into environments primarily defined by self-indulgence and vanity. By the time Millennials were of age, this was the scene to get into.

On the other side of the fence, there’s hipsterdom. Depending upon where you live, it’s unlikely that you’ve made it this far without encountering a young man with an impressively manicured facial mane or one who seems to have a wardrobe comprised entirely of plaid. Most hipsters have a creative talent or ambition in some form of art or a preoccupation with artisanship. The style of dress, alongside obscure tastes in music and literature is in many ways a rebuttal against consumerism and conformity. The irony arises from the fact that many hipsters produce very little and consume a tremendous amount. Mainstream or not, many define themselves through the food they eat, the music they listen to, the movies they watch and the art they observe. Put succinctly, many hipsters seek identity through consumption.

How Did We Get Here?

Society has devised a number of different etiologies for the problems associated with Millennials. Many blame it on the self-esteem movement and participation awards. In reality, nobody was really ever moved by a “thanks for being here!” sticker or the coddling of their teachers and parents. The natural course of teenage competitive insecurity made short work of whatever false sense of self-esteem those early efforts established. What was truly unique to Millennials was the degree of relentless and unprecedented bombardment from media and advertising agencies. By the late 80s, infants, still unable to form full sentences, already had a market-researched TV show targeted directly towards their interests and tastes, alongside a series of products for their amusement and adornment. This trend avalanched with the advent of the internet and smart phones, and will likely continue to compound in future generations.

Special Snowflakes

One of the most basic sales tactics is to establish a sense of need in your lead. There are a large variety of ways to accomplish this, but one of the most effective ways to do so is by appealing to insecurity through exceptionalism. When confronted with failure, shortcoming or daunting challenge, one common defense mechanism is to convince oneself that they are inherently better. What this translates to in terms of marketing is crafting that comfort blanket. You need our product because it will make you feel special. You need our product because you are special. You need our product because special people need special things. A quick review of the most widely popular box office hits throughout the 2000s and early 2010s highlights this trend most pointedly and, after all, nothing sells like showbiz.

Two titles in the 2000s, the Matrix and Harry Potter both broke bank at the box office with record shattering ticket sales and far-reaching cultural resonance. Both of these films/novels, as well as many others throughout the generation, revolve around a very simple core narrative. An unremarkable and underestimated young boy or man is placed in a situation where the balance of the universe is in his hands. Ultimately, our hero saves the day by nature of the tremendous powers he always possessed and that no one ever noticed. The most recent successful blockbuster was the revival of the Star Wars franchise and the basic structure of the Jedi arc is the same story, albeit with a young girl.

Blowback

What this all means is that Millennials, more so than generations past, found some pointed or passive awareness of the ills of advertising. Most have some form of active hostility towards being targeted by marketing campaigns and everyone tries to block it all out. Millennials still buy things; they still go the movies; they still look for sales and new products, but it all proceeds with a tremendous degree of skepticism and hostility towards sales tactics.

“So Meta”

In one of our previous pieces, we discussed the concept of advertising as entertainment. When an advertisement is funny or entertaining, it becomes largely benign and often enjoyable. The most effective way to appeal to young Millennials is through absurdity and self-awareness. An ad that knows that it’s an ad is funny. An ad that completely subverts your expectations of an ad is jarring and eye-catching. Geico, Old Spice, Taco Bell and others have all tapped in to that same sense of ironic self-awareness and absurdity. It’s debatable whether ads that are largely irrelevant to the product being sold translate directly into sales, regardless of their quality. What these ads do actually guarantee is a positive association with a brand, rather than an irritation. The take-home message remains the same. In order to sell in today’s’ market, you have to be able to entertain.

Mehran Khamnehipour is a long-time contributor to Words by a Pro, specializing in health care, fitness, technology and complaining about his generation.