A key characteristic among many Millennials is the desire to be unique within a group – in fact, it’s important to 71% vs. 38% of non-Millennials. They embrace multiple modes of self-expression. 20% have posted a video of themselves online. Nearly 40% have a tattoo – and about half of those have two to five and 18% have six or more.
Could it because reality TV (designed to find the excitement in “ordinary” lives) exploded while Millennials were teenagers, rewarding everyday people who managed to stand out in their own way?
Regardless of the reason, consumers have come to see customization as recognition that no two people (or their needs) are the same. Some brands that are doing it well:
- Intel’s Museum of Me makes a virtual museum display out of consumers’ Facebook photos, posts, videos and more. The result is a brief video tour of one’s very own museum, with personal memories in place of works by famous artists.
- Converse has long celebrated the individuality of their consumers, but they’re taking it to the next level with their full line of “Design Your Own” footwear. Take a look (below) at a Javelin-inspired shoe we couldn’t resist designing…
- Smart Car offers drivers the ability to have their car painted nearly any color or pattern as part of its “smartExpressions” program.
- And finally – what’s more personal than the street where you grew up? Arcade Fire released the first HTML5 music video, which lets viewers set their own childhood neighborhood as the backdrop where the hero runs through the streets. Viewers can even write sprawling, branching messages to their childhood selves.
What does it mean for marketers? Brands that make it easy for Millennials to “have it their way” earn a lot of attention, interaction, and loyalty. How will you rise to the challenge?
This post was written by...
Tammy Derrigan – who has written 29 posts on Javelin Experiential.
Dir. of Marketing: rocker | culture vulture | social media habitué
