They got me with the introduction.
“They” being authors Jeff Fromm and Christie Garton. The hook for me? Stats. The Marketing to Millennials intro isn’t the standard, “why we wrote this book and there’s how it’s laid out” bit—instead, it highlights the research that was the catalyst for the book. The numbers are compelling and made me want to gobble up the rest of Fromm‘s and Garton’s sensibility.
The book is part resource (research from Forrester, Pew, BCG, Gartner, Barkley, etc.), part storytelling (many millennial interviews) and part case studies (several brands that are maneuvering their way into millennial relevance, daily consumption and loyalty).Yes, you did read right: millennials can be fiercely loyal – if a brand lets them be – and this book explains the how behind the what.
The book flow is one that’s akin to marketing research books I read for my MBA classes. It’s straight-forward and business-driven with a focus on explaining the millennial market backed with multiple research findings that discuss the unique opportunities while pointing out the gray areas (i.e., Is this life-stage driven or a true generational difference?) and providing in-depth analysis on how brands can succeed with millennials.
Each chapter is easily digestible, starting with a millennial quote that’s a summary statement for the chapter’s theme. There are at least two charts from industry research powerhouses in each chapter that support the authors’ key points. The case studies are landscaped in a helpful “Who? What? How? Impact?” framework. And at the end of every chapter, there’s a handy one-to-two page key takeaways summary.
The content is solid for any company that’s creating and marketing brands that target millennials or those they influence. I think it’s relevant for companies that are also trying to attract and keep millennial employees. Here’s an excellent review by Bob Morris that goes into detail about the content.
I didn’t know what to think going into this book as I didn’t know if the subject matter was core to my current role. Yet given how many brands my company, Expion, works with that target millennials (and also given the average age of our office is 28), this book is a necessary resource for me and I’ll definitely be keeping it handy (and I don’t say that about most books I read—I usually read them once and give them away). Marketing to Millennials needs to stay within arm’s reach for me.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of Marketing to Millennials from Jeff Fromm to review. I’ve since given that book away and have ordered a few on my own dime—one to keep on my shelf and a couple to give to industry colleagues.
Zena Weist is the Vice President of Strategy at Expion. She is an integrated media strategist with over 17 years of executive leadership in online marketing on both the agency and brand side, providing digital communications and social media strategic counsel across a portfolio of Fortune 500 companies. Zena has led award-winning interactive teams at Edelman, H&R Block, Sprint, Hallmark and Embarq, providing leadership in online brand engagement, digital strategy, and integrated marketing communications. When her fingers aren’t on the keyboard, Zena is playing with her family of four active kids plus one adorable husband or trying to sneak in a run.
This post originally appeared on Nothin’ But Socnet
Lead image via Millennial Marketing
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