The lucrative millennial demographic is something that has eluded marketing and advertising companies since the term was coined. Seen to be both lazy and dynamic, open-minded and set in their ways, this is a generation that has been hard to pin down, with their culture and trends seemingly changing as easily as swiping an iPhone.
UK native advertising then finds itself in a particularly difficult situation: how does marketing and advertising stay fresh, and what sites should their content be seen on? Perhaps most importantly, how does an agency circumvent adblocking software?
Millennials, according to a recent eMarketer interview with a non-millennial want to be able to pick and choose their content as and when they want it, and not be bombarded by ads that don’t apply to them. Perhaps so, but an important point that seems to be missed is that, while members of this enigmatic generation certainly do not want irrelevant material blocking their screen, nor do they want a smug campaign offering them a chance to choose different outcomes in an advert. The fact remains that advertising is supposed to be passive, at least to some degree, and very few products hold enough sway to capture the market.
In tandem with a resurgence in all things analogue, with the so-called vinyl revival an excellent example of this, it is worth taking note of the success of various independent and free magazines which have done a far better example of capturing the millennial zeitgeist than any over-hashtagged and incorrectly slanged marketing campaign, and with increasing popularity. A well placed print advert can work wonders in finding the right market, and, while many of Generation Y are enamoured with the internet, they are increasingly capable of eluding them all together.