The business landscape has changed. Millennials are sophisticated and loyal customers. Businesses need to adapt and gain the trust and loyalty of Millennials, in order to survive in the new era of business.

1. Marketing to Millennials; The
New Era
By Flavio Mota, Taxation Attorney

2. Background
Mystic Microbrewery (“Mystic”) is looking to expand and compete
directly against Sam Adams and Fat Tires. Mystic needs to leverage the
media options. And Mystic will deliver three flavors: (1) Indian Pale
Ale, (2) Orange Wheat, and (3) Golden Wheat. Moreover, Mystic plans
to target males of the ages between 21 and 34. Based on these
statements, Mystic needs an understanding of the demographics of said
males. Furthermore, Mystic needs recommendations of the specific
media to use to reach the targeted market.
An understanding of the market segments that they target – Men
21-34
The targeted market segment is colloquially known as the Millennials.
This group of people has a reputation for embracing technology and
communicating through social media. These qualities notwithstanding,
millennials care about brand recognition. That means that millennials
will pay extra to purchase a high-quality product or service. The author
Carroll notes that millennials will purchase high valued brands like
Nike, Coca Cola, and Apple. Consequently, this is a challenge for
companies; to build up the brand of the product or service.

3. Therefore, Mystic has to build up its brand and make it recognizable to
the Millennials. Mystic has to paint the picture of a favorable experience
for the Millennials—it might use a slice-of-life depiction, a picture of
Millennials having a good time while holding Mystic drinks. Moreover,
Carroll states that Millennials will post images of themselves and their
favorite brands on social websites. This is, also, known as the brand
community—something that Mystic has to build.
Moreover, Carroll mentions that Millennials will spend a few extra
dollars (pay a premium) if the brand stands for a cause, e.g. helping
humanity. This means that Mystic has to find a cause that aligns with its
strategy and find a way to deliver a clear message through Integrated
Brand Marketing. The cause can be to promote safe driving, drinking in
moderation, or helping children in need.
Furthermore, Paradiso says that Millennials want to be listened to and
they want to be engaged in a conversation. This will aid in the support of
Mystic’s brand community—a group of engaged and loyal followers of
Mystic. The communication has to be on a personal level. A few of the
channels are (1) Instagram, (2) Twitter, (3) Facebook, (4) and other
social media platforms. Mystic has to be engaged in these social media
channels.
Millennials make up one of the largest market segments, 77 million
consumers in the group—according to Knilans. Millennials are college
educated, have an average annual salary of $34,500, and are very
discriminating in how they spend their money. (Many Millennials are
saddled with educational loans.)

4. Media Usage for this demographic of M21-34
The authors Ho and Paradiso assert that Millennials cannot function
without a smartphone. Moreover, Millennials cannot live without the
internet. The authors further state that Millennials like to socialize, are
impulsive, and boast and complain online. Based on these statements
Millennials like to socialize. From all of this, it follows that Millennials
are trendy and have an affinity for gadgets and social media applications
(apps).
Because of the aforementioned reasons, Millennials prefer social media
for communicating. Consequently, Mystic has to leverage this
preference in order to connect with the Millennials. Moreover, Mystic
has to conduct surveys to conduct which shows the Millennials like to
watch.
The author Feschuk points out that reaching and winning over
Millennials is not easy, because everyone wants a slice of the
“Millennial pie.” Feschuk mentions that major companies are spending
large amounts of resources.
Moreover, Mystic needs to mine the data of social media websites to
learn what shows the Millennials like to watch. After Mystic learns
about the Millennials coveted shows, Mystic can advertise on those
shows. In line with Integrated Marketing Communication and Branding,
Mystic needs to ensure that the relayed message is consistent and, even
more importantly, that the message is perceived by the Millennials as
intended.

5. To elaborate, Mystic needs to build a brand community and earn the
trust and loyalty of the Millennials. The author Knilans states that
Millennials buy from trusted sources. Also, as Knilans mentions,
Millennials subscribe to “User-Generated Content Forums.” These
forums include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp. Based on this, it
stands to reason that Mystic needs to leverage the aforementioned
forums to keep the dialogue alive and to spread the message about
Mystic. Moreover, Mystic needs to use these forums to build its brand
and perceived value.
Mystic needs to use the above-mentioned media resources to gain the
trust and loyalty of Millennials.
What Media/Channels does this Consumer Use Most Often?
As previously mentioned, Millennials use social media channels (e.g.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and so on). And, according to Cameron,
Millennials are the biggest of all the groups, bigger than the baby
boomers. Based on this, Mystic has to leverage its resources and market
to the Millennials. Moreover, Cameron points out that texting is another
engagement method for Millennials. Also, Mystic needs to connect to
the Millennial’s smartphones (e.g. Apple or Samsung phones). This
connection is critical in order to keep the Millennials engaged and
increase the value of Mystic’s brand. (All of the previously mentioned
media is available on the smartphones.)

6. Moreover, related to building the value of Mystic’s brand, the authors
Morrison et al point out that a company needs to stand for something in
order gain the respect and loyalty of the Millennials. Morrison asserts
that Millennials look for high quality items and support companies that
are socially responsible. Morrison submits that Millennials are hard to
win over, especially when it comes to beer. Brewers have responded to
this challenge with line extensions, e.g. “Bud Light Platinum.”
(Morrison page 2)
Therefore, Mystic needs to adopt a social cause and deliver a consistent
message in all of its media content. For example, Mystic might promote
safe driving. And Mystic can deliver this message through all of its
media sources in a consistent manner.
Moreover, the message has to be sincere. The message has to have
substance. That means that, as stated in the article entitled “Ask a
Millennial…,” Millennials are tired of the gimmicks and can probably
detect the lack of substance in a campaign or initiative. (The article
mentions that Millennials support Spotify, a music service.)
Millennials are open minded and want options; and they respect people
or companies that stand for something and stick to their values.
Millennials are the most spontaneous and engaged generation; they are
expected to spend $200 billion in 2017, according to Lisa Donoughe.
Moreover, “[m]illennials are eager to spend their money on brands they
believe in….” (Donoughe page 12)

7. All of this information is relevant because it means that Mystic has to be
consistent, genuine, and bold with its message, its values. The message
has to be consistently delivered through the major social media channels,
for example Twitter and Facebook. But Instagram and We Heart cannot
be ignored, according to Donna Fuscaldo. (Other social media sources
are Google Plus and Pinterest.)
What is the Best Way to Send an Advertising Message?
Based on all of the aforementioned information, the best way to send an
advertising message is to practice Integrated Marketing Communication
(and branding). That means that Mystic has to deliver a consistent
message that is clear and unwavering in its commitment to a social
cause, e.g. safe driving. This is analogous to aligning everything with the
strategy of a company. The strategy of the company drives everything.
The strategy determines what the company is going to do; and, just as
importantly, the strategy determines what a company is not going to do.
Similarly, and related to Mystic’s message, everyone of Mystic’s
message (e.g. commercials, press conferences, and so on) has to align
with Mystic’s values and brand position. Batra and Keller state that
Integrated Marketing Communication has to be consistent and the
messages have to complement and reinforce the main message of the
company. This is challenging because of the explosion of social media.
Every communication has to reinforce Mystic’s brand. That means that
every communication has to be consistent or complimentary to Mystic’s
Brand and social cause commitment.

8. At the same time, the message has to be genuine. The message has to
have some substance and it has to be bold. As mentioned before,
Millennials hate gimmicks and they can see through a ploy to
intellectually swindle the Millennials.
Moreover, Mike Reid states that there is a correlation with Integrated
Marketing Communication and brand loyalty (which includes company
performance). That means that a properly managed Integrated Marketing
Strategy will boost Mystic’s brand and customer loyalty (and increase
the bottom line, profits). Mystic has to deliver a consistent and sincere
message across all of its media sources. Moreover, the message has to
engage Millennials and win their respect by showing commitment and
boldness to its social cause, e.g. safe driving.
To elaborate, the message has to be the same whether it is transmitted
through Google Plus or Facebook. Furthermore, the communications
have to align with Mystic’s brand—reinforce the brand. Additionally, to
understand the shows that Millennials watch, Mystic needs to use data
mining (Data Analysis—Predictive Analytics) to mine information from
the social media sources. In turn, Mystic can focus on advertising
(including product placement) on the shows favored by the Millennials.
From all of this, it follows that the best way to send an advertising
message to the Millennials is to use social media, be consistent, be bold,
and unwavering to Mystic’s social cause, e.g. safe driving.

9. Recommendations for which Media Mystic Should Choose
As previously mentioned, the best way to advertise to Millennials is to
use social media. This means that the strategy of the brand promotion for
Mystic has to be driven through social media. Millennials cannot operate
without their smartphones. For that reason, Mystic has to focus on
engaging the Millennials through their smartphones, using social media.
As already mentioned, related to social media, Mystic needs to use
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, Instagram, We Heart, and so
on. Millennials want to be engaged and a willing to pay a premium for a
product in which they believe in. This is a challenge because Mystic has
to earn the Millennial’s loyalty and respect.
At the same time, this is a very profitable market segment. Running a
successful company is rarely about offering the lowest price. Competing
on price is a race to the bottom. Competing on price will most likely lead
the company to bankruptcy because the company will be constantly
focused on lowering prices—trimming margins. Most successful
companies have realized that it is essential to attract the customers who
are willing to pay a premium for a product or service that they are loyal
to. Millennials are excellent candidates to attract. Michael Porter, a
Harvard Business Professor, states that operational efficiency is
necessary in order to compete. But operational efficiency is not enough
to be successful, a strategy that separates a business from the
competitors is needed.

10. Related to strategy, Mystic needs a strategy to attract and retain
Millennials as loyal customers. Moreover, a strategy is needed to make
Mystic different from other beers. Moreover, and just as importantly,
strategy drives everything—including the message delivery and brand
building. This means that all of the social media efforts and brand
building endeavors have to align with Mystic’s business strategy.
Related to aligning all of the efforts with the strategy, Mystic needs to
advertise on radio stations that offer apps, streaming content, and
personalization options. Millennials are looking for options. And they
need to be reached through their communication devices (e.g.
smartphones, tablets, and computers). SBS (Spanish Broadcasting
System) revamped their interface to “redefine the traditional
radio/music-listening experience by adding a highly compelling, highly
engaging, visual component.” (PR Newswire US) The app offers geo-
targeted push notification and ad delivery functionality. This is one way
to engage Millennials and to advertise the Mystic brand to them. Based
on these findings, Mystic needs to advertise on radio stations that offer
these type of options, functionality, and engagement.
Despite these advances in radio advertising, Mystic needs to advertise in
print media, also. This is for the purpose of reinforcing and elevating
Mystic’s brand (brand awareness and loyalty). According to Business
Wire, more than half of the Millennials ignore digital advertising and
pay attention to print media. This means that Mystic needs to use radio,
television, and print media in a combined effort to engage the
Millennials.

11. Furthermore, related to print media, Bonner and Roberts assert that
Millennials read magazines for several reasons: (1) aesthetics, (2)
entertainment, (3) habit, and (4) ease of use. So, because Millennials
read magazines, Mystic needs to conduct market surveys to determine
which particular magazines Millennials favor.
Mystic needs to channel the aligned marketing strategy (which has to be
aligned to the Mystic’s overall business strategy—send a clear and
unwavering signal) to engage the Millennials. This will this will require
an Integrated Marketing Communication (and branding) approach. As
previously stated, all media channels have to deliver the same message
to engage the Millennials. Mystic has to create a clear path for the
Millennials to make purchases.
In conclusion, based on all of the aforementioned reasons and resources,
Mystic has a tremendous challenge ahead. Winning the loyalty of the
Millennials will be challenging. But it will, also, be very rewarding and
lucrative because Millennials are the ideal customers for successful
companies. Millennials are willing to pay a premium and allow a
company to make a profit. Mystic has to leverage the power of data
analytics to determine the media sources that the Millennials support and
engage the by building a brand community.

12. Works Cited
“Ask A Millennial,” March 19, 2016, Billboard (property of Prometheus
Global Media, LLC).
Batra, Rejeev and Keller, Kevin Lane, “Integrated Marketing
Communications: New Findings, New Lessons, and New Ideas,”
November 2016, American Marketing Association.
Bonner, Elizabeth and Roberts, Chris, “Millennials and the Future of
Magazines: How the Generation of Digital Natives Will Determine
Whether Print Magazines Survive,” Vol. 17, No.2, Winter 2017, Journal
of Magazine & New Media Research.
Cameron, Alan, “Maxing with the Millennials,” December 2007, GPS
World.
Carroll, Deirdre, “Marketing to Millennials or How to Become Friends
With Gen Buy,” September 14, 2015, VM Millennial Project.
Donoughe, Lisa, “What Millennials Want,” November/December 2016
Edition, Beverage Dynamics.
Feschuk, Scott, “How to Get a Slice of the Millennial Pie,” Maclean’s
Magazine.
Fuscaldo, Donna, “How to Market to Millennials, Really,” April 18,
2014, Fox Business.
Ho, Reggie, “The New Breed,” December 2014, Business Traveller
(Asia-Pacific Edition).

13. Knilans, Gerri, “Millennilas: My Way or the Highway,” October 2014,
Sales & Service Excellence (property of HR.com).
Morrison et al, “McDonald’s Millennial Problem,” March 25, 2013,
Advertising Age.
“New Research from Quad/Graphics Provides Timely Insights on
Marketing to Millennials,” March 16, 2016, Business Wire.
Paradiso, Chris, “Marketing to Millennials,” July 27, 2015, The Social
Notebook.
Porter, Michael, “What is Strategy,” October 31, 1996, Harvard
Business Review.
Reid, Mike, “Performance Auditing of Integrated Marketing
Communication (IMC) Actions and Outcomes,” Winter 2005, Journal of
Advertising.
“SBS Takes Radio Streaming to the Next Level with the Introduction of
LaMusica Mobile Ap.,” December 2, 2015, PR Newswire US.
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