CMOs: Three Action Items to Improve Your Marketing to Millennials

Choosing a target market to advertise to can sometimes be challenging. With their immense and ever-growing purchasing power, millennials are becoming more and more of a target for advertisers. How can we best market products and services to a generation of consumers with short attention spans, expressive tendencies, and little interest in traditional ads? 

May We Have Your Attention: Marketing to Millennials

By KellyEhlers – featured on Forbes, June 27, 2017

Millennials are digital natives who grew up with technology. They are a very distracted group, but their tendency to multitask might be a positive – they are constantly switching between platforms, which makes it more likely that they’ll see an advertisement. Because they’re a very diverse group, it’s a challenge to catch all of their attentions at once. When it happens, though, it’s all worth it.

Source: giphy.com

Advertising to Millennials: Effectively Target the New Generation of Consumers

By azfar – featured on SEOPressor, December 29, 2016

This article considers some of the characteristics of millennials. They look up to individuals instead of brands; reject traditional ads; are skeptical, socially-influenced, expressive, anti-establishment; and have short attention spans. They value honest advertising, reviews, and when ads are created specifically for them. They don’t just trust any ad, so we have to cater to their wants and needs.

Based on my review of the two articles and my studies at Northwestern, I've created three action items to remember the next time you think about marketing to millennials. 

      Pay attention.

o   We need to constantly be aware of how millennials’ preferences are changing and focus on what they want.

·      Advertise smartly.

o   Millennials do research, read reviews, weigh pros and cons, and go to their friends for advice when purchasing – we need to be honest and open when we advertise to them.

·      Trust the youth.

o   Millennials are the largest generation in the world, and we need to listen to what they want.

      Estie Gelman is a junior at Northwestern University studying Psychology, Integrated Marketing Communications, and Business Institutions.

Sports advertisers and marketers: 3 tactics to stay in the game in a tech-centric world

There are often as many interpretations and distractions during a live game as there are viewers. As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill IMC program and an avid sports marketing observer, I have found two articles and three takeaways you will find interesting. 

In Ben Shields' Fortune.com article, "Tech Could Soon Take Over All the Sports You Watch," the MIT senior lecturer shares how the sports broadcasting industry is changing. The National Football League will be broadcasting 10 games on Amazon, which will be accessible to Amazon Prime members. He goes on to illustrate how tech companies can help sports leagues increase reach and revenue through their channels, such as capitalizing on the Amazon bundle. In addition, Shields shared one way in which brands will have to keep up with Amazon: "Amazon should test new user interfaces and experiences that will make fans want to watch games on Amazon over traditional TV." 

Photo credit: Tech Crunch. 

While Ben Shields discussed tech companies in this space, Wall Street Journal reporter Mike Shields addressed advertiser opportunities in his article, "Amazon’s NFL Streaming Deal Could Shake Up TV Advertising." Shields noted that with the Amazon streaming deal, brands will have an opportunity to go even deeper with targeting. "Because the games will only be available to Amazon Prime subscribers—who pay $99 a year for free, two-day shipping and access to music, movies and TV shows—viewers will likely need to be logged into their accounts to watch." The reporter also gae light to the idea that there is an infinite amount of data tied in to each Amazon user, and if the company unleashes it to brands, that provides an opportunity to learn more about the consumer. "Amazon could enable advertisers to run ads during NFL games designed to prompt viewers to take actions using Amazon’s voice-controlled home assistant Alexa, such as ordering a pizza," Shields said. 

From my graduate experiences in the Northwestern Medill IMC program and my review of the above articles, here are three action items to help you better build a stronger brand presence in these new game-watching experiences: 

• Think action-oriented -  Use consumer research and findings to determine how customers could respond with your content - whether that is buying a product, learning more or sharing their experience. 

• Observe other industries – Similar to the case of Amazon streaming NFL games and looking to e-sports for fans to communicate, look at how other industries are encouraging consumers to join the conversation or take action with your content.

• Enhance customer experiences – Aside from trying to sell your consumer something, determine how your company or brand can enhance the customer experience for the better so they walk away with a sense of loyalty or want to experience it again.

And lastly, don't get too comfortable. Tomorrow is a new day, full of technological advances and another brand that is ready to combat your new idea. 

Abby Liebenthal is a graduate student in the Integrated Marketing Communications program at the Medill School at Northwestern University.

Follow her on Twitter @AbbyLiebs and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Outreach Coordinators of Nonprofit Organizations: 3 Recommendations for Outreach

          Within the last decade or so, the idea of corporate responsibility and social good has become highly discussed among the corporate world and even within the general public. As a result, non-profits are growing larger and more impactful in the communities that they help. At the same time that people in need are becoming more likely to receive services from non-profits, people and especially big donors are becoming more willing to give their money to good causes. Thus, as an outreach coordinator of a nonprofit, your job is two-fold: you need to be able to reach people who use your services and you need to be able to gain recognition and legitimacy in order to get funding. Both of these ultimately allow you to maximize the social impact that a non-profit can have. Much of this outreach will be done through social.

As a student at Northwestern interested in the outreach of nonprofit organizations, here are two articles that give interesting recommendations. “Twitter at Age 10: Why ItStill Matters in Nonprofit Communications” published by Prichard communications speaks to the importance of Twitter specifically for non-profits. On the services side of things, Twitter has become a first resort for many to get their news and learn about new trends. Tweets are closely linked to Google and will often show up in a Google search. Because of this, non-profits should use Twitter in order to gather the attention of those who they provided services for, publicizing their mission so people will see it when a trigger event occurs. Twitter has also become a great tool for activists and other revolutionaries in the world, making it a great tool for those who are looking to donate their time and money to a good cause. By “Following” the people who speak out about issues in the world, you will be able to publicize what your non-profit does to those who are passionate about looking for solutions.

            Another article, “Social Media Matters: Smart Strategies for Nonprofits”, published in Biz Journal, pushes the idea of “social messaging” to create a dialogue between patrons, advocates, and donors. This way, both people accessing services and donors will get a better understanding of the organization and feel more personally attached to it. This increases their likelihood of using the services or donating their money because they know that the organization is creating good change. This article also highlights using social media tools to increase visibility of an organization. Because there are so many non-profits in the world, people may have to sift the missions of hundreds of organizations before they get to yours. Increasing visibility can be done through increasing the Google search function, using Youtube’s nonprofit program, creating a function to donate on social media, or maximizing your posts on social media platforms. This will ensure that the mission of your organization as well as the impact that it has had will be easily accessible to those looking for it.

Based on these articles and the changing landscape of social media, the three suggestions I have for you are:

1. Increase visibility across all Social Media platforms

2. Keep up-to-date on your Social Media posting

3. Increase your Google search using keywords

By using social media in a strategic way, you will maximize your reach and ultimately elevate the mission and impact of your nonprofit.

Vicky Ho is a senior at Northwestern studying Psychology, Science in Human Culture, and Integrated Marketing & Communications. She is interested in non-profit and social sector work and wants to combine that with her interest in and knowledge of marketing and communications. She has had experience doing outreach work for student organizations at Northwestern through her involvement with the Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education and Sustained Dialogue. Connect with her on LinkedIn here

CEOs: 3 Steps to Embrace Big Data Analysis

   As a CEO, you realize the world of marketing is rapidly changing and big data is becoming the best way to grow your business. As a master candidate at Medill IMC, Northwestern University with a specialization in marketing analytics, I have found two insightful articles that describe the bright prospect of big data analysis and give simple instructions on how to best use big data in your own business.

“Big Data and the Future of Business” (MIT technology view https://www.technologyreview.com/s/538916/big-data-and-the-future-of-business/) written by Kenneth Cukier describes the future of big data. It clarifies that the basis of commercial enterprise is always information and big data is no more than a fancy tool to better harness information. However, the quantitative shift in terms of data leads to a qualitative shift for business management. Big Data’s “more” has not just been more of the same, it has been “new”, “better” and “different” in many industries. In general, big data will change business, and business will change society.

Big data in the real world: how to move from buzzword to strategy? (Computerworld UK http://www.computerworlduk.com/applications/big-data-in-real-world-3607784/)Written by John Sidhu gives step-by-step instructions on how to apply big data analysis to business management. It claims that big data gives businesses the power to solve problems that were previously hard to tackle. Big data facilitates the communications between business and customers by precise matching. The business has to work closely with data scientists to really understand what their data is telling them. After adopting big data analysis, businesses should create a structure to measure its success.

As a graduate student with a close interest in marketing analytics at Medill Northwestern, here are three steps that any traditional business should take to embrace big data analysis:

• Think Big Data – Understand how big data help make better assessments by handling critical information all the time.

•  Collaborate with data-scientists - Business should work closely with the data scientists to really understand what their data is telling them. 

• Measure Success - Businesses should create a structure to measure success of big data analysis and a target path that allows for inevitable change.

These 3 steps gives you a general idea of big data analysis. Next time when your business seek for disruptive innovation, go for big data!

Yuan Zhao is a master candidate in the Integrated Marketing Communication program at Medill – Northwestern University. He has worked as a social media manager in China and full understand the difference between China and English-speaking countries. Now he specializes in marketing analytics and would like to pursue a career in data analysis after graduation in Dec 16.

Follow Yuan on Twitter or connect through LinkedIn.

CMOs: 3 Steps for an Early Holiday Campaign That Customers Actually Like

Most people are just getting used to the onslaught of all things pumpkin flavored, but CMOs and planners know the importance of championing another season that's quickly approaching: holiday shopping season. As a graduate student in Northwestern Medill's IMC program, I'm concerned with focusing in on consumer behavior and needs, and have found two great articles that show the importance of engaging your customers with early holiday campaigns, even as we're just wrapping up Halloween.

A recent Adweek article explored the results of Google’s Holiday Shopper Intentions survey and found that 26 percent of all shoppers start searching for gift deals before Halloween. That’s right, over one-quarter of your customers are already looking for gifts. So the challenge, then, is creating an early holiday campaign that doesn't feel out of place in early November.

Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at the New York Times, tackled this challenge in a recent article, "Autumn is in the Air, but for Marketers, Christmas Has Already Begun." He cites examples of companies like Kmart and Betabrand that have proven a healthy dose of humor can go a long way in winning over consumers. For example, FCB Chicago recently produced a clever Kmart spot entitled “Not a Christmas Commercial” The ad confirms, “It’s way too early for Christmas, so just to be clear, this is not a Christmas commercial.” But Kmart jokes with the viewer that perhaps they’ll have some sort of event in late December that requires a lot of gifts. “Like maybe your entire family is having a birthday on the same day.” In that case, it’s the perfect time to visit Kmart and put your gifts on layaway.

If a brand is able to poke fun at its early campaign, customers can appreciate the humor instead of getting annoyed. Elliot refers to this as "meta" marketing — a trend in which the brand or company itself makes wry comments about its own campaigns in a self-aware manner.

From my consumer insight work at Northwestern, combined with the findings in these two articles, here are three action items you need to consider in planning your upcoming holiday campaigns:

• Start early – As pointed out in both of these articles, a large portion of consumers are already out there looking for gifts. Make sure your brand doesn’t miss out on the opportunity.

• Use humor – You better believe most people aren’t looking for Christmas music or over-the-top holiday stories in early November. Keep it light. Don’t be afraid to poke fun at your own campaign.

• Utilize extra time – Starting a holiday campaign early gives you the option for a longer campaign that could include multiple parts. It also gives you more time to build up a stronger relationship with consumers before the market is saturated with holiday ads. 

So don’t be late to the holiday party. Consumers are out there and ready to find gifts – it would be silly not to reach out to them. And if you can be silly while reaching out to them, even better.

Lizzie Bartek is pursuing her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, focusing on digital marketing, strategy and content. She is passionate about discovering fresh consumer insights and translating them into awesome strategies and compelling stories. After graduating in December '14, she hopes to work in planning. In her spare time, she runs, writes, explores and manages social media for Vitamin IMC. You can find her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Social Marketers: Lacking Brand Personality is a Recipe for Disaster

While the general need for social media presence has become widely accepted, do you, as a social marketer, realize the importance of your brand’s personality shining through? Providing personality through social marketing reinforces brand essence and increases interaction with and engagement of consumers. As a graduate student at Northwestern University Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications Masters Program, I have researched two informative articles on the value of personality in social marketing and have three recommendations to quickly inject your brand’s social media presence with character.

A boring social media footprint will not only fail to differentiate your brand, but it will also turn off customers. Social accounts are an opportunity to reinforce brand essence, generate buzz and go beyond the facts and figures presented in more formal corporate communications. According to Scott Martin at the Daily Egg, there are a variety of ways to infuse personality into a brand’s social media presence, but the focus should be on authenticity and personality that aligns with your branding efforts. Options range from developing a character like Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World or hiring a celebrity spokesperson to humanizing your CEO or publishing consumer testimonials.

One of the key components to the Social Marketing Compass is emotion/sentiment that brands’ social accounts elicit from customers one of the easiest ways to bring forth those elements is through a social-driven conversation using the brand’s distinct voice. (Graphic Source: Tier 10 Lab: Social Marketing Compass)

Simply utilizing social media as a way to recycle existing content is not doing anyone any favors. The content posted on social media should have a slightly different angle, appeal to a different audience and create a voice for the brand. Rather than simply posting links to existing website content, social media is an opportunity to integrate more creativity and humanize the brand. Jessica Doudrick from PA Media Group cites audience familiarity and quality content as key factors for integrating personality. Understanding who you are targeting, what they want to see and how they want to consume it are all crucial. Another tip Doudrick offers for audience engagement is to post content with questions to encourage conversation with consumers.

After reviewing Martin and Doudrick’s perspective, here are three actionable items that can be implemented quickly for effective social marketing, filled with personality and voice.

1.      Interact Regularly: Frequent interaction with consumers is key, as social media is a dialogue, not a monologue. Consider social presence to be instant and honest feedback from customers about what you’re doing well and where you have opportunities for improvement.

2.      Create Social-Specific Content:  Recycling and linking to existing content is nothing new and gives consumers no reason to follow your social accounts. Provide consumers with information they can’t get elsewhere on your platforms to grab their interest.

3.      Inject Humor and Creativity: No matter the product or services you’re selling, consumers appreciate creative content that makes them laugh, think, or scratch their heads. Don’t underestimate how smart your audience is; they’ll appreciate you keeping them on their toes.

As a social marketer, brand personality is crucial to set your brand apart. It reinforces the brand essence you strive for, gives consumers a reason to keep coming back and can help “create awesome.” In this media landscape, it is undoubtedly important to have a social media presence, but taking that one step further shows that having a distinct personality within that social media space is even more important.

Elizabeth Paige Fierman is a Master of Science Candidate in the Medill School’s Integrated Marketing & Communications program at Northwestern University. A New England native, Elizabeth has experience in collegiate and professional athletics, as well as sports media. She loves hockey, avocados and bright nail polish and can be found on Twitter (@EPFonIMC) and LinkedIn.