An IMG World Congress of Sports panel on marketing to Gen Y kicked off with reaction to a provocative comment that ESPN’s Jason Whitlock made in an earlier session, when he said that “millennials should be heard less and work more." That was the opinion from a content generator, but what did the marketers think? Droga5 Global Chief Strategy Officer Jonny Bauer disagreed, saying, “They’re going into their prime earning years. We need to figure out how to reach them.” Yahoo Sports' Ken Fuchs laughed and said, “I’m Gen X, we’re slackers. We turned out okay as far as I’m concerned. (Millennials) want the facts and data and the ability to customize and personalize experience, something that’s hyper-relevant to them. They give you immediate feedback. I think it informs you on how to build your product. They’re a consumer using all of our products. What’s important to them is incredibly important to us. The panel found agreement in the one sure way to reach millennials: on their devices. HOK Senior VP & Dir of Sports, Recreation & Entertainment Global Sports Leader Brad Schrock said he was hoping to design “a way to get them off phones." Schrock: "But the reality is, that’s their life. We have started to think about facilities and how millennials use them. We look at drink tables, lounges where they can have social personal interaction. They’ve got to experience something at these events that they can’t at home.” He added the basic bowl setup would not change, but that there might be a shift to static seating. Schrock: "The way people are ticketed or seated changes. Maybe you spend part of the game on a patio and part on the chair. Bruins Principal Charlie Jacobs shared anecdotes of his own millennial-aged kids. “I tell them to put down the phone and watch the game,” he said, “but even I can’t get them to do it. It’s just the culture.” Jacobs also said, “What I observe, evidence, and research we do at the TD Garden and the Bruins, they’re spending half the time on their device. They want to be in the environment to share that experience with fellow millennials in the bowl. It’s a vastly different experience for them, much more social.”
BUZZWORD BINGO: There was a lot of discussion around open lines of communication with millennials through social media and being transparent with campaigns that would earn their loyalty. Bank of America Senior VP/Global Sponsorship Marketing Chris Traeger discussed the continuing debate over whether millennials can or want to buy homes and cars. “It’s a matter of time,” he asserted, adding, “It’s an interesting myth. If we’re not there for them now, they will not want us to be there later. They’ll look to other sources; we have to be careful not to alienate them.” T-Mobile VP/Media & Sponsorships Mike Belcher said, “The signature moves we make come from these conversations with our customers through social media. They want companies that hear them and are transparent. If they feel like you do that, the rewards will be tremendous. Loyalty is what you offer to your customers, how you engage with them, the product you give them. Droga5's Bauer said authenticity is the key. “Brands are getting it wrong. Millennials want data ’to me’, not ‘for me.' Brands keep trying to create communities instead of being present where communities exist.” But he warned that this generation is not as label conscious as its predecessors. “Loyalty to a brand is diminishing,” he said, “and it won’t be enough as you communicate to a group that’s under a financial burden and so value driven. A brand is still really important, but it’s not the deal-closer it was.” Yahoo’s Fuchs added social media has made the "connection between athletes and brands more important." He said, "The 18-24 year olds, the connection they have with an athlete is stronger than before, and the brand can weave itself into that conversation. There’s more affinity for an athlete, more ways to create content around that athlete that doesn’t feel forced, and a brand can measure that in terms of sentiment.”
DEMANDING DATA AND VALUE: Since millennials are so attached to their devices, they are clearly a coveted customer for mobile brands. T-Mobile’s Belcher said Gen Y is a “significant portion of our customer base." Belcher: "They are critical to us, they are mobile first. How they consume media, shop, they are heavy data users. It’s fundamentally changed a lot of how we do business, how we built our network to be data strong.” Bauer: “Living life on their own terms is the ultimate status symbol. You’re seeing the juxtaposition of that now. Pragmatism is becoming a more important value for what they want for their life.” “Financial stability is paying the bills,” Traeger said. “The goals are so different. If you’re worried about making car payments, can you download the app for $4 or buy a jersey or ticket?" Jacobs added, “For kids in our generation, everything was about winning and coming out ahead. This is much more communal. It’s about the journey; ‘I don’t have to be at the top.’”
CONNECTING WITH MILLENNIALS: The panel was asked which brands are resonating with millennials? Bauer said, "I like what Nest is doing. They show great understanding of tech and how this group does. They don’t try to elevate their tech beyond the data of how it can help you. It plays to transparency.” Traeger: “Apple does a great job being intuitive, simple, very transparent and pushing the envelope. They’re not only device centric, but are app and software centric. It’s holistic.” Fuchs: “Under Armour. They have high quality and have made it aspirational and affordable at the same time.” Jacobs: “Google. It has changed how our kids turn in homework. My kids would rather watch a YouTube vignette than a 30-minute TV program. Google is changing the way we consume sports. It wouldn’t surprise me if, in a few years, a Google or an Amazon or a large tech company provides regional delivery of a sports team.”
