Meet Ian. Twenty-seven years old and single, he works as an account manager for a pharmaceutical company and earns about $55,000 a year. He is very style and fashion-conscious, he’s into the latest and greatest electronic gadgets, and he drives a BMW. He has an active social life and is always on the go.
His disposable income and spending patterns make him highly valuable to advertisers. He has a low savings rate, and spends most of his income. He loves to buy new gadgets. Ian spends a lot on himself. Here are some additional statistics about mobile millennials like Ian:
- They earn an average of over $53,000 per year, and spend the majority of it: about 84% of their income.
(Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept of Labor - 2004-2005)
- They are comfortable with new technologies (82% of 18- to 34-year olds), and are the #1 demographic group for spending on electronics.
(Source: Boston Globe, 2004)
- They spend money on themselves, including $9.8 billion on alcohol, $77.9 billion on cars, and $10.3 billion on personal-care products.
(Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept of Labor - 2004-2005)
Challenges for Advertisers Trying to Reach Ian
Due to his active lifestyle and his adoption of disruptive technologies like TiVo and online ad blockers, it may be difficult to reach Ian with traditional media such as TV, radio, or newspaper. With so many types of media competing for Ian’s attention, it’s not easy for advertisers to elevate their message above the noise. Here are a few examples of that noise:
- DVR Adoption
Digital video recorders are in more than 65 million households. DVRs allow users to skip over TV advertising, rendering it useless. Rapid penetration of DVRs, coupled with the “early-adopter” nature of this segment, is making it difficult for advertisers to reach Ian via TV advertising.
- iPods and Cell Phone Usage
Radio advertising isn’t always heard. Ian’s driving time is spent on his cell phone and listening to his iPod, rendering it virtually impossible for advertisers to reach him via radio.
- Low Newspaper Readership
Other than a few minutes on the sports page, Ian rarely takes time to read the paper. 18 to 34 year-old mobile millennials have the lowest newspaper readership of any adult demographic segment.
Understanding Ian’s Life Pattern
Ian and his peers represent about 23% of the total U.S. population. That’s roughly 63 million potential customers. In order to determine the best ways to engage the Ians of the world, let’s examine Ian’s work, play, and social patterns a bit more closely.
Ian’s active lifestyle means that he is always on the go. He works out three or four days a week at a local health club before heading to work. He rarely eats lunch at his desk, opting instead for business lunches with customers or a quick bite with co-workers or friends at a restaurant near his work. After work, he often meets friends or co-workers at a bar or restaurant for happy hour. He also spends an hour in the evening on the Internet catching up on personal email, visiting social networking sites, and shopping.
His weekends are spent pursuing active leisure activities, such as hiking or playing basketball/tennis, catching professional or college sports events, visiting retail stores to check out the newest gadgets, or hanging out with his friends. Ian is an avid movie renter and rents movies at least once a week at the local video rental store. He also takes frequent road trips throughout the year and his car is in daily use for work and play, which involves trips to the gas station or to travel centers when he is on the road.
Digital Out-of-Home Media is Everywhere
With the shift in media consumption across all consumer segments, advertisers need dramatically new ways to reach audiences like mobile millennials. Digital out-of-home media allows them to reach and engage people where they work play and socialize. In the case of mobile millennials, people like Ian are receptive to the ads, which are short, entertaining and get attention.
By using Life Pattern Marketing to identify where mobile millennials spend time, SeeSaw has mapped digital out-of-home media venues that reach them in their daily routines to create a media package that should be a complementary part of every advertisers’ media mix. This medium provides a high frequency of exposure to a brand, and builds awareness and retention. Additionally, advertisers can deliver ads with messages that are context-sensitive based on each type of venue and even more likely to engage the audience.
Intercept Mobile Millennials Everywhere
SeeSaw Networks understands that creating the perception of ubiquity has a profound impact on a campaign’s effectiveness. Context is everything. An advertisement is far more effective when people view it as a part of their everyday life. With digital out-of-home media, an advertiser’s brand can be everywhere mobile millennials are – with the right message in the right context.
With digital out-of-home media, you are able to reach millions of mobile millennials—people like Ian—and engage them with your brand message far more effectively than ever before.
