4 Kinds of Bad Advertising Millennials Have Killed Off

We’ve all felt the brunt of annoying and gimmicky advertising. Often brands try desperately to appeal to us by hopping on the latest trend, slang phrase, or pop star, only to fall flat---or produce the total opposite response of what was intended. Oops. But Millennials are actually changing things for the better.

Transparency and authenticity have always gotten lip service from marketers, but because Millennials are so digitally connected they notice when brands don’t follow through. They see everything the instant it’s visible and are trained to make a snap judgment about its value. And that’s a big deal for companies, because these hyper-connected consumer wield billions in buying power. They are also shrewder than even people five years older.

I work at a company squarely aimed at marketing to this group of young people, and what I’ve learned is that all of us---of every generation---will actually benefit from this shrewdness. At Fluent, our latest research shows that these college millennial consumers (CMCs) are highly motivated, open-minded and passionate, while extremely engaged and disproportionately influential. They are putting brands’ feet to the fire like never before, so we can expect better, smarter, more useful, and much less annoying marketing in the decade ahead.

So what kinds of bad marketing are they purging from our world? Here are four classic examples of approaches this consumer group just can’t stomach:

Too many brands are like the kid on campus who spends a lot of money trying to make you like him without taking the time to know you or what you’re interested in. Inundating them with annoying pop-up ads, promoted social shares or a barrage of TV ads leaves this group cold. As one Gen Yer put it to us at Fluent, “Couldn’t we be feeding starving people somewhere with every third Geiko ad we see during one NBA game?”

More discrete and thoughtful approaches often reap greater rewards. Take for example Fiat’s latest campaign, which does a good job of relating to young Millennials on their terms. Comprised entirely of GIFs from Tumblr, Fiat reached out to this audience through a channel they like in a related, fun, and legitimately shareable way.

By the time most brands jump on a popular culture trend in an effort to be funny, these young adults have moved on and brands look foolish for trying. The poster child of overdone is the phrase You Only Live Once (YOLO).

And speaking of overdone, references to hashtags need to stop! It comes off condescending and patronizing. If you don’t believe me, ask the next teenager you see. They’ll make a face that’s roughly the equivalent to the objections you’ll hear tens of thousands of times if you air that ad or post that comment.

It’s painfully clear to this audience when a brand hasn’t made an effort to know them, and there is little tolerance for the brand that gets the tone, message and approach wrong.

Take FAFSA’s recent Twitter snafu. The federal student aid agency posted a photo meme of Kristen Wiig from the movie Bridesmaids, with the caption "Help me. I'm poor." As soon as FAFSA posted the tweet, it received a flurry of negative tweets accusing the organization of being insensitive to the very college students it serves. Although FAFSA’s intention was to relate to college Millennials and the reality of their financial needs, their failure to “think before you tweet” forced them to post an apology almost instantly.

Conversely, teen retailer Aeropostale’s Teens for Jeans initiative took a smart approach in getting behind a cause they and their consumers could jointly care about. Partnering with DoSomething.org, the largest not-for-profit organization in the U.S. dedicated to teens and social change, the two groups have seen over 4 million pairs of jeans donated to the homeless in the seven years since the campaign launched.

Young Millennials value loyalty and authenticity from brands. Almost half of them return to brands they know and trust, and whom they feel make the effort to get to know them as different from the broader Millennial consumer group.

Many times brands think that by reaching out to Millennials online and in social channels, they're connecting with this audience. But, connecting and engaging have very different meanings. One-way communication is not dialogue, and smart brands want---and need---dialogue.

It’s a distinction not lost on mega-retailer Macy’s. Recognizing that college students are far less likely to engage with a brand when its message is mass marketed, Macy’s took an inventive approach using personal urls called “PURLs.” Because Macy’s PURLs offer personalized information from peer style experts and trendsetters that the students know and respect, this unique experience created an online environment where brand participation and engagement was trusted and valued.

So, to brands, I say, take to heart what Gen Y knows best: copycats are fans, not leaders. What seems like a risk---striking up conversation, asking questions, listening and responding, and having the courage to find your unique voice in that conversation---is the antidote to bad marketing. And to Millennials, thanks.