Adjusting your marketing to your target audience sounds logical. But you have to understand you audience. For young people, for instance, it's important that you're close to them. If this group isn't talking about your brand or product, you have a problem. This was Joeri van den Bergh of Insites Consulting's message. During the Freshfel Europe's Policy Meeting he spoke about the subject 'Get close to youth'.
Friend
Joeri has written a book: 'How cool brands stay hot', branding to generation Y. Generation Y are the people who were born between 1980 and 1996 and are also referred to as 'Millennials'. Joeri indicates that you have to be close to the younger consumer nowadays to understand and influence them. "A brand or product has to be a kind of friend for a young person. The Millennials use brands to have more 'fun' in life. This generation has relatively few responsibilities, loves life and wants to celebrate it. They use any occasion to party."
Surprise
Millennials also like surprises. It's all about having fun together. If your company can create a 'fun moment' with a brand, you're on the right tracks. Take the 'Colour Run' or the 'Big Splash' for example, these events are very successful. Getting 'closer' to the consumer has literally been done by Coca Cola, where you suddenly had your 'own' can or bottle with your name on it. Sales shot up in a few months. Another good example of a product which is being talked about a lot lately is the pear. Due to the Russian boycott people wanted to raise the consumption. Due to the #shareapear promotion on Twitter, where you had to post a selfie with a pear, the consumption doubled." He sees even more successful businesses in the fruit and vegetable sector. "Take the Pink Lady for instance, they claimed the colour pink. This is very strong in the fruit and vegetable sector. The marketing built up around the 'Pink Lady' is unique."
Thaasophobia
Joeri gave a lot of examples of companies that have successfully approached this generation. "it's about making stories and them being shared." He also believes that generation Y suffers from Thaasophobia, the fear of being bored or found boring. "There's a reason that young people post the fact that they had a 'great' night or a 'fantastic' weekend on social media."
Humour also does well, according to Joeri. It is important that companies hold onto four success factors. Smile, Surprise, Suspense and Self ID. People have to laugh about it, be surprised by it, it has to touch them emotionally and something has to happen to them.
www.howcoolbrandsstayhot.com
Click here for the Freshfel event
www.howcoolbrandsstayhot.com
Click here for the Freshfel event