This week found us off-air for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. but we’ve been hard at work and are excited to announce the next steps for our Millennial Think Tank.
Over the last 6 months we’ve hosted nearly 20 broadcasts of the Think Tank, covering a wide range of topics including privacy, brand ethics, globalization, technology, entrepreneurship, entertainment, sports, and self-expression.
Some of the insights gathered are sad but relatively obvious— like the fact that many brands and media outlets still play to stereotypes of Millennials…
Millennial Think Tank for Brands
Other insights require more thought and a deeper dive to understand:
- Millennials are aware that social networks are controlling the information they receive, and therefore look to a wide variety of sources to try to gain more context about news stories.
- Information overload is a very real thing, but few brands understand the role it plays in the life of a digital native.
- Social media and the web have been breaking down gatekeepers for 10+ years now, but because online platforms are still largely binary (yes/no, like/dislike, follow/unfollow, etc…) the experiences and perspectives of Millennials, as well as other generations, are misunderstood.
- Gen Y is watching companies very, very closely to see if what they say aligns with their actions. When the two don’t match they are quick to judge and criticize.
Unsurprisingly, there are winners and losers when it comes to Millennials’ attention.
- Some of the losers: older institutions that aren’t willing to listen and understand Millennials… professional sports (especially golf), banking, Wall Street, and traditional news are just a few that we’ve seen harshly critiqued.
- Some of the winners: brands and companies that are willing to be honest about the good and bad of their supply chain and / or product are given leeway by Millennials, as long as they don’t try to hide things.
So, what comes next?
After 6 months of research, learning, and insights, we’re pleased to announce the launch of our Think Tank for Brands.
The Millennial Think Tank started out as an experiment, a way for us to get past the standard stereotypes of Gen Y and into real truths. Since then we’ve launched a Gen X Think Tank, and there are plans for a Boomer Think Tank in the works.
The Millennial version keeps us thinking about what matters, and has been both a fun venture and a validation of our core work here at ArCompany. Simply put, we’re insights driven, and are passionate about and invested in helping companies turn social media intelligence into business results.
We’re currently in talks with a few companies for a private version of the think tank for brands that want to align with and learn from Millennials and gather unfiltered perspectives for their product development, marketing, and customer service groups.
If you’d like to learn more about the think tank, get one setup for your company, or have questions about qualitative / quantitative research around Gen Y, simply send a note our way.
If you’re a Millennial and would like to participate in the Think Tank, please say hi also!
Next week
This coming Thursday, December 4th, finds us looking at the multi-generational workplace. We’ll explore workplace issues that come up, and look for solutions to some of the tensions created by multi-generational workplaces.
Joe is a product/ops guy working with the ArCompany team on content, growth, and analytics. He digs media, design, startups, data, rocanroll, anything science-y, and thinking about how to become a better human.
I could possibly be interested in helping you guys with one of your future think tanks.
@hessiejones will know how to contact me.
Cheers,
Sheldon
40deuce Sounds great Sheldon, will loop in with you in next few days!