One thing has become very apparent to me over the
last few years, and that is that I’m what the analysts and psychologists call a
‘millennial’. As well as this, I’ve learnt that being a ‘millennial’ means that
pretty much everyone in the world hates us. Parents hate us because they think
we're privileged and rude and we don't care enough about our elders to look
after them as they grow old. Companies hate us because there's no rhyme or
reason to our spending habits, social media usage or where we can be found in
the market. Teachers hate us because they claim we've 'never been told no' and they can't deal with our attitude problems. Essentially, as a generation, I’m well aware that we’re not really liked
or appreciated by anyone.
Bit sombre to start a jolly marketing blog post
with huh? But that’s just how I feel. I being me, Ellie, the new Marketing Assistant
by the way. Nice to meet you! I swear I’m not always this dark and full of
self-loathing – I’m actually probably the loudest person in a room at any given
time. I also have an undying love for bright coloured lipsticks, stationery and
any kind of mint chocolate. I imagine you’ll be able to spot me from a mile
away. I’m newly graduated from Bournemouth University with a Media and
Communications degree so I’ve dabbled in pretty much every sector under the
media/marketing sun. I also did a placement year with the Walt Disney Company
that people tell me to mention a lot when I’m speaking about myself. (All jokes
aside, as well as having a very large name, the very large company taught me
almost everything I know about working hard and efficiently. And having fun, see above!). And now I’m working
here and ranting at you about millennial issues!
What I think I’m trying to explain is that being
a ‘millennial’ or a ‘Gen Z’ - which most of our target market are - is not
something to resent. They’re not aliens and they don’t hate everything, they
just want to be intelligently targeted. Their whole worlds are consumed by
media (some by choice, some not) and they’re just muddling through, trying to
decide what’s important, what’s genuine and what inspires them. I would know.
What it means is that we (UoB) have scope to do
newer things now more than ever before. Embrace the ‘young people’ for what
they are and move on. Including me! I don’t know whether it’s because I’m new
and determined to prove myself or just because I know how much of an impact the
MARC team can have on a student’s experience, but I’m the closest thing we’ve
got to a ‘millennial/Gen Z’ right now. PLEASE USE ME! Whether it’s a
communication that sounds a bit corporate or a design feature that needs
updating, there’s a strong chance I might be able to give you an idea of what
might work for our audience. It wasn’t so long ago that I was going through the
uni application process myself.
So yeah. There’s my mini introduction and a rant
about how everyone hates millennial’s but targeting them isn’t so hard after
all! If you’ve got any questions and/or areas of contention, please come and
have a chat. I genuinely love what I’ve studied and what I now have a career in
(how bizarre, right!?) so I’m always happy to talk about it.
Until next time. Over and out.
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| (This picture's for you Andy and David, isn't this what you're always telling me?!) |
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