Deloitte’s Latest Survey on Millennials is Genius — Here’s Why
A recent survey of millennials by Deloitte quickly became a PR person’s dream — it rapidly picked up steam, and in a matter of days, it was covered by major top tier publications including Fox News, Forbes, the New York Post and CBS This Morning.
The Classic Survey Slump
Any person in marketing knows the allure, and potential disappointment, of surveys. While some can be a solid way to get coverage in both trades and national publications alike, many surveys tend to learn towards the other side of the coin: the side where an expensive and time consuming survey leads to only a couple mediocre media mentions at best.
The all too common letdown with surveys comes down to a few reasons. These days, in the haste to move quickly on creative marketing campaigns, PR people fall trap to crafting surveys without thinking of several key considerations: Who is your audience? How is the survey timely? And what’s the true goal of the survey (ie. lead generation, website visits, general brand awareness)? If you’re not asking these questions before you even develop the survey, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Not All Surveys Created Equal
When it comes to the success of the Deloitte survey, there’s one distinction that I’d be remiss not to mention. While this particular survey proved to be a PR goldmine, there’s an important difference between these types of surveys and the ones PR people are generally trying to pitch on behalf of their clients. The survey was developed by Deloitte — a third party research and advisory firm.
Generally, surveys by research and analyst firms like Deloitte or Gartner are seen as less self serving (read: all about your client and its industry) and therefore, more interesting to reporters and their audiences. That doesn’t mean that producing a survey on behalf of your client means automatically ending up in a reporter’s trash folder, but it’s a somewhat uphill battle that you and your client should be aware of. It’s also even more reason why your survey should be crafted strategically and by addressing all of the above considerations.
Survey Success 101
So, let’s break it down. What about the Deloitte survey made it such a hit? And how can it be replicated for your company or the client you represent?
1. It’s focused on a trend — Millennials — ever heard of them? It appears that almost every piece you read is “millennials this” and “millennials that.” From avocados to dating habits, the media has an appetite for anything millennial-related. Take a page out of Deloitte’s book and tie your survey to a trending topic that reporters are already talking about. That way, you’ll be able to expand your list of reporter targets to not only those covering your space, but the trend you’re hitching your wagon to.
2. It’s forward thinking — Too many surveys these days focus on the here and now. If you read the Deloitte survey (or any of the articles that covered it) just a little bit, you’ll quickly realize that they designed the survey to gauge attitudes and decision-making in the future. Make sure you’re asking questions that aren’t just focused on the past or present. Reporters want to cover what’s cool now — but also what’s relevant to the future.
3. It’s multifaceted — While most of the coverage on the Deloitte survey focused on the work and travel habits of millennials, some of the articles honed in on different datapoints depending on their audience and angle. For instance, Forbes focused their story on how millennials view company ethics — based on the survey’s stats on topic. What’s the takeaway here? By including a wide range of questions that different reporters can latch onto, you increase your chances of being covered in different, but strategic, types of publications. This also made the story a slam dunk for local outlets as well.
4. It’s visual — Along with some compelling statistics, the PR pros were smart enough to couple those along with a stellar source, who was willing to discuss how the findings relate to them and their background on a personal level. This, along with compelling photos and video make it a visual story — something that reporters recognize is increasingly important to their audiences.
Well, there you have it — some smart and strategic ways that resulted in Deloitte’s survey making a wide-reaching splash. Consider sharing some of these tips with your clients and you may find your survey used as the next success story.
Do you have any other survey best practices? Comment below!
