A TRENDSETTER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN 2018
Plus, our spin on the best campaigns of 2017
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2018
Artificial Intelligence is Here to Stay
If you feel like AI is already part of every headline you see, buckle up. You might already carry on conversations with Alexa in your home, and you probably got a laugh from the new, AI-written Harry Potter chapter earlier this week. But AI doesn’t have to mean splashy new products or ridiculous stunts–and in 2018, it will become much more commonplace.
More companies will build and launch AI-powered products to help customize each customer’s experience (which is essential in reaching a younger audience). Spotify is already using AI on Facebook Messenger to suggest relevant tracks when users are chatting about music, and Pizza Hut lets customers order and ask questions about their food via Twitter. AI is on its way to being table stakes, rather than a differentiator, for companies that want to compete for young people’s attention.
Voice Marketing: The Best Opportunity You’re Not Taking
Voice search is on the rise thanks to virtual assistants, 42% of young people aged 18–34 listen to podcasts, and eight out of ten people use at least one music streaming service. That’s a whole lot of time spent listening, and yet, voice marketing is still an enormous white space for large brands.
Startups like NatureBox and Casper have seen the value in podcast voice marketing for years. Just last week, Squarespace–a top podcast advertiser–received a $1.7 billion valuation. Our rec to big brands? Take advantage of this trend now and prioritize voice marketing before the space becomes oversaturated.
Do You Feel Me, Sensory Marketers?
Experiential marketing is so 2017, and sensory branding is ready to take its place. Dunkin’ Donuts saw a 29% increase in sales when it released its famous coffee scent on buses in South Korea.
We’ve mentioned Visa’s “instant gratification” program, which will launch at the Winter Olympics in February. While we’re not saying that smells plus public transportation guarantees success, we do know that sensory experiences drive connections for young people. It’s time for brands to get in touch with their sensory sides.
MARKETING SUPERLATIVES (2017 EDITION)
BEST COMEBACK—Axe continued its brand makeover, launching “Is It OK For Guys?” on the heels of its 2016 “Find Your Magic” campaign. The body spray brand, once known for its stereotype-enforcing, sexist commercials, has made a complete pivot, now combatting the harmful gender stereotypes it once promoted. Since the launch of Find Your Magic, positive brand sentiment for Axe on social has risen from 14% to 41% and purchase consideration has increased 25%.
Top Takeaway: Axe knew that a cultural attitude shift was coming, and the brand got ahead of it. Teens have more fluid notions of gender than their older counterparts, and given that Axe wants those teens buying its products, it reshaped its image just in time.
MOST LIKELY TO HELP OTHERS SUCCEED—Whirlpool scaled its Care Counts program, tackling an issue that it is uniquely suited to address: kids skipping school because they don’t have clean clothes to wear. In 2017, Whirlpool partnered with Teach For America to donate washers and dryers to 60 high-need schools, boosting both attendance and class participation. The program won a Grand Prixin Creative Data at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Top Takeaway: Brand-cause alignment matters to consumers. Young people want to know that companies are authentically committing to impact. Whirlpool nailed this alignment, generated real results, and rode the campaign all the way to a top honor at Cannes.
BEST CONVERSATION STARTER—Heineken elevated its brand with its widely shared Worlds Apart ad campaign. In connecting people with opposing viewpoints (over a beer, of course), the brand found a way to broach politics without being political. The campaign received over 40 million views,increased brand sentiment by 91%, and won two Bronze Lions at Cannes.
Top Takeaway: Sixty-nine percent of young people expect brands to stand for something, even if the stance is controversial. In a world of hyperpolarization, Heineken managed to take a stand for connection, make its product integral to the conversation, and avoid alienating half of the population.
MOST LIKELY TO LEAVE A LASTING IMPACT—Last December, Sandy Hook Promise earned 10 million views for its chilling “Evan” PSA. The organization released its 2017 follow-up last week: an equally goosebump-inducing ad, “Tomorrow’s News”, that depicts the reporting of a school shooting the day before it happens. Both campaigns prompt viewers to educate themselves and learn the warning signs of gun violence.
Top Takeaway: Nonprofits often shy away from provocative and bold marketing. But strategic shock value helped Sandy Hook Promise cut through the noise and create peer-to-peer virality. For the most pressing, urgent issues, making viewers uncomfortable is worth the risk.
About DoSomething Strategic
DoSomething Strategic is the data-driven social impact consultancy arm of DoSomething.org. We help brands and organizations engage young people for positive social change. We combine proprietary data with a deep understanding of what young people care about to help clients build relationships with this unique demographic and activate them for social good. Our expertise is grounded in moving 6 million DoSomething.org members — ages 13–25 in every area code in the United States and in 131 countries worldwide — to take social action, and we’ve been doing this work successfully day in and day out for over 25.
