A common myth about millennials is that they hate marketing. Thankfully, for us in the profession, that statement is just not true. The reality is that millennials are digital natives who spend a large proportion of their time online, especially on mobile. They crave authenticity, so marketing that fails to connect and provides little or no value will end up being ignored. All of this has led to the death of many old forms of marketing, like the banner ad. The majority of banner ads provide little value, with the primary goal to take from the user rather than to give. When was the last time you heard someone say, “I really love that banner ad”? Never. The unfavorable creative coupled with that fact that banner ads simply don’t work on mobile due to limited real estate, has led to their demise. With 60% of mobile banner clicks being accidental, brands need to realize that even if they get the click, they aren’t getting the connection, and that in the long run is far more valuable to any brand. A clear signifier that millennials aren’t happy with traditional display can be seen in the rise of ad blockers. PageFair reported that ad blocking grew 41% in a year and millennials downloaded over 40% of all ad blockers.
Just as the mobile millennials are a key contributor to the upcoming decline in traditional display, they are also the reason for the rise in content marketing. Good content marketers are creating engaging content which is optimized for multiple platforms. This gives value to their customers, as opposed to the banner ad that just takes the click. Publishers have also jumped in, transitioning out of banner ad monetization and into creating engaging content for brands. Many pubs have quickly become experts in branded content by utilizing their editorial expertise to create engaging content. At StumbleUpon, we can see how different demographics react to content. Engagement amongst millennials for quality sponsored content is 52% higher than any other demographic. They don’t care if the content is sponsored, they just care if it is good.
(Continue reading at Huffington Post)
