By Joe Wilson
Swamped with student debt, struggling to climb the housing ladder and feeling betrayed by the Brexit result, it’s easy to understand why the finger-pointing rift between the younger and older generations is bigger than it’s ever been.
This growing disconnect came to a head last week when the Twitter-sphere descended into full intergenerational warfare with the emergence of #HowToConfuseAMillennial. The millennial mocking hashtag started as a light-hearted joke about generational differences but soon turned dark when members of the Baby Boomers and Gen X generations began using it as a means of attacking the younger generations on anything from their ‘digital-obsession’ to their ‘apparent dislike of employment’.
The hashtag struck a nerve and before long the fightback was on. Unsurprisingly, on a platform controlled by a millennial majority, this resulted in the posts of their parents and grandparents being relentlessly swamped with replies, many of which pointing out the irony of their use of social media to make their argument.
This generation clash brings to light the significant pre- and misconceptions existing across generations. It is, therefore, a timely occurrence that our The Future of Generations research project launches today, tackling these generational myths head on and finding out what perceptions these groups of consumers actually hold.
Keep an eye out for OMD UK’s The Future of Generations results being circulated soon.
Originally posted on the OMD UK blog.
Arab Luxury World, the region’s largest conference on the business of luxury, took place on 1-2 June, 2016. OMD was present throughout the event with speakers participating in numerous panels and seminars. Here, we bring you all the insights and driving themes from this year’s edition.
Luxury across generations in the Arab world
What are Arab Millennials looking for when it comes to luxury and how do they differ from Generation X? This was the focus of a private break-out session hosted by OMD, featuring key insights from our research study on the subject. Maya Bou Ajram, OMD’s Senior Director-Planning on the LVMH portfolio, presented the findings and then introduced a panel discussion with marketing leads from Infiniti and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. “We wanted to understand key differences across generations – how they differ in terms of consumption, motivation, influence and media triggers – and ultimately learn how we can better influence desire for luxury,” said Ajram about the study. “Millennials do make more emotional purchases while Gen X is driven by a need to replenish or enhance their existing collection. Millennials are about aspiring to be who they are while Gen X are validating who they are.”
Effective data management
The conference featured a panel discussion on the effective use of CRM and omni-channel planning to develop smooth customer journeys. OMD’s Head of Analytics, Walid Hadid, was one of the speakers and he opened the discussion by describing the transformation of data across the decades, from slow-moving data collected in a notebook in the ’60s to the rapidly changing data we collect from digital platforms today. “Social engagement with content changes massively and rapidly. The role of us as marketers today is to decipher that data and link it together in order to allow brands, and particularly luxury brands, to compete more effectively in a crowded marketplace,” said Hadid.
Digital trends for luxury
This year’s digital strategy panel featured Stanislas Brunais, OMD’s Head of Performance Marketing, who explained how digital now acts as the first touch point in the purchase journey for luxury consumers. Francesca Ciaudano, Deputy General Manager Marketing & Public Relations at Infiniti Middle East, further emphasised that 96% of consumers start their search online, hence the importance of adopting a multi-channel approach in today’s environment. Jean-Pierre La Calvez, Head of Global Alliances, Partnerships and Customer Marketing at HP Inc. added to this, stating that technology impacts the whole value chain today, including product creation, supply chain management and consumer engagement. “Luxury brands have prided themselves on personal relationships and technology enables that personalization on digital,” audiences heard.
The rise of influencers in the region
Given the massive rise of influencers in this region, the conference featured a dedicated panel to discuss the value and ROI generated from this channel as well as best practices. OMD’s Senior Director, Maya Bou Ajram, was one of the panellists and shared key insights from regional campaigns she has executed for brands such as Sephora. “It’s not about the number of followers an influencer has but rather, it’s about marrying brand values with that of the influencer,” stated Ajram. “The influencer should reflect exactly who I am as a brand. Authenticity is key and brands should not force content on influencers; this is something we struggle with in luxury. Instead, we need to share our DNA and co-create content with them.”
Originally posted at http://uaeblog.omd-mena.com/omd-insights/omd-arab-luxury-world-2016/
Monster has launched a new campaign with OMD, their first in seven years, to reinvigorate the Monster brand in the UK with a specific focus on the millennial audience; potential candidates who are in the earliest years of their career.
Andrew Warner, Vice President Of Marketing at Monster said,
“For too long the job market and career conditions in the UK have seen jobseekers as victims. In terms of competitors, the landscape is ‘functional’ rather than thrilling; category apathy means there is little to distinguish between the major competitor offerings. This campaign, planned and implemented by OMD, aims to reposition jobseekers as heroes – champions – with Monster on their side and in their corner. Monster helps jobseekers ‘Find Better.’”
It’s a bold stance and is supported by a bold, multi-million pound media campaign, combining high-impact Out Of Home and Digital OOH advertising in commuter-saturated areas nationally with high-reach executions across radio, digital and social channels. This includes the BFI IMAX, the largest ad canvas in Europe, and digital screens across major transport hubs in London and nationwide.
Further nationwide coverage is provided by a nationwide radio campaign that manages to keep reach high while still focussing on the ‘Millennial’ audience.
“As well as prominently displaying Monster’s revitalised brand, the media mix speaks to the target audience through their most prevalent channels and will land the brand values as well as driving direct response through digital channels,” added James Jackson, International Executive Director at OMD. “It is well supported by social media campaigning across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and to further target the young jobseeker audience, features Snapchat as a major element.”
The practical outcome of the channel mix is that the varied channels work together to reinforce the refreshed Monster brand and drive candidates and new partners to the Monster site. This campaign is mirrored across European markets.
Monster have big growth ambitions and this campaign is a reflection of that, as is their significant investment in their product offering and a successful drive to increase the number of jobs on their site to 500,000 in the space of a year, helped by aggregating jobs from other sites and partnering with more blue-chip clients such as Sky, Apple and Lloyds. Monster are dedicated to doing more than providing a simple job board and are supporting jobseekers with a wealth of career resources and training initiatives.
It isn’t news to anyone that technology is dramatically transforming both the marketing industry and the wider world – but that doesn’t mean that my mind isn’t constantly blown away by the opportunities this presents in every area of our lives. I recently attended a breakfast session hosted by office design agency Oktra about embracing technology in the workplace for brand enhancement, business collaboration and workflow. We were shown how technology is enabling flexible working and therefore spatial and economical efficiencies – Oktra has extremely cool offices where clever use of technology and space has meant they have cut their real estate costs dramatically – while their tech partner Inition showcased their ground-breaking futuristic technologies. I was particularly impressed by how they have adapted VR and AR for business purposes: their Riverlight system uses AR and a marker system to bring marketing to life – the example they used was a property developer showing potential buyers around a development: the book was a regular 2D publication but the marker system allowed the AR app to take the consumer on a 3D journey into the rooms and around the building. The most enthralling aspect for us as marketers is the data capture capability of the technology which allows the brand to gain a real understanding of what the user is interested in – we can use this data to retarget the user with a bespoke experience – and we all know that customised experiences are the holy grail of marketing today.
The presenters emphasised the importance of a real understanding of the technology you are using and not just using it for its own sake – it must be used in a manner that is authentic to the brand voice and provides consumers with an experience that they find enjoyable and engaging. Topshop’s virtual reality catwalk show allowed a wider audience to experience Topshop’s London Fashion Week show as it happened and for three days afterwards, and is a brilliant example of using technology in an meaningful, non-gratuitous way to create an immersive and memorable experience that deepened the brand’s bond with its audience.
Technology is all around us and offers brands incredible opportunities to engage more deeply with their audience – particularly if that audience is the curious, lucrative digital native millennial audience; however – as has always been the case, it must be used thoughtfully and with a real understanding of both the technology and the audience in order to be a success.