Then Life Happened: Millennials Out of Their Formative Years and Into The Fire

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2© ResourceAmmirati 2014
Millennials’ Formative Events
1998
Clinton
Impeached
2001
9/11
Start Afghan War
2003–2006
Iraq War
2005
Hurricane
Katrina
2007–2009
Great
Recession
1999
Columbine

Portrait of a Split Personality
Multicultural & tolerant
Open-minded & inclusive
Information-adept
Network-empowered
Entrepreneurial
Civic-minded
Globally engaged
Persistently optimistic
Narcissistic
Self-entitled
Impatient
Stressed
Lax work ethic
Extreme moral relativism
Lack of empathy
Poor coping skills

Paradoxically, They Are…
1. Prematurely affluent and suffer from
financial melancholy.
2. A trophy generation now trying out
“medium chill”—working toward
good-enough.
3. A generation whose social media
obsession has morphed into
“professional narcissism.”
1 Neil Howe, The New York Times, March 26, 2013
2 David Roberts, grist.org, June 2011
3 Alissa Quart, Frontline, June 21, 2013

Archetypes Help to Unfold a Multi-Faceted Generation
OPEN brands believe it is the consumer who is the real
protagonist in a life they are making for themselves and
others using age-old, mythical patterns, icons and
characters as well as contemporary cues and content.
Marketers consequently need insights into consumers’ life
ambitions, self-concepts and sources of tension, and
Jungian archetypes are ideally suited for generating
these.

© ResourceAmmirati 2014 6
Methodology
Proprietary
iCitzen
Persona
Methodology
Ongoing Study
-literature reviews
-ethnography studies
-surveys Carol S. Pearson
Carl Jung

Among the first wave of
millennials, ages 18-33,
22% are more likely than
the general population to
identify with the
Hero/Warrior archetype,
20% more likely for the
Explorer, 15% more likely
for the Creator, and 11%
more likely for the Lover.
Millennials’ Four Dominant Archetypes
Source: ResourceAmmirati proprietary methodology

The Hero/Warrior
Goal: Win, get own way, make a difference through struggle
Fear: Weakness, powerlessness, impotence, ineptitude
Response: Slay, defeat or convert it
Task: High-level assertiveness; fighting for what really matters
Gift: Courage, discipline, skill
“Warriors live by, and when necessary, fight
for, their own principles or values even when
doing so is economically or socially costly.”
-- Carol S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within

Life Context of the Millennial Hero/Warrior
Millennials’ stress level is a 5.4
out of 10; 3.6 is considered
healthy. (American
Psychological Association and
Harris Interactive, 2013)
Two-thirds of recent bachelor’s
degree recipients have an
average of $27,000 in student
loan debt, almost double what it
was two decades ago. (Urban
Institute, 2013)
Seven in 10 Americans say
today’s young adults face more
economic challenges than their
elders did. (Pew Research,
2014)
Millennials are
becoming parents
and professionals in
a world marked by
deepening
ideological and
financial divides.
Their Hero instinct
tells them to use
their education and
attitude to
overcome the deep-
rooted problems
facing this
generation.
A third of older millennials have
a four-year college degree or
more—making them the best-
educated cohort of young adults
in American history. (Pew
Research, 2014)
Forty-nine percent of millennials
say the country’s best years are
ahead of them, compared with
42% of Gen Xers. (Pew
Research, 2014)
LIABILITIES ASSETS

In response to the Great Recession, the
collapse of the dotcom bubble and today’s
growing income equality, many millennials are
defining success in less materialistic terms,
opting for experiential riches. It’s not about
owning more than the Joneses but about doing
more with the Joneses—and then sharing the
tales.
Source: Thomas Picket, Capital in the Twenty-first Century

Building a Hero/Warrior Brand
1. Forge a Social Contract: For this generation more
than any other, brands have social contracts. Make
your corporate social responsibility initiatives part
of your brand, not a sideline, and enable your Hero
fans to identify with and contribute to your causes.
2. Achievement Appeal: Stress levels are high for
older millennials so demonstrate to the
achievement-oriented Hero how your product,
services and business are at the top of their game
and will help them get to the top of theirs.

Chipotle
Millennial Heroes want to engage with Hero brands as
change agents and have a causal rather than casual
relationship with them.
CHIPOTLE has rejected the herd mentality, particularly fast food’s
relationship to factory farming. It focuses on changing our food
culture where it needed it the most, while the brand voice balances
calling out the food-industrial complex foes and keeping it lively and
approachable.

SMART
Millennials need a dose of humor and a lot of heart
from their Hero brands. Nowhere is this more true
than in the automotive industry, which is barely on
millennials’ radar of preferred brands. Millennials
aren’t buying cars like older generations due to
their leaner, more urban millennial lifestyles—or is
it that car marketing is in need of a reboot?
SMART cars have been deftly exploiting their David essence
and the gas-guzzling Goliath rivals. The brand’s tone mixes
levity with a confident “go small or go home.”

Toms
Millennial Heroes expect a cultural perspective that is
backed by action. Marketing is deeds more than words,
and for this cohort, brands are businesses with social
contracts. Seventy-four percent of millennials believe
businesses can do much more to address society’s
challenges in the areas of most concern: resource
scarcity (68%), climate change (65%) and income
equality (64%). (Deloitte, Millennial Survey, 2014)
TOMS matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new
shoes for a child in need. According to Toms, “What began as a
simple idea has evolved into a powerful business model for helping
address need and also advance health, education and economic
opportunity for children and their communities around the world.”

Nintendo
A majority of 18-34 year olds (57%) play video games
at least three times a week. (Zogby Analytics, 2014)
Gamification is important to millennials, and it plays
directly to the Hero’s need to take on challenges and to
be victorious.
NINTENDO, with its stable of beloved characters and gaming
systems designed to imitate users’ movements, has created new
ways to collaborate—and compete. Whether competing with friends
in the same room or connected through social experiences, the
Nintendo customer is the epitome of the Hero/Warrior as they seek to
slay the beast and beat their opponents.
* ResourceAmmirati client

The Explorer
Goal: Search for a better life or better way
Fear: Conformity, becoming entrapped
Response: Leave it, take off, escape
Task: Be true to a deeper or higher truth
Gift: Autonomy, ambition
“The Explorer in each of us challenges us to
explore what we fear most, so that by braving
the unknown, we ourselves are transformed.”

The Life Context of the Millennial Explorer
The underemployment rate is
32.8% among those living at
home and 15.4% among
those living on their own.
(Gallup, 2014)
A strong entrepreneurial
streak has emerged, driven by
the cohort’s “digital native”
skills and their social
conscience. Fifty-four percent
of millennials either want to
start a business or have
already started one.
(Kauffman Foundation, 2011)
Achieving autonomy is a
goal keenly felt by those
first-wave millennials who
have delayed marriage,
buying a home and having
children. Economic
constraints keep 36% of 18-
31 year olds living at home
with parents (Pew
Research 2012), which
prompted research into the
new “emerging
adulthood” life chapter.
Millennials’ trailblazer
orientation is most evident
when it comes to
employment.
On average, millennials stay with a
company only two years, compared
with five years for Gen X and seven
years for boomers. (Millennial
Branding, 2013)
Men are redefining their role; the
number of men who are the primary
household grocery shopper
increased to 31% in 2011, up from
14% in 1985. (US Chamber of
Commerce Foundation, 2012)
The most racially and ethnically
diverse cohort in the US; 43 percent
are non-white, so perhaps not
surprisingly, 55 percent favor a path
to citizenship for undocumented
immigrants. (Pew Research, 2014)

Millennials going their own way to seek
authenticity and spiritual depth? As adolescents,
they were described as profoundly team-
oriented and not particularly individualistic or
introspective. What happened on the way to
adulthood? Some of millennials’ Explorer
traits are undoubtedly tied to their life stage,
an early mid-point on the journey of life that
typically sees individuals turn inward to
cultivate the Soul after the Ego has been
formed.

Building an Explorer Brand
1. Acts of Independence: Explorers prize autonomy,
but the economy has thwarted rites of passage into
adulthood for many. Empower Explorers to achieve
independence in small acts or unconventional
ways.
2. Freedom Focus: Assure Explorers that in a
conformist age, you’re with them as they journey
down the road less traveled, and associate your
brand with movement, free will and the pursuit of
higher truths.

Virgin
Millennials’ desire to have a large variety of
experiences and travel often includes exposing
themselves to a certain amount of danger in the pursuit
of excitement. Seventy percent of millennials agreed
that “visiting every continent in my lifetime could be an
achievement and is something I’d like to do” vs. 48% of
non-millennials. (Barklay, The Enigma Generation,
2011)
VIRGIN’s Explorer culture stands out even in the travel category,
thanks to founder Richard Branson, who is currently working on a
public space travel program.

Red Bull
Millennial Explorers in search of deeper
revelations about the world favor brands that push
conventional boundaries: 69% support legalizing
marijuana, up from 34% eight years ago, and 68%
favor same-sex marriage, up from 44% in 2004.
(Pew Research, 2014)
RED BULL, befitting an Explorer brand, can be consumed on
the go, and to drive home the point, the beverage brand’s
philosophy is to give “wings to people and ideas.” The brand
finds those wings far from the mainstream of sports, in cliff
diving and downhill bike racing through Rio’s most notorious
barrios.

Airbnb
The sharing economy had projected revenues of
$3.5 billion in 2013. Millennials have been culturally
hardwired to borrow, rent and share not just out of
economic necessity but also due to their
determination not to be entrapped in the living-to-
work cycle of their parents.
AIRBNB offers a more authentic local and shared experience,
as well as a new way to make money.

Schwinn
Cycling is on the rise for millennials due to high fuel costs,
urbanization and a deeper understanding of environmental
factors. This cohort drives about 20% less than their
parents’ generation (PIRG, 2013) and seeks brands that
help their Explorer self to travel more freely.
SCHWINN is well-attuned to this generation’s travelling
aspirations and seeks to help all of its customers “enjoy the ride” of
life and the bike ride of the moment.

The Creator
Goal: Creation of a life, work or new reality of any kind
Fear: Inauthenticity, miscreation, failure of imagination
Response: Accept that it is part of the self, part of what one
has created; be willing to create another reality
Task: Self-creation, self-acceptance
Gift: Autonomy, ambition
“The ability to see and name that potential in oneself or
another is the primary creative act of liberation. It is only when
we begin to uncover who we are—beneath insecurity and
grandiosity, beneath ingrained habit and social conditioning,
beyond our outer appearance and our persona—that we can
have some confidence that our actions are helping to expand
rather than shrink our individual, collective and world Soul.”

The Life Context of the Millennial Creator
They are in a league of their own
when it comes to producing online
content—60% compared with 20%
for non-millennials. (Barkley, SMG,
Boston Consulting Group, American
Millennials: Deciphering the
Enigma Generation, 2011)
When asked "what word best defines
the DNA of your generation?” the
most frequent response is “creative"
and the second most frequent is
“self-expressive.” (MTV’s Innovation
Generation study, 2012)
Many millennials are early adopters.
Fifty-two percent of millennials rank
far above or above average when it
comes to being early adopters of
technology. (Experian, 2013 Digital
Marketers Report)
Newer platforms like Snapchat
enable experimental venues for self-
expression. Seventeen percent of
millennials (18-34) use Snapchat on
a monthly basis. (Comscore, 2014)
Thirty percent of millennials’ media
time is spent with content created
and curated by their peers, which
means they are also acting as
“always-on” publishers.
(Crowdtap/Ipsos, 2014)
Millennials far outpace
others with the amount
of content they create
and consume. They
also have “slashitude,”
as in “I’m a retail
associate/CEO/Techno
DJ/food stylist.” The
trend toward personal
branding and
professional narcissism
is a method for
identifying millennials’
passions.

The challenge for many millennial Creators is
to find the right balance between creating
and being created by their social conditions.
This cohort craves validation and social proof
that the self and life they’re creating are
worthwhile. But the sheer magnitude of their
digital output has enabled them to continuously
self-create and recreate, resulting in a
generation of “mashionalities,” comprised of the
free artistic and information riches of the web
and animated by the videogame prerogative to
reset and play again.

Building a Creator Brand
1. Let Them Express Themselves: The challenge for
many millennials is to create and self-express in order
to forge an identity and do work that is authentically
one’s own. Align your brand with the Creator’s quest for
self-discovery.
2. New Realms and Reinvention: Millennials are the first
generation to have their entire life, juvenile faux pas
and all, exposed to the public, but Creators need the
possibility of reinvention. Provide ways for your Creator
fans to inhabit another world and persona temporarily.

Taco Bell
Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, which
enable users to create and erase, provide
experimental venues for self-expression that don’t
have the high cost associated with other social
platforms’ permanent digital record.
TACO BELL is the QSR brand for the millennial generation.
Leveraging platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, the brand
encourages customers to co-create the brand, extending Taco
Bell’s stories and driving pop culture.

Google
Creator brands should provide ways for their fans to
inhabit another world and persona for a while.
GOOGLE is on millennials’ favorite brands list in no small part
because they would like to work at a company that offers perks
and “balance enhancers,” including its policy of allowing
employees one day a week to work on personal projects.
(“Generational differences in work values: A review of the
empirical evidence,” Journal of Management, 2010)

Etsy
The disintermediating web has made it possible
for anyone to promote and sell their own
creations. Brands hoping to appeal to millennial
Creators can learn from these P2P
marketplaces, particularly the manner in which
the creative legacy or personal inspiration for the
product is conveyed.
ETSY is one of the definitive marketplaces for the maker
movement, connecting creators with customers who are looking
for something special that can’t be purchased elsewhere.

DiGiorno
Small acts of creativity constitute the oxygen for this
generation, but given interesting goals and
parameters for co-creation, millennials will respond
even more favorably, as they seize the opportunity
to stretch themselves.
DIGIORNO lets customers co-create the brand with engaging
experiences like build your own pizza and Twitter trash talking
with #DiGiorNOYOUDIDNT.

The Lover
Goal: Bliss, oneness, unity
Fear: Loss of love, disconnection
Response to problem: Love it
Task: Follow your bliss, commit to what you love
Gift: Commitment, passion, ecstasy
“We know Eros when we experience a passionate connection
to a particular landscape, to our work, to an activity, to a
cause, a religion, a way of life. Without Eros, we can be born
but never really live; our Souls simply never fall to earth. It is
Eros—passion, attachment, desire, even lust—that makes us
really alive.”

The Life Context of the Millennial Lover
Fifty-seven percent of those
surveyed say they tell their friends
about their purchases; 44% prefer to
“show off” their purchases, even if it’s
in subtle ways, seeking constant
reassurance. (Moosylvania, 2014)
Millennials are twice as likely as Gen
Xers to say that they were influenced
by celebrities and four times more
likely than boomers. (BCG, 2014)
Seventy percent of millennials are
more excited about a decision
they’ve made when their friends
agree, compared with 48% of non-
millennials. (Barkley, 2013)
The real power of this
archetype is in the
millennials’ ever-
present digital
togetherness. This
generation is
connected like no other
in search of their chief
values: happiness,
passion, diversity,
sharing and discovery.
Millennials are also charitable and
keen to participate in “public life”:
63% of millennials donate to
charities, 43% actively volunteer or
are a member of a community
organization and 52% have signed
petitions. (Deloitte, The Millennial
Survey, 2014)
When asked what would have the
most influence on them, more than
95% of millennials say they want
brands to court them actively and
have coupons sent to them.
(Accenture, Who are the Millennial
Shoppers?, June 2013)
Forty million millennials are already
parents and 52% of millennials
rank parenting as one of the most
important things they can do with
their lives. (Pew Research, 2014)

Millennials are less trusting of people in general
and a recent report shows them subordinating
friendships to career advancement more readily
than boomers. But their digital connection to
others creates a diffuse but ever-present sense
of “being in this together” that has translated into
a tolerance of and curiosity about other cultures
and peoples. And their intimate involvement
with digital media turns brands into friends,
friends into brands, and the self into a
dispersal of passions big and small.

Building a Lover Brand
1. Eros, Not Ego: Millennials are nothing if not
egotistically developed, so the Lover brand’s role is
to encourage a fuller giving into Eros (not Ego)—
passionate involvement with a cause, culture,
place, idea or set of experiences.
2. (Really) Be There For Them: Millennials expect
more from brands than other cohorts: brands
should know their Lover fans personally, court
them deftly and facilitate more social graph
intimacy and interactivity.

Smirnoff
The spirits category is far less homogenous than
one would imagine, with Outlaws, Rules and Lovers
aplenty. Millennial lovers warm to cultural codes of
group fun, of social cohesion and tribal belonging, a
pivot away from boomer’s codes of close
encounters.
SMIRNOFF, to stand out from the pack, has positioned itself
as being about inclusivity and unpretentiousness by mocking
mixologists and “VIPing.” The message separates the brand from
claims of exclusivity and speaks to millennials inclination toward
“the more the merrier.”

Coca-Cola
Millennials appear to be shifting away from what
used to be the be-all and end-all, money and
power, in favor of happiness, passion, diversity,
sharing and discovery. (Iconoculture, Consumer
Insights, 2013)
COCA-COLA remains a millennials’ favorite because its
happiness message hasn’t dimmed in decades. It still resonates
because of the brand’s clever marketing of friendship and
interpersonal connection—from customized cans sent to
strangers to vending machines the world over that require social
interaction and other passionate feats before they’ll dispense a
drink.

Sephora
Millennials are far more data-disclosive than
boomers (Mintel, 2014) because they grew up
grasping and negotiating the balance of sharing
personal preference and habits in exchange for
personal perks and coupons. Millennial Lovers have
high expectations of personalized brand
interactions.
SEPHORA’s push into personalization, from the sortable “My
Beauty Bag” filled with a fan’s past purchases and favorites to the
in-store Pantone and ColorIQ system, reminds customers that
Sephora is the go-to brand for creatively expressing one’s
persona and learning just what that persona is.

VS Pink
The connective tissue of this cohort leads Lover
millennials to use their network to help them
make decisions, including what to buy, while also
desiring to be courted by their favorite brands.
VS PINK has redefined sexy, downplaying the romance and
intimacy of Victoria’s Secret while emphasizing flirty fun.
Particularly appealing to college age millennials is the brand’s
focus on the connection fans have to the college or university of
their choice, and leveraging brand ambassadors on campus to
court co-eds and spread the love.

Forge a Social Contract: For this generation more
than any other, brands have social contracts. Make
your corporate social responsibility initiatives part of
your brand, not a sideline, and enable your Hero fans
to identify with and contribute to your causes.
Achievement Appeal: Stress levels are high for older
millennials so demonstrate to the achievement-oriented
Hero how your product, services and business are at
the top of their game and will help them get to the top
of theirs.
Acts of Independence: Explorers prize autonomy, but
the economy has thwarted rites of passage into
adulthood for many. Empower Explorers to achieve
independence in small acts or unconventional ways.
Freedom Focus: Assure Explorers that in a conformist
age, you’re with them as they journey down the road
less traveled, and associate your brand with movement,
free will and the pursuit of higher truths.
Hero/Warrior Explorer
Let Them Express Themselves: The challenge for
many millennials is to create and self-express in order
to forge an identity and do work that is authentically
one’s own. Align your brand with the Creator’s quest for
self-discovery.
New Realms and Reinvention: Millennials are the first
generation to have their entire life, juvenile faux pas
and all, exposed to the public, but Creators need the
possibility of reinvention. Provide ways for your Creator
fans to inhabit another world and persona temporarily.
Creator
Eros, Not Ego: Millennials are nothing if not
egotistically developed, so the Lover brand’s role
is to encourage a fuller giving in to Eros (not
Ego)—passionate involvement with a cause,
culture, place, idea or set of experiences.
(Really) Be There For Them: Millennials expect
more from brands than other cohorts: brands
should know their Lover fans personally, court
them deftly and facilitate more social graph
intimacy and interactivity.
Lover

Who We Are
Born digital, ResourceAmmirati is an entrepreneurial
creative independent with 400+ associates across five
offices. We help ambitious marketers like Coca-Cola,
CVS, Nestlé, North American Breweries, P&G,
Pirate’s Booty, Sherwin-Williams and Victoria’s Secret
build OPEN brands and embrace “everywhere
commerce” to accelerate growth.
TO LEARN MORE:
Dr. Nita Rollins
Futurist, Director of Cultural Insights
nrollins@resource.com
www.resource.com

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