How to keep the digitally-savvy, millennial Singaporeans happy

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those belonging to the last batch of the 20^th century, and the first truly digital people of the new millennium. They were born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s, so technically, their ages range somewhere between 13 and 33.

These Millennials comprise the young, technology-engulfed sector of the society with entirely different needs and behavior than their predecessors. They could spend up to 15 hours a day watching television, surfing the Internet, twiddling their mobile phones or playing computer games. For them, the real world and the virtual world are one and the same.

The Singaporean edition of Millennials is in a league of its own.

Just this month, the World Economic Forum released its annual Global Competitiveness Report, wherein Singapore retains its 2^nd place for the last two years, behind only Switzerland.  Meanwhile, Time Magazine declares that in 2013, Singapore is the 6^th best place to be born in. These laurels can give you an insight on what kind of life the younger generation of Singaporeans are living (and would be living in the next 20 years or so).

Along with the technological revolution consuming its youth is the corresponding change in their consumer behavior. Because of omnipresent access to information technology, traditional marketing has little or no influence over their decision-making.

In the US, it’s the same thing. In a Boston Globe article, S. Adam Brasel, a Boston College marketing professor, said “Not only do they not necessarily trust traditional advertising anymore; they don’t even see traditional advertising anymore.” Millennials have the luxury (or otherwise dilemma) of being drowned in an ocean of advertising, so much that both sides of the marketing equation are scratching their heads.

“Advertisers and marketers are desperately finding ways to communicate with this new generation, and we’re still fumbling around with it a little bit,” Brasel added.

However, compared to their Western counterparts, Singaporean Millennials are on a different wavelength. They are more ambitious and entrepreneurial in nature. And so far, they’re doing great - acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin says Singapore has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the world at 6.7%.

They believe that the momentum is on their side, and they have a very positive outlook in life.

The marketer’s way to get the attention of Millennials is to understand what drives them, what their priorities are and how they think:

The “can do” generation – They live by the mantra that “solutions are always available”. Growing up at the same time as the digital age was also growing up, they’ve embraced the gift of convenience, thinking that technology will always provide a fix. And marketers can reaffirm that notion.

Obsession with “upgrading” – With the constant evolution of all things digital, Millennials have also developed a fascination with “acquiring something better” than what they have. Gen X-ers  are typically easily-contented with their goods, while the Gen Y people are always asking for more. Again, something that marketers can capitalize on.

Instant progress, instant success – Immediate results, being significant “now”, and not willing to work their way up from scratch: these are values that Millennials (especially Singaporeans)uphold. To market to them effectively, products must be associated with a perceived sense of progress or improvement.

Search for meaning – Previous generations are actually rather patient when it comes to advertising; they would allow things to unfold before they can make a decision. Millennials, however, are “experts” when it comes to publicity and media hype. They can quickly sense from a mile away whether a company is being sincere or just pulling their legs.

Full control of their world – Millennials see it as a sign of weakness if they are not in charge of what happens in their lives. They don’t like to be imposed on or be told what to do – they’ve become self-sufficient that (they think) they can manage on their own. A fair advice for marketers: instead of pushing a product towards them, draw their attention towards your product. Present your brand accordingly, and let their brains do the sales-talking. 

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