According to the study, in marketing strategies, Millennials tend to focus on connecting with consumers and communities in authentic and meaningful ways, such as inviting consumers to participate in a product’s creation.
Aside from work style, use of technology may be the biggest differentiating factor between Millenials and older workers. “Technology, for Millennials, is a way to innovate,†says Tina Wells, the 30-year-old CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, a youth marketing agency. This generation grew up with technology and can easily adapt to the pace at which new operations are introduced. “It creates a different dynamic, for instance, when your boss can’t work an iPad and the Millennial can.â€
This group, however, has its share of challenges. Wells, who started her company at age 16, says the sense of entitlement that Millennials exhibit can be performance prohibitive. “Their idea of paying dues is different from their parents,†she explains. “They have grown up in a very instant world, so how do you tell them that a job they want in six or seven months is a job they have to wait usually six or seven years to get?â€
At work they seem only committed to what drives and interests them. According to the Pew survey, they are far more likely than older workers to say they will switch careers or change employers. In the survey, 66% said it is “likely†they will switch careers at some point in their work life, compared with 55% of Generation Xers (ages 30-45 in this survey) and 31% of Baby Boomers (ages 46-64). Additionally, nearly 60% of employed Millennials say they have already switched careers at least once.
“Younger adults see their job path as one that is likely to involve change,â€says Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center. “This seems more natural to them and they are just reflecting the world around them.â€