Millennials on Millennials: What Brands Do You Love?

Why Do “Philanthropic” Campaigns Go Viral with Millennials?
– Katy Close

Research has shown that millennials are an extremely philanthropic generation, especially after the success with recent viral social media campaigns. Now the question is, why are these philanthropic campaigns going viral with millennials?

Social media has transformed the accessibility for millennials to participate in philanthropic efforts. Millennials are able to observe changes being made at a rate faster than ever before, as well as watch their own contributions make a difference. For example, when the person they nominated for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has now made a video nominating other people, they feel as though they were a part of the success. This is remarkably different from previous generations that were unable to observe the progression of their philanthropic efforts.

Some of the most recent and successful viral philanthropic efforts on social media, including the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Purple Your Profile or #NoMakeUpSelfie, required very little effort to participate. I believe these campaigns were successful for that reason. The action that was asked of the millennials was inherently simple, while the potential results were boundless. So you’re telling me all I have to do is change my profile picture to purple, and I am helping raise money to fight cancer? Who wouldn’t participate in that? This makes millennials feel instantly empowered by their efforts, therefore, motivating them to participate in more causes.

Successful social media campaigns become so large they resemble “mini movements.” These movements spread like wildfire through social media platforms, encouraging users daily to jump on the bandwagon. Millennials itch for any opportunity to feel part of something greater than themselves. As a result, philanthropic organizations are receiving funding and awareness at rates much faster and greater than before.

Let’s take a look at Humans of New York, a book based on developing grassroots stories of real New Yorkers. HONY has 3.4 million followers on Instagram and 14 million likes on Facebook. To give you an example of its popularity, a photo posted 49 minutes on Instagram already has 60,255 likes. Brandon Stanton, the author of HONY, develops real and genuine stories from regular people he finds on the streets. A few weeks ago, Brandon found a little boy who told him that his principal was his hero. Brandon decided to go to the school, find the principal and post a photo highlighting her efforts in an underfunded school. Almost instantaneously, people were donating money at lightning speed. Within days, followers raised tens of thousands of dollars for this New York School. Instantaneous results for simply liking and sharing a picture—now that’s the power of social media.

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Campaigns That Evoke Emotion Are What Attract Millennials?
– Katy Close

When a millennial tells you they are drawn to a campaign “that evokes emotion,” what does this really mean? They are not intrigued by standard advertisements anymore (surprise, surprise). Millennials have this innate desire to feel a part of something that is bigger than themselves. In fact, millennials crave the opportunity to actually feel as though they are a part of the campaign. They want to be exposed to the entire journey, especially if it allows them to connect with others. Millennials actively search to uncover or even unleash campaigns that are guaranteed to impact their day and then, of course, they share them.

According to Crowdtap, a typical millennial is engaged in some sort of media for approximately 17.8 hours a day. In short, they are CONSTANTLY connected. This constant connection makes it harder for brands to produce content that grabs their attention. Trends are suggesting that millennials are drawn to campaigns that have the ability to alter their mood in an “extreme” way. They want to see real stories, real tragedies, and real happiness that in one way or another pertain to their lives. And their reaction to these intensely happy, sad, maddening, and emotional stories sparks a desire to share what they have seen with everyone they know.

What is it about this emotional content that is so attractive to millennials? It seems as though technology, while its main goal is to make people who are geographically apart feel closer together, is making them feel further apart. It has replaced the primal human-to-human contact they desire. Therefore, when a campaign moves you to tears, or makes you laugh so hard you cry, the real feelings we desire are coming forward. By sharing these emotional stories online in an open discussion they can to engage with each other on a more personal level.

Other generations criticize millennials for posting and sharing their thoughts and beliefs on social media. But social media content is our outlet to share our feelings about the things we care about.

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