The

Millenials:
Who are they?
What do they want?
Where are they going?

The
Millennial.

What do you mean by

going online? Im always
on.

19 years old / English Major at NYU /

Lives in Manhattan with 2 roommates

Received his first credit card at 12 years old

Uses his phone to shop online while in store
Gets his news from Twitter, Facebook & Tumblr
Doesnt own a TV
Buys groceries on Amazon.com
Browses & shops online hourly

How many?
one-third
of U.S.
populatio
n

Source: CBS News, The Echo Boomers

2.3 Billion
worldwide

A Tech Savvy Generation

25%
say technology use makes their generation unique

74%
say technology makes their lives easier

Source: Pew, Generations

Technology is Everything body parts

Over half (53%) of 16- to 22year-olds

would rather give up their
sense of
smell than give up their
technology

Source: Pew, Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next

When they want to navigate, connect

make sense of the world, the first thin
turn to is digital.
84% get news and information online
76% watch video on places like YouTube and
Hulu
78% have a social networking account
62% listen to music using services like iTunes
and Pandora
Source: Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Study

Decline in traditional media

In 1999:
55% of young people reported reading magazines and
newspapers.

Today:
35% do (and dropping fast).

Source: Pew, Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults

Television is losing ground

Of 16-24 year olds:

23% would miss TV
26% would miss the Internet
28% would miss their mobile phone
Source: Ofcom Adult and Childrens Media Literacy Report

Phones are like body parts

8 in 10 sleep with
cell by bed

Two-thirds text
while driving

55% use texting as

their primary means
of communication

Source: Pew, Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next

Allison Miller sends and receives

27,000 texts each month

She texts between classes, after soccer practice, to/from school and while
studying
Source: New York Times, Growing up digital, wired for
distraction

96%
are
online*

*compared to 74% the U.S. population

Source: Pew, Generations

This is where they are.

They buy things online just

because they can.

Im a smart consumer and I have

the tools available to make the right
decision.

They are armed with a search box

and wont trust what you have to
say.

They interact with retailers and

other shoppers online more than
anyone else.

They know what they want.

Source: Forrester, Profiling US Gen Y Online Apparel Buyers

The best deal doesnt mean its the

cheapest. Its about value.

They want to be able to express

themselves and influence others.

This is where they go before

watching a new movie.

Hierarchy of influence: they tap

trusted circles for different things

Text their
best friends
from the
dressing room

Check with their contacts on Yelp to

help decide on a restaurant
Ask Facebook friends where they should go
on vacation
Check out Rotten Tomatoes before watching a movie

Truth is their Currency

When asked what the number one trait in a best friend would
be:

42% said: Truthful

22% said: Genuine
When characterizing themselves, the top term was:

Truthful (21%)
Source: Indiana University, The Millennial
Generation

Who they Admire

The brand that Millennials say they most want to hang out with, as well as the brand
they most admire, is

What they think about the future

But Reality is Dawning

56%

of recent high-school graduates feel

they wont be more financially successful than
their parents

58%

of recent college graduates feel they

wont do as well as the previous generation

Source: Rutgers Study

Generation Screwed?
The wealth gap between younger and
older Americans is the widest on record.
Median net worth of households headed by someone
65 or older:

$170,494
Median net worth for those under 35:

$3,662
Source: U.S. Census

Then and Now

When Boomers entered the
workforce in 1970, the largest
private employer was General
Motors. Average hourly wage:
$17.50 (in todays dollars).

The largest employer today is WalMart. Average hourly wage: $8.00

Over-Educated, Under-Employed

Many Millennials are facing the difficult situation of having high expectations
with few opportunities

The Result: Extended Adolescence

More Men than Women are Boomerang

19% of males aged 25 to 34, and 59% of males aged 18-24 live with their
parents

(for women its 10% and 50% respectively)

A Reverse Gender Gap?

More recent female college graduates than male graduates
have jobs
Women in their twenties now earn more money than men of
the same age in the ten largest cities in the United States

Source: New York Times

Media Portrayals are No Better

If the fall TV season is any guide, the sexual revolution that was supposed to
liberate men and women from traditional sex roles seems to have resulted
instead in a straight-up role reversal. The male characters are messes
insecure, jobless, barely able to dress themselves without a wife or girlfriend
and/or living in moms proverbial basement. Their female counterparts,
meanwhile, are flaunting the same selfish, boorish ways that once got men
called chauvinist pigs.
-

The Washington Times

An Emasculated Perception
Man Up A Judd Apatow-ish bunch of latte-sipping best
friends in their 40s who go on a quest for their inner
Iron Johns.

Last Man Standing Tim Allen as an unemployed stay-at-home

masculinity in a world gone estrogen-mad.

How to Be a Gentleman Kevin Dillion as a personal trainer

teaching a bunch of metrosexual Manhattanites how to burp
and take a punch.

dad of three girls who sees himself as the last bastion of

Whereas Women are on the Rise

Women are well on their way to
becoming the primary breadwinners
in a majority of American families
The Richer Sex

Are men necessary? Not so much,

because women have achieved
unprecedented autonomy.
The End of Men

Why is this
happening?
(Lets find out)

Employment Patterns have Shifted

Women account for nearly half of all employees in the work force, and most families are dual-income. The amount of hours worked and money earned by
women is rising.

Source: Familiesandwork.org

Education Patterns have Shifted

The majority of undergraduate and graduate degrees go to female

students, and their majors are better suited for the post-industrial
economy: medicine, law, upper management and finance

Male-dominated industries hit hardest

Job losses during the most recent recession (and those before) were
mostly incurred by men, who dominate the hardest hit sectors of
construction and manufacturing

More Boys Growing up Without Father

Since 2008, single people have
outnumbered married people, and a
significant percentage of boys are growing
up in single-parent homes without fathers

Lack of Positive Role Models

Whether its politicians (Bill Clinton, Spitzer, Senator Toilet Stall), sports heroes (Clemens, O.J., Isaiah) or CEOs (Ken Lay, Dennis
Kozlowski, Conrad Black), men are behaving badly at the highest level.
.

So who are the New Role Models?

Who do
Millennials
look up to?
Who do they
admire and
aspire to be
like?

People who made it

Millennials (both men and women)
say they most admire people who
achieved success despite the odds.
In a recent UK study, teenagers were most impressed by
people who have built successful careers based on their
talents and hard work. J.K. Rowling came out on top
(53%), followed by Richard Branson (50%) and Mark
Zuckerberg (37%).

By contrast, 8% admired Justine Bieber, 4% Kim

Kardashian and 3% Kate Moss.

Source: Cityandguilds.com

Millennials appreciate success stories

Michael Phelps

Ryan Seacrest

David Beckham

Mark Zuckerberg

Tim Tebow

Kevin Durant

Oklahoma City Thunder

People they Know

Gone are the days of lusting

after someone elses life.
While there are certainly techies who want to
be Steve Jobs and singers who want to be
Lady Gaga, most pave their own way. They
have heroes, but not all of them are
household names.

Everyday Heroes
A recent Associate Press/MTV poll asked Millennials who
their heroes were

50% said their parents

11% named a friend
10% said God
8% named a grandparent
7% a sibling
5% a teacher or professor

For boys: Their Grandfathers

Every generation revolts against its fathers
and makes friends with its grandfathers.
- Lewis Mumford

Relate more to Grandparents than Par

Many Millennial men possess a desire to
return to a simple, straightforward approach
to being a man.
Theyre not so concerned about gender roles and
manhood as something they need to get in touch
with or analyze or are angry about; rather, its akin
to how their grandfathers lived: dont make a fuss
about it, just be responsible, do the right thing, be
competent, and get the job done.

Source: The Generations of Men: How the Cycles of History Shape Your Values, Your Idea of Manhood, and
Your Future, by Brett and Kate McKay http://artofmanliness.com/

Emulate Generations Past

The Millennial generation displays some classic Hero generation qualities: theyre friendly, sensible and even-keeled, get along well with younger peers and
older adults, are team-oriented, and prefer practical solutions over polarizing ideologies (more call themselves Independents than Republicans or Democrats).

A Return to Tradition

Family Values are Paramount

Source: McCann WorldGroup, The Truth About Youth

In their own words

Being part of the Millennial generation, Ive always felt like I connected with the ideas of my
grandparents generation more than any other. Matt
As a young (16) Millennial generation guy I look up to my grandfather as what a man should be. Get
the job done. Action over words. I am a very self-reliant minded person and want to do my best to be
the best man I can be, helping others and supporting a family someday. Ethan
I am a Millennial and I have always seemed to have a sort of kinship with my grandfathers
generation. My Grandfather is also someone I have always admired and looked up to as a role model.
Matthew
I am a millenial and look up to my grandfather a WWII and Korea hero. Was born in the Great
Depression, had 9 kids, worked 4 jobs to put his kids through school. I have an affinity for the grit and
hard work of his generation. I look up to him, his values, and his legacy more so than that of my
father or men his age. Patrick
I think that Millennial (and many Gen X) men have affinity for their Grandfathers generation and view
of masculinity because for many of us they were the most consistent and positive male role model.
Thats the case for me and many of my friends our parents got divorced and our dads moved out
and moved on. - Matt
As a millennial, I see my GI-born Grandfather and Uncle Joe as the kind of men that I should imitate:
hard-working, plain-spoken and family-oriented. A lot of boys my age talk about finding a girl and
settling down, or finding the right one. Im starting to get into crafts and carpentry. Ethan G.
Herrell
My depression era grandpa was very influential on me growing up, and really shaped the worldview
which I hold today. I am a Millennial and have always been fascinated by and felt a kinship with the
G.I. generation. T
I share a great affinity with my grandfathers and great uncles who in my mind were great men. This
explains a great deal for the unconscious nostalgia I feel for that era. Ben
Source: The Art of Manliness

Thank you

Russ Josephs
Strategy & Trend Analysis
Atmosphere Proximity
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Russ.Josephs@atmosphereproximity.com