YouTube Influencers Are Changing the Face of Advertising

Let’s face it: traditional advertising just isn’t cutting it these days. Recent studies show that 96% of consumers prefer the genuine feel and appeal of influencer-generated content versus overt brand-generated content. More than ever before, brands are relying on relatable YouTube influencers to create authentic and engaging content on their social channels in order to stay top-of-mind with consumers.

With the value of print ads and traditional commercials decreasing, YouTube, in particular, has become a prime social platform for Millennial and Gen-Z influencers to share high quality and engaging content. User-generated content on YouTube gets 10 times as many views as videos created directly by brands. In other words, if you’re trying to increase brand awareness, YouTube is a prime medium to do so.

Here are four industries that are using YouTube influencers to change the game:

1. Consumer Goods

In the consumer goods industry, beauty and fashion brands alike are leveraging influencer marketing to help drive sales amid the shift in consumer retail behavior. Consumers most often search YouTube for product reviews and rankings from beauty and fashion gurus, to guide them to the right products.

As an example, watch this sponsored video for Sephora. YouTuber Kristin Johns tells a captivating story and effortlessly weaves Sephora’s latest lip products throughout the video in a subtle, yet effective way. It’s clear from the hundreds of positive comments left on her blog posts that her followers and fans appreciate this creative approach to sponsored content. Consumers also look to more traditional YouTube videos, like product reviews and rankings from beauty and fashion gurus, to guide them to the right product.

YouTube influencers

2. Travel

Millennials and Gen-Z seek travel inspiration from social influencers and are even selecting destinations based on the social content they’ve seen. Content creators use YouTube to share their adventures through cinematic video blogs (vlogs). One look at this vlogger’s trip to Bali and you’re bound to get the travel bug!

Pro tip: Combine branded content with a dreamy destination and watch the views roll in.

3. Food

With the rise in vlogging on YouTube, social influencers are sharing more about their lives than ever before—normal, everyday activities like a trip to Target or a coffee date with a friend are all recorded and captured in vlogs. Subscribers are anxious to know everything about their favorite YouTubers, including what they eat! Take this video by Lauren Elizabeth where she shares all of her favorite healthy snacks. Since consumers trust user-generated product reviews 12 times more than a brand’s promotional content, it’s a great time for the food industry to refine their digital marketing strategies.

4. Health & Wellness

Along with the rise of beauty and fashion influencers on YouTube, another huge genre of content revolves around the fitness, health, and wellness industries. Consumers look to fitness influencers not only for workout tips, but also suggestions on workout clothes, health and dietary supplements, and much more.

While we’ve seen a boom in YouTube content across these four industries specifically, any brand that is looking to target Millennials and Gen-Z would benefit from leveraging influencers. Not sure where to start or how to select the right influencer for your brand? Read our tips to find the perfect match.

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THESE BLOGS

HOW CAN YMC HELP?

Want to engage the coveted Millennial and Gen-Z demographics? Finding the right partner is key to your success. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with 15- to 29-year-old consumers for two decades—and we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!

7 Elements to Consider for Your Brand’s Mobile Tour

The rise of e-commerce retail and mobile technology has changed the way Millennial and Gen-Z consumers purchase products and services. This shift has created a double-edged sword for brands. As many purchases are happening online, brands with brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to drive in-store traffic. Whereas brands with only an online presence are lacking a physical, high-touch interaction point to establish a deeper connection with consumers.

The ability to buy online has given consumers control over where they buy products and what they pay—but the product itself is still a deciding factor. Consumers are likely to buy online from familiar, trusted brands. However, if the product or brand isn’t familiar to them, they’ll buy in person. The reason? The likelihood that an unfamiliar item will need to be returned if bought without seeing and feeling it in person outweighs the convenience of buying online.

Innovative brands like Aerie have found a solution in mobile campus tours. Designing a mobile retail store enabled them to bring a unique shopping experience directly to their target consumers. Aerie’s nationwide mobile tour created an inviting atmosphere in which students were excited to shop—and buy. Through the mobile tour, the brand saw significant increases in daily average sales and numbers of units sold. There was an average of 800 customers per campus and 80K social media impressions per week.

With those results, it’s no wonder that mobile tours are exploding in popularity across a variety of industries—particularly fashion and retail, consumer packaged goods, and entertainment. Mobile marketing, or “experiential,” tours provide a unique opportunity for college students to shop and experience a brand first-hand—trying on a shirt, tasting a treat, testing out technology.

You may be wondering, “How do I build a campus mobile tour experience that attracts college students, makes a memorable experience, and drives brand ROI?” Here are the top seven elements to consider when designing a mobile tour.

1. Vehicle Fabrication

The tour vehicle itself (airstream, mobile trailer, bus) can pop up anywhere, in a bright and bold fashion, making it hard to miss on campus. The vehicle needs to feel inviting, innovative, and comfortable to the consumer. Factors to consider include vehicle size (exterior and interior space), branding, heating/cooling, fixtures, product/item assortment, display, and design. Vehicles can be loaned, leased, or created from scratch based on available budget and intended length of use.

2. Tech

Students do not have patience for anything less than instant gratification. The mobile tour’s technology and POS system needs to be top-notch. Most locations do not have reliable WiFi, so this functionality needs to be built into the structure of the vehicle during the fabrication phase. Power and security are also two critical logistics that cannot be overlooked.

3. Location

Location, location, location. Students simply don’t deviate too far from their day-to-day path. Getting your mobile tour experience on or near campus is ideal for maximizing attendance and walk-by foot traffic.

4. Staffing

Finding the right people to run the show is a top priority. Tour staff need to be responsible, hardworking, and able to represent the brand in a professional manner. The most successful mobile tours have a combination of agency, campus rep, event, and brand team members on-site to collaborate and fill the various roles of the event.

5. Promotion

Getting the word out about the upcoming mobile tour is one of the most important actions to ensure success. Campus reps can leverage extensive on-campus and online networks to raise awareness and generate excitement among their peers. Targeted social media posts on the reps’ personal channels leading up to and during the event help catch student attention.

6. Experience

Beyond the mobile vehicle itself, creating a memorable and engaging experience is key to attracting and retaining students at the event. Elements to consider include on-brand music, unexpected snacks, DIY activities, a comfortable lounge area for relaxing, a photo wall for snapping the perfect Instagram shot—or all the above!

7. Exclusive Offer

Everyone loves a discount. Promotional offers are important to boost attendance, increase purchase consideration, and drive sales. “Doorbuster” giveaways and free items are incredibly effective at driving traffic and attracting a line of students waiting for doors to open.

Mobile marketing is a smart way for brands to reach new markets without a local retail presence. Students are always excited by the opportunity to check out a new happening or event, especially when it’s located conveniently next to their classes or apartment. When executed correctly, typically with the help of an experienced marketing agency, mobile tours will help your brand increase awareness and attract new customers.

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THESE BLOGS

HOW CAN YMC HELP?

Looking to hit the road with your brand but aren’t sure how to get started? Finding the right partner is key to your success. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with 15- to 29-year-old consumers for two decades—we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!

4 Key Differences Between Millennials and Gen-Z

“What is the difference between Millennials and Gen-Z?” That’s a question that has left many marketers scratching their heads. There are differences between the two generations. Big ones, in fact. Marketers need to be conscious of these discrepancies because even though Millennials seem to be the hot topic of conversation, Generation Z is growing their presence and influence. Currently, Gen-Z possess a buying power of $44 billion a year, and they will account for 40% of all consumers by 2020.

Experts say that when it comes to Gen-Z, marketers aren’t going to be able to target them as one homogenous group. So if it’s not smart to bunch Gen-Z together, it’ll be out right foolish to target them with Millennials. Here are the 4 key differences between the two generations that can help you make the right distinctions when targeting these groups.

Gen-Z is More Individualistic and Creative

Gen-Z is social, and they pride themselves on this uniqueness and their collective ability to create change.They’re also not fans of societal norms. In fact, the only norm they conform to is their generation’s tradition of embracing what makes them different from it. They defy gender norms, racial inequality, and any other social construct that attempts to box them in. Everything about Gen-Z screams individuality. And as they claim their independence from what the world wants them to be, they are constantly on the hunt for new artistic and creative ways to express that independence.

Now, why should this matter to you? Well, these young adults are more likely to engage with companies that align with their values and urge to be creative. Marketers should capitalize on opportunities to tap into Gen-Z’s passion of individuality and creativity.

Gen-Z is Less Price Sensitive

Millennials watched their parents run the world bankrupt and then forced them to deal with the ruins. Generation Y knows what it’s like to have everything and then lose everything; the Great Recession of 2008 taught them that. So it’s no wonder why Millennials are so price sensitive.

However, this is not necessarily the case for Gen-Z. Sixty-seven percent of Millennials surveyed said that they would go to the website to get a coupon, whereas only 46% of Gen-Z polled said they would do the same. One theory behind why Gen-Z are less price-conscious stems from the fact that most of them are still being supported by their parent, leaving them less inclined to be price hunters. However, another theory could be related to their desire to express themselves; sometimes it can be hard to put a price on one’s identity.

TRUE Digital Natives

A part of our misconception between Millennials and Gen-Z is that we tend to assert the same level of technical savviness to both generations. We often call Millennials the “digital natives”, but forget they still grew up with landlines, dial-up internet, floppy disks, and cassette tapes. Yes, they’ve seen the extremely rapid progression of technology, but this was still a process for them.

Gen-Z, on the other hand, is made up of the toddlers Apple first began testing usability with. All they’ve ever known is high-speed internet, free wifi and smartphones. 92% of Gen-Z has a digital footprint. They’re comfortable on almost every platform and are more tech savvy than their Millennial counterparts. That’s why we have to acknowledge that they are the true digital natives and are craving digital media.

They’re Techies, but They’re Softies

Millennials have caught a bad rep for being too plugged in since the rise of the digital revolution, and Gen-Z was expected to be just as bad, if not worst. However, Gen-Z has learned from the Millennials’ mistakes. In fact, 53% of Gen-Z value more face-to-face and personal interaction over messaging or emails. Granted, face-to-face doesn’t have to mean in person for Gen-Z. They have become accustomed to using platforms like Facetime, Snapchat, Skype and Google+ Hangouts.

Nevertheless, this desire for more human interaction is bound to gain significance as marketers try to figure out the best way to target this generation. Be prepared to find other ways besides emails and direct messaging to target Gen-Z. They value video content over everything else.

Remember to be both mindful and intentional when targeting Millennials and Gen-Z. It’s not a safe bet to assume that they are one in the same. Economist and historians have separated these two groups for a reason. There are obvious distinctions between them that marketers need to be aware of if they want to target the upcoming Gen-Z population effectively. Their individuality, buying behavior, tech skills, and need for human connection will guide how marketers reach and engage these influential young adults.

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THESE BLOGS

HOW CAN YMC HELP?

Want to engage the coveted Millennial and Gen-Z demographics? Finding the right partner is key to your success. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with 15- to 29-year-old consumers for two decades—we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!