Youth Millennials may not have any spending power, but they influence the purchase behaviors of their older siblings and parents.

Audience targeting has grown in importance as various demographics engage with digital content in different ways. When brands evaluate their ideal markets, they also look at the access points these people use to connect to the internet, and optimize their marketing collateral to reach prospects through direct channels. Millennials, consumers born between 1981 and 2000, expect on-demand entertainment and consistent brand engagement, so organizations targeting these individuals must be highly active online.

Brafton reported that comScore discovered that Millennials tend to be difficult consumers to engage online. Younger consumers are aware of brands’ attempts to deliver overtly promotional media to them via social media, blog content, pop-ups and email, and they react by disconnecting with brands altogether or forming negative opinions of their products or services.

Young Millennials (around 13 years of age) may not have a disposable income, but they have a lot of influence over the products their parents and older siblings choose to buy.

While it may be difficult to create resonating media for Millennials, brands that are successful in this venture thrive online. According to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association, Young Millennials (around 13 years of age) may not have a disposable income, but they have a lot of influence over the products their parents and older siblings choose to buy. The report noted that Youth Millennials (those born between 1995 and 1999) have power over their friends’ and families’ electronics purchases. Approximately 60 percent of Youth Millennials say their parents buy products because the items were requested or touted as important, and 41 percent give advice to their friends and family members about what to buy. Only 33 percent of Adult Millennials – those born between 1981 and 1994 – give advice to their peers.

“When they don’t have the means to purchase [CE products] themselves, they’re requesting it from their family members,” Rhonda Daniel, manager of market research for the CEA, told Marketing Daily. “When they request a gift, sometimes they specify the brand and model they want.”

Companies struggling to reach the full range of their target market may want to focus on appealing to Youth Millennials. These younger consumers may not have the power to buy products, but their opinions matter, and they can encourage older shoppers to invest in certain brands. Create an attractive and fun brand for Youth Millennials, and reach older shoppers by virtue of word-of-mouth marketing.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.