2. Overview
“To produce a marketing campaign(s) and idea(s) around
millennials in the work place. We would like to see ideas that target
both clients and candidates using a variety of channel(s) as
appropriate.”
“The presentation should be based on what millennials want
regarding certain working conditions and benefits that traditionally
are not in place. We’d like to see some ideas around what we could
do for clients and candidates on this subject.”
To start, it’s important for me to reinforce the initial task/requirements, highlighting key
words which set out the agenda for the presentation.
3. Millennials
• Also known as ‘Generation Y’
• Anyone born between
1981 and 1996
(ages 22 - 37 in 2018)
However, my initial thoughts:
• Technology / working environment
• ‘Millennials’ born between 1981 - 1989
• More in common with late
‘Generation X’ (i.e. late 1970’s)
• Less in common with late Millennials
(i.e. 1990 - 1996) and ‘Generation Z’
I wanted to make a few personal observations about the topic of ‘generation labelling’ -
after all, what might an organisation (particularly in the HR/recruitment sector) achieve by
doing this?
My rationale [albeit rather subjective] is that early ‘Millennials’ have more in common with
late-‘Generation X’ compared with late-‘Millennials’ - particularly in the context of working
environments and, moreover, technology use and dependency!
From a personal perspective, I had - and still have - more experiences in common with my
‘Generation X’ friends (particularly those born in the late 70s) than I do with later
‘Millennials’ (those born in the 90s).
4. Millennial Factors
• In a world so connected, we’ve never felt so disconnected
• Interpersonal skills
Staying informed,
Keeping in touch
Ignorance
is bliss
Information
overload
This simplistic diagram sums up my take on the wider use of technology, on a personal and
professional level.
I explain how one extreme (‘information overload’) or the other (‘ignorance is bliss’) can
prove detrimental in a professional context. For example, their impact on interpersonal
skills with key internal and external stakeholders.
An ideal scenario would see millennials using technology in a balanced way to ‘stay
informed and keep in touch’, but the reality is somewhat different.
6. Influencers
• Brigette Hyacinth
• 900,000+ LinkedIn ‘followers’
• Bestselling author
• International keynote speaker
• Leadership and management
• Human resources
• Social Media Marketing & Influencing
• Digital Transformation and Artificial
Intelligence
For any campaign, it’s important for me to recognise – or at least appreciate – the relevant
views and opinions of those who are highly regarded and receive positive attention for
their take on HR/recruitment trends in the commercial world.
For the purposes of this presentation topic, I pick out a couple of Influencers who stand out
to me:
The first being Brigette Hyacinth, whose empathy and understanding of people’s
employment/workplace circumstances have made an incredible impact, particularly for
those facing pertinent issues in their careers – be it goals, pathways, judgement calls, work-
life balances… the list goes on!
The next slide goes through some of her key highlights which relate to this campaign’s
requirements.
7. Brigette Hyacinth
• 5 Things That Make Loyal Employees Leave
• Micromanaging
• No opportunities for growth and development
• Lack of empathy
• Not supporting work life balance
• Not recognising and rewarding employees efforts
• “…a study by Future Workplace showed that Millennials expect to
stay in one job for less than three years.”
• “We need leaders with human qualities who will put people first.”
Source: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-things-make-good-employees-quit-brigette-hyacinth)
8. Influencers
• Simon Sinek
• Over 1.5 million LinkedIn ‘followers’
• Founder and Visionary
• Start with Why
• “People don’t buy what you do,
they buy why you do it” Why
How
What
The next influencer, Simon Sinek, is a well-known entrepreneur advising on leadership
qualities, working environments and workforce productivity. He has a unique ability to take
a philosophical yet practical view on human resource topics, relating it to each and
everyone’s professional circumstances.
I highlight his following work:
• ‘Start with Why’ – his practical take on leadership
(https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action)
• ‘The Millennial Question’ – his philosophical take on millennials in the workplace (next
slide)
Both of which I will never grow tired of watching!
The next slide goes through some of his key highlights which relate to this campaign’s
requirements.
9. Simon Sinek
• ‘The Millennial Question’
• * “Job satisfaction and strength of relationships… there ain’t no app for that!”
• Message to Millennials: “Too many companies you will work for are not built to
take care of you. Until that changes, please take care of each other.”
Source: YouTube (https://youtu.be/vudaAYx2IcE)
They are tough to manage
Accused of being:
Millennial happiness hard to achieve
4 key characteristics:
Entitled Parenting
Narcissistic Technology
Self-interested Impatience*
Unfocussed Environment
Lazy
10. Publications
• Inc.
• ‘What do Millennials want from their
employers, exactly?’
• Freelance flexibility with full time stability
• The power of flexible working arrangements
• The future of work
• Bottom line: discretionary effort
• Related reports
• Deloitte ‘Millennial Survey 2018’
• IBM and Globoforce ‘Employee Experience Index’
Credit: Getty Images
As well as Influencers, campaign content ideas can also derive from relevant Publications.
Inc. for example, is an American weekly magazine with an established website and an abundance of
blogs. They provide articles and insights on ‘hot topics’ for SMEs - one of which I highlight in this
slide, ‘What do Millennials want from their employers, exactly’:
• Flexible working arrangements - Focussing on what Millennials seek in their careers, such as
flexible time, recruitment, role, location / remote workforce
• The future of work - Millennials are influenced by the internet of things / seeking a better work-
life balance and stronger engagement / wanting the best of both worlds / striving for a sense of
entitlement (seen as a negative) and ownership (seen as a positive)
• Discretionary effort – Employers must take responsibility to create an environment for a positive
work experience, which will achieve higher levels of:
- Productivity (an acronym I’ve always liked is ‘ABCD’ = Above and Beyond the Call of
Duty)
- Sustainable competitive advantage
- Professional AND emotional commitment
Here’s the link: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/what-do-millennials-want-from-their-
employers-exactly-this-study-sums-it-up-in-1.html
11. Initiatives
• ‘Heads Together’ campaign
• Mental health and well-being
• Online portal
• Information, advice, training
• Managers and employees
• Blue-chips to start-ups
• Survey of 44,000+ employees (Source: Mind)
• Cost to UK employers (Source: Deloitte)
There are many initiatives which set out to highlight and address pertinent issues and
trends in the workplace.
Heads Together has been spearheaded by the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. This is a new
mental health initiative with a dedicated web portal called ‘Mental Health at Work’. Here
are some key points:
• Aimed at large and small businesses alike (small businesses in particular may not have
dedicated HR teams and support networks at their disposal)
• It supports managers as well as struggling employees
• Survey of more than 44,000 employees – 48% have experienced poor mental health. 1 in
4 workers remain silent about anxiety, low mood and stress (Source: Mind)
• Cost to UK employers between £33bn & £42bn (Source: Deloitte)
Although relevant to the topic, these stats do not focus on the Millennial generation, so if
the campaign proposal were to receive approval I would delve deeper into this research to
establish the demographic breakdowns.
12. Market research
• Primary
• Questionnaires
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Testing (aptitude & psychometric)
• Secondary
• Social trends
• Published reports
• Articles & trade journals
• Competitor analysis
Both primary and secondary research will add value to this campaign, albeit the latter
requires less resource to undertake (i.e. time/budget). Exactly how much time and money
is spent depends on how significant the topic/campaign is to the client.
As the campaign is intended for clients and candidates, we must consider which research
outcomes will prove constructive for both stakeholders - and therefore which research
methods should be undertaken:
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Social trends / demographics
• Articles / trade journals
Others are of course relevant as well, but these stand out to me.
13. Thought leadership
• Compelling content
• Fundamental to any campaign
• Success stories
• A day in the life
• Case studies
• Who, what, when, where, how, why
• Corporate social responsibility / sustainability
• Industry news and trends
Thought leadership offers a unique perspective on any topic and can take many forms,
some of which I allude to in the slide. I would suggest a combination of these in order to
raise the profile and optimise exposure of this campaign.
For example, ‘A day in the life’ can provide a personal and professional perspective on a
Millennial’s work experiences, depending on their industry sector… being careful not to
‘stereotype’ or ‘marginalise’.
14. Campaign
Channels
Having conducted research on ‘Campaign Content’ ideas, we should then consider how we
can promote our message through the most effective ‘Campaign Channels’ .
15. Digital
Website
• Newsletters
• Page creation
• Page updates
• Blog posts
• Links
• Forms
Social media
• LinkedIn
• Company / Showcase pages
• Affiliated companies
• Regular updates
• Sponsored content / ads
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
Digital encompasses some of the more obvious channels the company should exploit for the greatest
potential campaign exposure…. IF, of course, it is planned and executed with a carefully considered timeline /
timescale.
The website, for example, can be updated in several different ways to promote this campaign, whilst lending
itself effectively to organic SEO.
A premium ad SEO campaign could be executed over a relatively shorter period of time (say 2 – 3 weeks), but
In my view ROI comes from longer-term organic success.
As for social media, my priorities would be LinkedIn and Twitter for Clients. Twitter relates more specifically
to ‘Events’ (next slide).
For Candidates, I’d be looking at LinkedIn, Facebook and possibly the likes of Instagram and YouTube for their
visual impact / emotional connection with the target audience (if done correctly) especially around working
conditions and environment.
What are the calls-to-action? Does the reader need to fill in a short enquiry form to subscribe, meet, receive a
call back, further research, etc.
For any campaign, my number one principle for online activity is this - the website should link to everything;
everything should link to the website.
Linkages are key, both for SEO and user-experience. Get those right for both stakeholder groups and results
will follow.
16. Events
Representation
• Sponsor
• Keynote speaker
• Exhibitor
• Delegate / attendee
Type
• Conferences
• Tradeshows / exhibitions
• Roundtables
• Seminars
• Focus groups
We should never underestimate the value and importance of face-to-face / offline
interactions with our key audiences.
Events can work extremely well when combined effectively with online efforts. It is a
significant opportunity to highlight a campaign, report, service offering, etc.
For example, keeping Twitter followers updated with your movements at a
conference/exhibition:
• “I will be delivering a keynote speech this afternoon to discuss key themes and trends on
‘Millennials in the workplace’ – hope to see you there. Look forward to answering your
questions”
…. Or …..
• “Don’t forget, we will be at stand [xx] today – come and visit us for further insight on our
latest report findings”
18. Omni-Channel Campaign
• Emphasis toward online activity
• Specifically the website and LinkedIn
• Paid solutions in short-term (3-4 weeks)
• Website – premium SEO
• LinkedIn – sponsored content / ads
• Organic growth thereafter
• Website – keywords, links, metatags
• LinkedIn – likes, commenting, sharing
• Printed materials
• Presentation slides
I felt that a multi-channel marketing campaign, with a focus on web / social media activity
(more specifically, LinkedIn) would be most relevant, given the subject matter and intended
target audiences. Adding to my points on the slide:
Website – new article; specific calls-to-action; homepage prominence for 3-4 weeks;
client/candidate login for specifics (e.g. findings & professional conclusions on the topic).
LinkedIn – new post; link to webpage(s); paid campaign targeting intended demographic for
3-4 weeks; employees to share with their respective networks; highlight in relevant
LinkedIn groups.
Offline efforts should also be considered - hardcopy formats such as ‘factsheets’ as well as
‘presentation slides/handouts’ for the purposes of key meetings with clients and
candidates.
19. Target audiences
Clients
• Productivity
• Synergy
• Return on
investment
Integrated
Candidates
• Career prospects
• Use of tech skills
• Level of autonomy
• Work/life balance
The purpose of this slide is to differentiate key themes for the intended campaign target
audiences – Clients and Candidates. There are findings and messages we will want to
specifically convey to each.
That said, some of these themes are relevant to both audiences, which can be used to form
an integrated campaign. The intention is to achieve synergy – the ‘whole’
[result/readership] being greater than the sum of its ‘parts’ (i.e. we could achieve a greater
result if we produce a compelling – albeit more challenging – integrated approach to this
campaign).
21. CRM
• Client / Candidate relationship management – GDPR & Opt In
• Key performance indicators and metrics – the AIDA model
• Return on investment
• New business / client & candidate acquisition
• Repeat business / client & candidate retention
• Intangible - reputation and loyalty
Awareness
• Impressions
• Referrals
Interest
• Clicks
• General
enquiries
• Sharing
Desire
• Inbound
calls
• Meetings
Action
• Applications
• Contracts &
long-term
agreements
How do we start to measure results of the campaign?
• It’s important to have an effective CRM system for logging interactions throughout the
campaign’s lifecycle, being mindful of GDPR & ‘Opt-In’ protocols.
• There are many variations of marketing model used to depict and measure KPIs /
metrics through the ‘customer acquisition’ process. My preferred choice is one that’s
been around for some time - AIDA. It’s both simplistic and reliable in helping to clearly
define ‘calls to action’.
• ROI and Profit are the campaign’s ultimate objectives. For example, measurable results
from online activity against CPC (cost per click) and/or CPM (cost per thousand
impressions).
22. In conclusion…
“Industry has a responsibility to make up the
shortfall and help this [millennial] generation build
their confidence, learn patience, learn social skills,
find a better balance between life and technology;
because quite frankly it’s the right thing to do.”
- Simon Sinek
In my view, all comms and campaigns about millennials in the workplace should be
influenced by the underlying principle set out in the following quote…
