The Millennial generation will have a bigger impact on the future of media over the next five years than any other demographic group. But a new Economist Group study finds many misconceptions about this group when it comes to their attitudes, media habits and their understanding of the relationship between media and marketing.

1. Think you know everything there is to know about Millennials in 2015?
Think again!
A global research project exploring the media habits, attitudes
and behaviours of influential Millennials in 2015
Global findings and data
INTRODUCING THE
GEN-NARRATORS

2. IN 2015 MILLENNIALS MAKE UP THE
MAJORITY IN THE WORKFORCE 2

3. “MILLENNIALS”
Lazy
Narcissistic
Entitled
Apathetic
Social media-
obsessed

4. MILLENNIALS REACH THEIR HIGHEST EVER
BUYING POWER WORLDWIDE IN 2015
Source: Millennials Drive Social Commerce: Turning Their Likes, Follows or Pins Into a Sale. Center for Marketing Research, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
4

5. THIS PURCHASING POWER IS EXPECTED
TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY
Source: Kit, Yarrow and O’Donnell, Jayne. Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail. 2009
5
By 2017 Millennials will have the
Of any generation
MOST SPENDING POWER

6. APPROACH

7. WE STARTED WITH A HYPOTHESIS
7

8. WE USED 3 DIFFERENT RESEARCH
APPROACHES TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS 8
1. Quantitative
survey data
• Global sample total size
89,100 (Millennials, Gen X
& Baby Boomers)
• Global Millennials 37,189
• Global influential
Millennials (Gen-narrators)
11,283
• 3 waves Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
• Habits, attitudes and
behaviours
• GlobalWebIndex
2. Qualitative
research panel
• Global sample of Gen-
narrators recruited
• Realtime online research
community
• Activity-based
• 128 participants
• Sample spans full
Millennial age ranges,
location and gender split
• January – April 2015
• Good Rebels HARK
3. Social
conversation analysis
• Social media conversation
analysis
• Identify topic themes/
trends
• Expand on ideas and
examples provided from
panel
• Qualitative mention
analysis
• Global scope, cross-
platform
• Sysomos MAP

9. GLOBAL SCOPE
9
USA
Quant (22,619)
Qual (29)
Brazil
Quant (2,982)
Qual (11)
UK
Quant (22,540)
Qual (32)
Europe
Quant (18,896)
Qual (21)
France, Spain, Germany,
Netherlands, Italy Poland, Sweden
India
Quant (3,729)
Qual (23)
China
Quant (5,947)
Qual (4)
Rich Asia
Quant (13,386)
Qual (8)
Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan,
Taiwan, South Korea, Australia

10. DEFINITION OF GENERATIONS
10
MILLENNIALS
18-33
GENERATION X
34-49
BABY BOOMERS
50-68*
* GlobalWebIndex quant data for Boomers extends to age 65 only

11. WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT MILLENNIALS?

12. WE’VE HEARD LOTS OF
MILLENNIAL STEREOTYPES

13. MILLENNIALS ARE LAZY

14. MILLENNIALS ARE NARCISSISTIC

15. MILLENNIALS ARE ENTITLED

16. MILLENNIALS ARE APATHETIC

17. MILLENNIALS ARE OBSESSED WITH
SOCIAL MEDIA

18. SOUNDS DEPRESSING.
BUT WHAT DOES THE DATA SAY?

19. MILLENNIALS MAKE UP OVER A QUARTER
OF THE TOTAL WORLDWIDE POPULATION
Gen Z
32%
Millennials
26%
Gen X
21%
Baby Boomers
16%
Silent Generation
5%
Estimated global* population breakdown
Source: Census data online, 2011-2015 (estimated) population. Individual sources can be found in each Gen-narrator market report produced by Good Rebels
19
*In this report ‘global’ refers to the
countries analysed in the scope of this
research: UK, US, France, Germany, Italy,
Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden,
China, India, Brazil, Japan, S. Korea,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia.

20. THIS PROPORTION VARIES BY MARKET,
BRIC COUNTRIES HAVE LARGEST SHARE
30%
29%
23%
22%
22%
20%
20%
Brazil
India
China
US
UK
Europe
Rich Asia
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Millennial percentage of population by market
Source: Census data online, 2011-2015 (estimated) population. Individual sources can be found in each Gen-narrator market report produced by Good Rebels
20

21. WE RAN SOME INITIAL RESEARCH INTO
THE MEDIA HABITS OF MILLENNIALS 21

22. WE FOUND INTERESTING PATTERNS WHEN
WE SEGMENTED BY PSYCHOGRAPHIC
(NOT DEMOGRAPHIC)
22

23. A SPECIFIC BRAND OF INFLUENTIAL
MILLENNIALS STOOD OUT & FOUND US
Our sub-segment of Millennials are
defined by:
• Their topics of interest (technology,
politics, business, finance,
environment)
• Their ability to influence (they must
regularly be asked for their opinion
on above topics)
• Their ability to share (they must be
vocal online about above topics)
23

24. WE CALL THESE INFLUENTIAL
MILLENNIALS THE GEN-NARRATORS 24
They tell a very
About their generation
DIFFERENT STORY

25. THE PERCENTAGE OF GEN-NARRATORS
AMONGST MILLENNIALS VARIES
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
India
China
Brazil
Italy
Taiwan
USA
Germany
Singapore
Spain
Hong Kong
UK
South Korea
France
Sweden
Australia
Poland
Netherlands
Japan
Percentage of Gen-narrators amongst the Millennial population – by country analysed
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling raw numbers, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
25

26. THIS RESEARCH UNCOVERED 3
IMPORTANT FINDINGS
• It’s not effective to generalise this whole generation
• Gen-narrators tell a very different story about their generation
1. You can’t put all Millennials into one box
• Influence is no longer owned by a select few - more Millennials are influential than
we may initially think, and this influence is growing
• Gen-narrators are intelligent, influential storytellers
2. Millennials have changed the traditional notion of influence
• Yes, social media usage is increasing (across all generations)
• But Gen-narrators have created much more complex media ecosystems than
simply replacing traditional for social
3. Social media has not replaced traditional media
26

27. THIS RESEARCH UNCOVERED 3
IMPORTANT FINDINGS
• It’s not effective to generalise this whole generation
• Gen-narrators tell a very different story about their generation
1. You can’t put all Millennials into one box
• Influence is no longer owned by a select few - more Millennials are influential than
we may initially think, and this influence is growing
• Gen-narrators are intelligent, influential storytellers
2. Millennials have changed the traditional notion of influence
• Yes, social media usage is increasing (across all generations)
• But Gen-narrators have created much more complex media ecosystems than
simply replacing traditional for social
3. Social media has not replaced traditional media
27

28. INTRODUCING THE
GEN-NARRATORS

29. GEN-NARRATORS HOLD A SPECIFIC TYPE
OF INFLUENCE – THEY ARE AUTHORITIES
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
29
1%
29%
70%
AMPLIFIERS
GEN-NARRATORS FOLLOWERS

30. THERE ARE DIFFERENT INFLUENCE LEVELS
AMONGST MILLENNIALS 30
• Huge audience
• High popularity
• Viral potential
• Mainstream
• Pay in cash
• e.g. YouTube stars
• Focused
audience
• Specialists
• Interest networks
• Pay in knowledge
• e.g. tech blogger
• Well connected
• Consumers
• Share opinions
with close
network
• e.g. everyone
else
AMPLIFIERS GEN-NARRATORS FOLLOWERS

31. GEN-NARRATORS ARE NOT LAZY
31

32. GEN-NARRATORS ARE NOT NARCISSISTIC
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, China, March 2015
32

33. GEN-NARRATORS ARE NOT ENTITLED
33

34. GEN-NARRATORS ARE NOT APATHETIC
34

35. GEN-NARRATORS ARE NOT ONLY
OBSESSED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA 35

36. “MILLENNIALS”
Lazy
Narcissistic
Entitled
Apathetic
Social media-
obsessed
Active
Interested
Entrepreneurial
Activists
Intelligent media
connoisseurs
GEN-NARRATORS

37. WE FOUND NEW AND EVEN MORE
PRONOUNCED TRENDS 37

38. NOT ONLY DO GEN-NARRATORS
CONSUME MORE NEWS MEDIA ONLINE
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, time spent reading online print/press, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
38
80% 72% 65% 53%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageuseofonlinenews

39. 20% OF GEN-NARRATORS SPEND OVER
AN HOUR A DAY READING ONLINE
NEWS MEDIA
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, time spent reading online print/press, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
39
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Millennials
Gen-narrators
More than 6 hours 3-6 hours 1-3 hours Less than 1 hour Do not use

40. THEY EVEN CONSUME MORE PHYSICAL
(PRINT) MEDIA
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, time spent reading physical press, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
40
85% 78% 76% 70%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageuseofphysicalpress

41. WE FOUND A DIRECT CORRELATION
BETWEEN ONLINE MEDIA CONSUMPTION
AND BRAND ENGAGEMENT
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percentagewhoregularlyengagewith
brandsonline
Percentage who regularly consume online print/press
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, time spent reading online print/press & brand activation, Q1– Q3 2014
41
Gen-narrators
Millennials
Gen X
Boomers

42. GEN-NARRATORS ARE MUCH MORE
LIKELY TO LEAVE PRODUCT REVIEWS
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, Brand activation, Interactions in past month, Left feedback/review on brand website, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
42
20% 12% 11% 9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageleavingfeedback/
reviewonbrandwebsiteinlast
month

43. GEN-NARRATORS REGULARLY TALK TO
THEIR FRIENDS ABOUT NEW BRANDS AND
PRODUCTS
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, self perceptions – agree that ‘I regularly inform friends and family on new products/services’, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
43
74% 63% 59% 42%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageagreethat
“Iregularlyinformfriendsand
familyonnewproducts/services”

44. WE CROSS-REFERENCED TO CHECK
INFLUENTIAL SEGMENTS OF OTHER
GENERATIONS
44

45. WE CROSS-REFERENCED TO CHECK
INFLUENTIAL SEGMENTS OF OTHER
GENERATIONS
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling raw numbers, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
45
29%
21%
12%
MILLENNIALS GEN X BOOMERS
% of generation audience classified as ‘influential’ according to
same criteria used for ‘Gen-narrators’ quant analysis

46. CONSUME NEWS MEDIA ONLINE
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, time spent reading online print/press, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
46
80% 78% 71%72% 65% 53%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageuseofonlinenews
INFLUENTIAL
ALL

47. INTERACT WITH BRANDS ONLINE
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, brand activation – taken any brand action within last month, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
47
97% 95% 91%87% 79% 64%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageinteractedwithbrand
inpastmonth
INFLUENTIAL
ALL

48. VALUE THE INTERNET FOR SHARING
CONTENT
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, internet usage motivations, very important to share content, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
48
36% 35% 29%30% 25% 17%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentageagreetheinternetis
veryimportantforsharingcontent
INFLUENTIAL
ALL

49. WE IDENTIFIED 4 STANDOUT TRAITS OF
GEN-NARRATORS 49

50. 1. GEN-NARRATORS ARE
FACT FINDERS

51. GENERATORS ARE FACT FINDERS
Mason talks about fact checking before he creates or
shares content with his followers
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015

52. GEN-NARRATORS TRUST TRADITIONAL
MEDIA OVER ‘NEWER’ SOURCES
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015, Activity 1: Which of these online publications do you trust the most?
78% of ‘most
trusted’ online
sources were
traditional
52

53. WHO DO YOU TRUST TO GIVE YOU THE
FACTS?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
53
“On any story that I read,
before I share I tend to
fact check…..For the most
part I sort of trust your
bigger ones like New York
Times”
Mason
“Trusted blogs and blog
references, open all the links
to check it is correct,
traditional news websites but
check it twice in another
source.”
Carol

54. CASE STUDY: UK GEN-NARRATORS
VALIDATE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACK NEWS
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, UK, Forum discussion, January 2015
54
“I saw a few
videos pop up on
Facebook,
however I did
turn to the TV for
more info”

55. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE: DISTRUST OVER
MEDIA WITH POLITICAL AGENDAS
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
55
Edwin
“I find it very hypocritical of
media sources like BBC and Daily
Mail, that they only highlight
negative aspects of Indian
society while actively brushing off
incidents in Western world.” Pallavi
“[Millennial] Singaporeans are mostly well-
informed and we don’t really follow
mainstream media sources. We do,
however, have an idea of what’s true or
flawed, thanks to the wonder of the
internet. Most of us have developed
critical thinking skills to evaluate and have
an unbiased judgement in our heads.”

56. 2. GEN-NARRATORS ARE
CULTURAL DJS

57. GEN-NARRATORS ARE CULTURAL DJS
Elliot talks about curating and personalising third
party content for his audience
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015

58. GEN-NARRATORS REALLY VALUE THE
INTERNET FOR SHARING CONTENT
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, internet usage motivations, very important to share content, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
58
37% 30% 25% 17%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentagewhosaytheinternet
is‘veryimportant’forsharing
content

59. THIS TRAIT IS STRONG IN ALL COUNTRIES,
BUT SOME STAND OUT
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Brazil
India
Taiwan
South Korea
USA
Hong Kong
UK
Spain
Italy
Singapore
Germany
Australia
China
Poland
Sweden
Japan
Netherlands
France
Gen-narrators who believe the internet is ‘very important’ for sharing content –
by country analysed
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, internet usage motivations – ‘important to change other people’s opinions', Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
59

60. GEN-NARRATORS ARE CURATORS OF
CONTENT, IDEAS AND OPINION
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, UK, Activity 5: Draw your role as a storyteller, January 2015
60
Anna

61. GEN-NARRATORS WILL USE SOCIAL
MEDIA TO COLLABORATE DURING THE
CONTENT CREATION PROCESS
Source: HARK real-time online research community, UK, Activity 5: Draw your role as a storyteller, February 2015
61
Lizzie
‘Video storytelling’ by Lizzie

62. CASE STUDY: #ROADTORUIN
62

63. AGGREGATORS AND CONTENT
CURATION APPS ARE USED TO DISCOVER
CONTENT
63
Patrick
Joash
Buzzfeed
Flipboard
Jochem Feedly
Kyle StackSocial
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015

64. GEN-NARRATORS USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS
CONTENT DISCOVERY PLATFORMS, AND TAILOR
THEM TO THEIR NEEDS 64
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, UK, “Draw your role as a storyteller” December 2014
Toby
‘Taby as a storyteller’

65. 3. GEN-NARRATORS ARE
DELIBERATE DEBATERS

66. GEN-NARRATORS ARE DELIBERATE
DEBATERS
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
Anaelle will only offer an opinion if she
feels she has the knowledge and experience

67. GEN-NARRATORS HIGHLY VALUE THE
INTERNET FOR CHANGING OTHER
PEOPLE’S OPINIONS
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, internet usage motivations – ‘important to change other people’s opinions', Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
67
68% 62% 55% 38%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Percentagewhobelievethe
internetisimportantforchanging
otherpeople’sopinions

68. THIS TRAIT IS STRONG IN ALL COUNTRIES,
BUT SOME STAND OUT
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
India
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Singapore
France
Sweden
Brazil
South Korea
Poland
Australia
UK
USA
China
Spain
Netherlands
Japan
Italy
Germany
Gen-narrators who believe the internet is important for changing other people’s
opinions – by country analysed
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, internet usage motivations – ‘important to change other people’s opinions', Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
68

69. GEN-NARRATORS THINK BEFORE THEY
SHARE OR COMMENT 69
“By voicing an opinion you start to fight
for something, at least in external
perception. You brand yourself rather
easily, maybe with something you
weren’t really passionate about in the
first place.”
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
Richard
“I will only comment on news stories or
start discussions if the topic is compelling
enough. I generally do not discuss
politics or scams. I do however like to
share my opinion to what should matter
to the people, form opinion and make a
change.”
Raghav

70. GEN-NARRATORS LOVE TO SHARE THEIR
OPINION IN DEBATES OFFLINE AS WELL
AS ONLINE
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, India, March 2015
70
Jyotika
“I prefer a face-to-face debate. The
problem with online is that many
people don't quite decipher the
sentiment behind the written word.”
“Any of those topics that I feel
strongly about I like to comment
and sometimes even provoke
discussions amongst friends in an
attempt to change their mind or
make them see a new
perspective.”
Katie

71. 4. GEN-NARRATORS ARE
INTELLIGENT INFLUENCERS

72. GEN-NARRATORS ARE INTELLIGENT
INFLUENCERS
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, India, March 2015
Jochem is aware of his influence and talks about
impacting other’s opinions within his area of expertise

73. HOW DO THEY INFLUENCE?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
73
“Whenever I try to impact
people’s opinions I make sure
it’s more about raising their
awareness on a subject that I
am interested in.”
Anaelle
“(with my) YouTube channel I’m in a
position where I could mislead for
potential self gain but I don't, I like to
educate and share knowledge not
abuse my identity.”
Aaron

74. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE: THEY VIEW
THEMSELVES AS INFLUENTIAL WHEN AN
AUTHORITY OR EXPERT IN A TOPIC
Source: HARK real-time online research community, India, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
74
“I received several comments from
different oil and gas professionals and also
found some new followers. I got a lot of
appreciation from some of the readers so I
think my views influenced the opinion of a
few!”
Guarav shares a blog on the history of oil

75. GEN-NARRATORS ARE ALSO INTELLIGENT
BRAND ADVOCATES
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, India, March 2015
Jaryl talks about being brand conscious,
but also very aware of what the brand stands for

76. GEN-NARRATORS LOVE TO POST THEIR
OPINIONS ABOUT PRODUCTS
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, influence and advocacy – ‘posted opinion online about product or service bought in past month’, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
76
93% 77% 65% 46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Regularlypostopinionsabout
productsorservicesonline

77. THIS TRAIT IS VERY STRONG IN ALL
COUNTRIES, WITH INDIA TOP AGAIN
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
India
South Korea
Taiwan
China
Singapore
Poland
Brazil
Hong Kong
Italy
Spain
UK
USA
Japan
France
Australia
Sweden
Netherlands
Germany
Gen-narrators who regularly post opinions about products or services online –
by country analysed
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, influence and advocacy – ‘posted opinion online about product or service bought in past month’, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
77

78. BRAND ADVOCACY HAS TO BE
AUTHENTIC AND FIT WITH THEIR
PERSONAL BRAND
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
78
“For me, it’s more about
content. If you talk about a
brand that’s doing something
really interesting in a campaign
and the content is interesting
then I would share that.”
Joash
“I believe that it’s important to
support the brands that you trust
and you feel comfortable
promoting.”
Ally

79. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE: GEN-NARRATORS
USE THEIR INFLUENCE TO BOOST THEIR
PERSONAL BRAND
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
79
Russell
“I share my opinions and interests
pretty readily, but do so knowing
that I am influencing and sharing
my personal (online) 'brand’.”
Tamara
“Sharing good content
helps you to be better
positioned (personal
branding) in your sector (as
a reference).”
Tamara

80. GEN-NARRATORS HAVE MORE POTENTIAL
TO BECOME INFLUENTIAL BRAND
ADVOCATES (SIMPLY FOR THE LOVE)
Source: GlobalWebIndex, US data, Marketing implications, Brand activation, ‘What would most motivate you to promote your favourite brand online?’, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
80
39% 32% 28% 24%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Gen-narrators Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
Motivationsforpromotingbrands
online–‘loveforthebrand’

81. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
81

82. DIFFERENCES IN TRUST IN MEDIA
82
USA
Cite UK media as
trusted source of
information. Less
certain of trad/
new distinction. India
Cite UK media as
trusted source of
information. Less
certain of trad/
new distinction.
China
Distrust local
media
‘propaganda’
Europe
Cite UK media as
trusted source of
information. Less
certain of trad/
new distinction.

83. DIFFERENCES IN VOICING OPINIONS
AND PERCEPTION OF INFLUENCE 83
USA
More openly
opinionated.
More confident
in their role as
influencer. India
More cautious
about sharing
opinions, unless a
local issue.
China
Hesitant to speak
out in open
online spaces.
Rich Asia
More cautious
about sharing
opinions, unless a
local issue.

84. MORE POLITICAL FOCUS (FOR LOCAL
ISSUES) IN INDIA AND ASIA 84
India
Curate local
political issues
and niche
communities
Rich Asia
Curate local
political issues
and niche
communities

85. DIFFERENT FOCUS OF PERSONAL BRAND
85
USA
Very aware of
personal brand
Brazil
Very aware of
personal brand
UK
Very aware of
personal brand
Europe
Very aware of
personal brand
India
Very aware of
personal brand
China
Cautious
Rich Asia
Cautious

86. MILLENNIALS HAVE CHANGED
THE TRADITIONAL NOTION OF
INFLUENCE

87. THIS RESEARCH UNCOVERED 3
IMPORTANT FINDINGS
• It’s not effective to generalise this whole generation
• Gen-narrators tell a very different story about their generation
1. You can’t put all Millennials into one box
• Influence is no longer owned by a select few - more Millennials are influential than
we may initially think, and this influence is growing
• Gen-narrators are intelligent, influential storytellers
2. Millennials have changed the traditional notion of influence
• Yes, social media usage is increasing (across all generations)
• But Gen-narrators have created much more complex media ecosystems than
simply replacing traditional for social
3. Social media has not replaced traditional media
87

88. THE ROLE AND NATURE OF INFLUENCE IS
CHANGING 88
AMPLIFIER GEN-NARRATOR
GEN-NARRATOR
GEN-NARRATOR

89. GEN-NARRATORS HOLD A SPECIFIC TYPE
OF INFLUENCE – THEY ARE AUTHORITIES
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
89
1%
29%
70%
AMPLIFIERS
GEN-NARRATORS MILLENNIAL FOLLOWERS

90. 70%
AMPLIFIERS ARE THE CELEBRITY
INFLUENCERS. THEY SHOUT LOUDER.
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
90
1%
29%
AMPLIFIERS
GEN-NARRATORS MILLENNIAL FOLLOWERS

91. 1%
29%
70%
AMPLIFIERS
GEN-NARRATORS MILLENNIAL FOLLOWERS
GENERATORS ARE THE AUTHORITIES.
THEY CUT DEEPER.
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, audience profiling, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
91

92. AMPLIFIERS
Reach
Popularity
Virality
Short-term
Blast
Depth
Credibility
Authenticity
Long-term
Knowledge
GEN-NARRATORS

93. WHY SHOULD BRANDS CARE ABOUT
DEPTH OVER REACH?
1. Gen-narrators
have stronger
and more
meaningful ties
to their
networks than
Amplifiers
2. Gen-narrators
are more
successful than
Amplifiers at
sharing brand
information
3. Gen-narrators
are more
trusted sources
of information
online
93

94. 1. GEN-NARRATORS HAVE STRONGER
AND MORE MEANINGFUL TIES 94
AMPLIFIER GEN-NARRATOR
✓ Reach more people
✗ Weak ties
✗ Less ability to influence action
✗ Reach fewer people
✓ Strong ties
✓ Connect to communities
✓ Can influence action

95. 2. GEN-NARRATORS ARE BETTER AT
SHARING BRAND INFORMATION
# Source of information Percentage
1 Consumer review on retail website 35.1%
2 Consumer comment/opinion on forum/message board 31.0%
3 Expert blogger review 19.8%
4 Recommendations from digital friend 19.4%
5 Endorsement from celebrity or well-known individual 19.3%
Source: GlobalWebIndex, global data, Brand Discovery, ‘In which of the following ways are you most likely to find out about new brands, products or services?’, Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
95
In which of the following ways are you most likely to find out about new brands, products or services?
Gen-narrator
Amplifier

96. 3. GEN-NARRATORS ARE MORE TRUSTED
SOURCES OF INFORMATION ONLINE
Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, Q387-396, Global study, 2015
96
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
My friends and family
An academic expert
Companies I use
A journalist
Employees of a company
A company CEO
A well-known online personality
Elected officials
Celebrities
Brands I don't use
Trust in information created by each author on social networking sites, content sharing
sites and online-only information sources
Gen-narrator
Amplifier
Neutral

97. SOCIAL MEDIA HAS NOT
REPLACED TRADITIONAL MEDIA

98. THIS RESEARCH UNCOVERED 3
IMPORTANT FINDINGS
• It’s not effective to generalise this whole generation
• Gen-narrators tell a very different story about their generation
1. You can’t put all Millennials into one box
• Influence is no longer owned by a select few - more Millennials are influential than
we may initially think, and this influence is growing
• Gen-narrators are intelligent, influential storytellers
2. Millennials have changed the traditional notion of influence
• Yes, social media usage is increasing (across all generations)
• But Gen-narrators have created much more complex media ecosystems than
simply replacing traditional for social
3. Social media has not replaced traditional media
98

99. WE KNOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE IS
INCREASING GLOBALLY
Source: eMarketer; American Marketing Association. *Forecast Internet users who use a social network site via any device at least once per month.
99
0.97 1.22 1.4 1.59 1.79 1.96 2.13 2.29 2.44
0.
0.5
1.
1.5
2.
2.5
3.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014* 2015* 2016* 2017* 2018*
Numberofsocialnetworkusers
worldwide(inbillions)

100. BUT TRADITIONAL MEDIA STILL PLAYS A
VERY IMPORTANT ROLE
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Social networking Reading online
news
Reading print news Watching TV
Percentageofeachaudience
consumingmedia
Source: GlobalWebIndex, Global data, time spent: in social networking, reading online press, reading physical press, watching TV Q1, Q2, Q3 2014
100

101. ROLE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
Discovery
Communication
Connecting
Facts
Truth
Depth
ROLE OF
TRADITIONAL MEDIA

102. GEN-NARRATORS BUILD SOPHISTICATED
ECOSYSTEMS TO ACTIVELY CONSUME
CONTENT FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, “Draw your role as a storyteller” Global, April 2015
102

103. SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE FIRST PLACE GEN-
NARRATORS HEAR ABOUT THE NEWS
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Social media
News blog/aggregator
News website
TV
Word of mouth
RSS feed
News app
News print
Radio
Other app
Where is the first place you hear about the news?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, global, March 2015
103

104. BUT THEY TURN TO TRUSTED TRADITIONAL
MEDIA TO VALIDATE THE FACTS
Source: Good Rebels, Crowd research panel, UK, January 2015
104
“I consider traditional
media like BBC and
Guardian good sources
because of the established
roots and strong brand”
“I think more professional
outlets have greater
reputations for fact
checking”

105. TRADITIONAL AND SOCIAL WORK
TOGETHER, FEEDING OFF EACH OTHER
TRADITIONAL
MEDIA
SOCIAL
AUDIENCE
SOCIAL FEED
105
Discover new content
Breaking news
Check the facts Depth and analysis
Post and share
Gain feedback

106. WHAT CAN MARKETERS
DO ABOUT IT?

107. STOP FOCUSING ON THE AMPLIFIERS IF
YOU WANT TO INFLUENCE DECISIONS 107

108. HARNESS GEN-NARRATOR’S POWERFUL
INFLUENCE BY HELPING THEM TO BUILD
THEIR AUTHORITY
108
Meet their
Build their authority
THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

109. ALLOW THEM TO DEBATE THEIR PASSIONS
IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT 109
Provide a
For them to debate
SAFE AND FOCUSED SPACE

110. ENCOURAGE ADVOCACY BY ADDING
VALUE TO THEIR PERSONAL BRANDS 110
Give them a
That boosts their brand
REASON TO RECOMMEND

111. GEN-NARRATORS ARE KEEN AND EAGER
TO GET INVOLVED 111
Above all they want to
To intelligent conversations
ADD VALUE AND CONTRIBUTE

112. THEY CAN BECOME AUTHENTIC AND
TRUSTED CONTENT DISTRIBUTERS 112
Because they are
Your messages will spread
TRUSTED CURATORS

113. GEN-NARRATORS HAVE A LOT OF
POWER TO HARNESS 113
They are
For the right reasons
ACTIVE AND ENERGETIC

114. THE FINAL WORD FROM ONE OF OUR
GEN-NARRATORS…
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Global, April 2015
114
Nana takes on her role online with a lot of responsibility

115. APPENDIX

116. BRAZIL: WHICH OF THESE ONLINE
PUBLICATIONS DO YOU TRUST THE
MOST?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Brazil, April 2015, Activity 1: Which of these online publications do you trust the most?
70% of ‘most
trusted’ online
sources were
traditional
116

117. INDIA: WHICH OF THESE ONLINE
PUBLICATIONS DO YOU TRUST THE
MOST?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, India, March 2015, Activity 1: Which of these online publications do you trust the most?
80% of ‘most
trusted’ online
sources were
traditional
117

118. USA: WHICH OF THESE ONLINE
PUBLICATIONS DO YOU TRUST THE
MOST?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, US, February 2015, Activity 1: Which of these online publications do you trust the most?
80% of ‘most
trusted’ online
sources were
traditional
118

119. CHINA: WHICH OF THESE ONLINE
PUBLICATIONS DO YOU TRUST THE
MOST?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, China, March 2015
119
CONSIDERED ‘WELL ESTABLISHED’ TRUSTED THE MOST

120. EUROPE: WHICH OF THESE ONLINE
PUBLICATIONS DO YOU TRUST THE
MOST?
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, France, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, March 2015
120
NETHERLANDS SPAIN FRANCE GERMANY
TRUST
USE

121. RICH ASIA: GEN-NARRATORS TRUST
TRADITIONAL MEDIA OVER ‘NEWER’
SOURCES
Source: HARK real-time online research community, Good Rebels, Rich Asia, February 2015, Activity 1: Which of these online publications do you trust the most?
121
CONSIDERED ‘WELL ESTABLISHED’ TRUSTED THE MOST