Millennials are confident, tolerant, self-expressive – and often passionate about social change.
On track to be the most educated generation in American history, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials are also more ethnically and racially diverse, less religious and less likely to have served in the military than older generations.
This young, activist generation is an important audience for nonprofit organizations and other cause-related initiatives that rely on a base of engaged supporters. But Millennials’ style of activism requires a different style of cultivation and activation than older generations.
As more research emerges on Millennials’ actions and advocacy related to social causes, a nuanced picture emerges of this generation’s inherent drive to do good, the channels they are tapping to make their views known, and how causes can cultivate Millennial supporters and connect with their passions.
The 2017 Millennial Impact Report shows that Millennials’ overall involvement in social causes held steady, but the more activist individuals have ramped up their activity considerably since the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Far from slacktivism – or posting about a cause on social media rather than actively supporting it – Millennials today are raising their voices through social media and more traditional forms of activism like voting, petitioning, marching and protesting, contacting elected officials, donating, and altering purchasing behavior.
By combining the channels of communication they know well (like social media) with traditional forms of activism, Millennials are becoming especially powerful advocates for the causes they value. Read more on the Millennial Impact Report here.
Check out these other industry insights from our staff this week:
Director of Outreach and Engagement Eric Anderson:
Digital ad sales will soon eclipse all offline ad sales, according to this MarketingCharts.com article. And the gap between the two categories will continue to widen over time. No big surprises here but the chart tells a stark story about the continuing decline in offline ad sales.
Senior Account Manager Lauren Schott
Interested in continued conversations about communications and creativity? Creative Mornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series aimed at inspiring and connecting the local community. As one of the final stops of Denver Start-Up Week, the last event by the Denver chapter took place at the Curtis Hotel where speaker Sunni Brown taught us about having compassion towards our inner critic. Join SE2 staff at next month’s talk and hear from Denver ad agency pioneer Cathey McClain Finlon. More information and registration is here.
