Marketing Foods To Millenials

Millenials were born between 1981 and 1996 and are now aged 26 to 41 – they are a close second to the baby boomers – with approximately 72 million Millenials here in America. SNIPPResearch is a research platform that collects and analyzes data across the point of purchase, and The Food Institute reports that SNIPP predicts that 80% of Millenials will be parents within the next 15 years.

As Boomers age, their numbers will fall below that of Millenials. The Food Institute’s latest report, Aligning with Millennial Parents, was just published and interviewed grocery industry leaders to look into their Millennial Marketing Crystal Ball.

Here’s what they found: to win over millennial parents, food companies must display a social conscience. According to Incrementors Inbound Marketing, 37% of millennials favor a brand strictly due to the causes it supports. “Millennials buy goods for a variety of reasons, including quality and flavor,” said Shiv Gupta, Incrementors Inbound Marketing’s CEO. “Many people in this generation are drawn to brands that support social concerns.”

Millennial consumers also demand that companies be available online. Millennials tend to be influenced by online reviews, as well as comments seen on social media.

Because of that, food companies should actively engage parents via digital means to help form positive impressions of their brands. And, their websites should be as transparent as possible. “Millennials are the Google
GOOG
generation; they want to be able to find answers to their questions with a few clicks,” said Kristen Nauss, a Tennessee-based registered dietitian and founder of the Buying School Food consultancy. “Food companies need a website with updated product information to remain competitive.”

The Food Institute says that it’s also imperative that food companies focus on quality and healthiness in their marketing pitches and on their packaging. Fresh ingredients are especially important to millennials; according to marketing company Vericast, 35% of millennials report they prepare more meals with fresh foods, compared to 29% of Gen Z and 27% of baby boomers.