Many brands are making efforts to appeal to millennials. According to Forbes, this enigmatic generation makes up one-third of the U.S. workforce—53.5 million employees. So, naturally, many brands are trying to reach this young generation through advertising and products. According to Adweek, Splash, a creator of marketing software, used data to show what branded items millennials want to receive at events, and what they want their branded experiences to be like.
“The brands winning over the millennial generations are delivering experiences, not just things,” Ben Hindman, co-founder and CEO of Splash, told Adweek. “The savviest marketers understand the crucial link between events and brand loyalty—particularly when it comes to millennials. If you’re not creating experiences and memories, you’re not building anything.”
According to Splash’s data, 47 percent of millennials attend events only to receive free stuff. The most popular promotional item millennials would like to receive at an event is a bottle (24 percent). The second-most popular is a T-shirt, with 12 percent of the vote, followed by hats (10 percent), bags (9 percent) and glasses (6 percent).
Splash asked participants what their favorite promotional items have been. The top four were:
- Beats earbuds
- A bottle opener that yodeled when one opens a beer
- A polaroid camera and film
- A jar of artisanal butter
Backing up the belief that millennials are interested in experiences, 81 percent of millennials have shared a photo from a branded event on social media. Nearly one-third of participants said that they would expect some sort of recognition from a brand for attending an event, while 64 percent said they do not expect it, but would appreciate it.
True to many millennials’ love of entertainment, 73 percent said that they would most likely go to a brand-sponsored event if the topic, speaker, music or entertainment interested them. Only 47 percent said they would go out of brand loyalty alone. Fifty-three percent said they most likely would go due to free refreshments.
What do you think millennials want most out of promotional items? Have you received any feedback that stood out to you? Let us know in the comment section below.
