Surprise! Millennials Actually Like (Some) Marketing Mail

Millennials – usually defined as individuals born from about 1981 through about 1997 – are on the cusp of becoming the largest generational cohort in the U.S. population, and they are already the largest component in the U.S. labor force. Several recent research studies have found that Millennials are now playing significant roles in B2B purchase decisions. Therefore, we are witnessing a generational shift in B2B buying.

Some B2B marketing pundits have argued that Millennial buyers have distinctive characteristics that require different marketing and sales methods and tactics. One recent research report emphatically stated that “the Millennial buyer is impacting the entire buying journey and the old marketing and sales tactics won’t work.”

In reality, however, many of the claims made about the attitudes of Millennials are greatly oversimplified or just plain wrong. The global research Ipsos has characterized Millennials as “the most carelessly described group we’ve ever looked at.”

In a detailed analysis of Millennial attitudes and behaviors published last year, Ipsos wrote, “Myths and misunderstandings [about Millennials] abound, with bad research jumping to general conclusions based on shallow caricatures about a group that makes up 23% of the population.”

Clearly, B2B marketing and sales professionals must recognize that Millennials have become active participants in the B2B buying process, and they must be prepared to engage Millennial buyers on their terms. But to develop and execute effective tactics and programs, marketing and sales leaders need an accurate picture of the attitudes and preferences of Millennials, not “shallow caricatures.”

One of the most pervasive ideas about Millennials in general – and about Millennial B2B buyers – is that they are digital addicts who prefer to do everything online, and who view other means of communication with disdain. Recent research has shown that this “digital only” view simply isn’t accurate, and now a new study has found that Millennials actually like “snail mail” more than is commonly believed.

Millennials and the Mail discusses the findings of research conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (“OIG”). The research report is based on two surveys:

• The 2017 Postal Omnibus Survey – A nationally representative survey conducted in the summer of 2017 that produced 3,391 responses from U.S. residents, including 1,130 responses from Millennials.
• The 2018 Millennials Survey – An online survey of 2,497 Millennials conducted in April 2018 that targeted a nationally representative sample of 18 to 34-year-old U.S. residents.