Breaking through the social media clutter

Capturing the attention of, and marketing to, young consumers takes more than advertising in the manner of “Mad Men’s” Don Draper, said Anthony “Max” Baron, founder and CEO of PrepReps — currently still a high school senior — whose company connects social influencers on high school and college campuses, with brands looking to cultivate the loyalty of young consumers, provided four tips for how to get the job done.

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Harness the power of influence. New General Market consumers are far more likely to purchase products when they have seen someone else in their age group — especially someone to whom they are close to, or a social media influencer — doing the same. Last year, PrepReps asked 1,000 prospective associates to rate the factors that induce them to buy a particular item. “The single thing they scored highest was what they see people wearing constantly and interacting with,” primarily on social media, Baron observed.



Market the company through a logical platform. The millennial generation has finely calibrated “B.S. meters” — and they’ll call brands out on it. As a best in class example of what NOT to do, Baron pointed to a recent Allstate campaign on Snapchat during the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament. “People who are watching the Snapchat story for the NCAA Final Four aren’t interested in buying car insurance,” Baron stated. “The median age of the person who uses snap chat is 19 years old. So not only are they not buying insurance themselves; their parents are buying it, and their parents aren’t looking at Snapchat.”



Market every product as an experience. Messages that center on the experience millennial consumers will have when using a product resonates with them much more powerfully than “falsely advertising what you’re about,” Baron said. He cited the approach taken by Chubbies, the $100 million apparel brand founded by a group of fraternity boys, based on the vision that everyone can be a frat boy. The company ensures that the photos and videos on its website, as well as its Instagram content, is not only consistent, but also, “focused on one message, which is, when you put these shorts on, you’re going to have an awesome time,” Baron explained.



Keep messages focused. “Blanket marketing strategies aren’t always effective, especially not with my generation,” Baron stated. “We receive so much information, so many cues, so many kinds of nudges, to interact with a product that we’re very good at tuning them out.” Baron advocated testing multiple strategies — “maybe five things” — polling audiences, and tapping into databases to do so. “Find out who works well, what works well and what messages work for your brand,” he said. Then, focus closely on that one message.