Millennial Insights Final 030816

SAP Millennial Symposium
Key insights to engage the next generation of business leaders
Gail Moody-Byrd, Digital Governance Center of Excellence Lead
March 2016

© 2016 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. Internal 2
Methodology
WHOWHAT WHERE WHEN HOW
Understanding
the millennial
mindset
22 millennials
between the
ages of 21- 34
U.S. Q1 2016
Mix of in-depth
phone and
online survey

Meet your new colleagues, clients and business leaders
M I L L E N N I A L S

What Millennials think about…
The B2B tech space
Where and how they want to work
What companies can do to be relevant and cool
04
15
30

Let’s get this out of the way….
Millennials are still on major social networks, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Snapchat None of these
Let’s not forget,
millennials have built
their entire lives and
networks on the top
social networks. A
new platform will not
up-end that.

In fact, major social networks are still popular with millennials
and offer the best channels for reach and engagement.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No Yes
Brands reflexively
pursuing newer
platforms may be
accused of
“crashing the party”

Beyond company social, the primary place millennials learn
about business software companies is through their
Facebook news feed. al handles

Millennials have low awareness of SAP.
20%
40%
60%
60%
80%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Know a lot about them Know them Aware of them Don't know much about them Don't know anything at all
SAP does not
make a strong
visible impact
among millennials
against key
competitors

Really low awareness…
I know
they are a
German
company
…
The button on
your remote
that changes
the language to
Spanish…

Yet, there is a silver lining.
It’s possible for SAP to leap frog competitors in influence and relevance.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes No
Yes, millennials
believe business
software companies
can be “cool”
and relevant

However, millennials currently view Microsoft as the most
relevant software business brand.
Along with…

Relevance is tied to innovative culture and approaches
to solutions.
good work culture and
very good pay and
benefits
making game changing
innovationsthey offer software that is
relevant and innovative

When I think of GE, I think of
a boring, big industrial
company. Then I looked at
their Instagram and they've
basically become cool to me.
They've made a connection
to me through Instagram
through beautiful pictures.
GE built credibility and relevance to millennials by
celebrating their culture and spotlighting technology in
a new way.

Roughly half of millennials don’t follow business
software companies on social media.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes No
Overly corporate
tone and promotional
posts may hinder
brand social
engagement

Millennials want benefits driven content that speaks to
the brand’s purpose and cause.
Beta testing information
witty content makes the
company seem down to
earth
I see SAP all over NHL.com -
a useful application has been
their partnership with NHL.
Videos show how stats
impact a game. That's an
interesting application.

IBM got people think and care about cognitive computing
I'd be interested in reading a
bunch of articles about
Watson and machine
learning. I would read the
article about Watson vs.
Jeopardy.

SAP has the opportunity to better story-tell about their
NHL partnership.

Where and
How They
Want to
Work
02

Millennials find tech companies like Microsoft, Google
and Uber, as well as lifestyle brands, Nike and Bud
Light “cool” and relevant.
Remember me?
Along with…

Takes great care of its
employees, is extremely
employee friendly
Takes risks on projects
and push the boundaries
of where people are
innovating
Takes proactive
stances on
progressive issues
Uses light,
approachable
humor
Cutting-edge
Companies that are seen as approachable, employee
friendly, risk takers and progressive will win with
millennials.

Millennials want to
work for silicon
valley-esque
technology giants.
Along with…

Millennials want to work on the next big thing, but
don’t want to kill themselves for it.
The way a company
treats its employees,
from benefits to vacation
policy and the culture
they've cultivated
It's sad to say that there are
some positions that you're
stuck doing the same thing
for the next 5 - 10 years
Google has a laid
back and fun
environmentPromote
excellent
work-life
balance
They are the
company of the
futures
It’s cool to tell your
friends, “I’m working
on the next big thing”
the ability to grow
They
accept
my ideas
I want to contribute to a
social impact

WOM, and a brand’s digital presence are one of the
major factors that millennials consider when job
searching.
I have my own friends
working there and they
often provide me the
feedback about these
companies.
Always on their website
to see what they care
about when they launch
products. Do they look
like a good company to
work for.
WOM Digital
Presence
News Career
Centers

What
Companies
Can Do To
Be Relevant
And Cool
03

Millennials have a strong affinity for start-up culture
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes No
Millennials view start-
up culture as giving
them a sense of
independence and
opportunity to learn
and grow
However, current
start-up culture
can be seen as
misogynistic and
“bro-y”

SAP could host regular and open tech events for those
interested in the STEM fields, and prospective
millennial employees.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Millennials appreciate start-up
culture, but don’t regularly
participate in hackathons
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes No
However, company association
with hackathons is prevalent
And ultimately, millennials have
positive views of companies
associated with hackathons
Do you participate in hackathons?
Do you know of companies that host hackathons?
Would you view companies associated with hackathons positively?

Now, some parting words from millennials…
Don't try to be cool for the sake of being cool. Do
some self-reflection and find what's unique about you.
Then find a way to make that interesting to others.
When I hear software company, I think boring... but if I could
peek behind the curtain and see a collaborative start-up
feel, I would be very interested in that.
Do things differently.
Things to avoid: It's a non-starter to be like "look how much more efficient we can
manage data than competitors" - it just doesn't make sense. It's not appealing to me.
It's not useful to me. Don't explain how great your product is.

Key Observations and Recommendations
Millennials are on major, established social channels
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
SAP should prioritize content and context
over a race to the “next best channel.”
Millennials look up to companies that are driving game-
changing innovations that impact their customers and
society.
Make sure the SAP brand story centers on the
company’s big picture impact, not a list of
products.
Millennials want to be part of the “next big thing”, but
don’t want to kill themselves for it.
Ensure there’s a strong narrative around the
work hard, play hard aspect of SAP culture.
Millennials love start-up culture and hackathons, but
may feel start-ups don’t provide strong job security.
Spotlight SAP’s intrepreneurial start-up culture
along with the fact it’s a well-respected global
institution that’s here to stay.
Millennials don’t want to be a “lifer”—someone who’s
stuck in the same position for years with little impact to
the organization.
Culture and talent outreach content should
clearly showcase attractive growth and
leadership opportunities.
Millennials’ perceptions of brands are largely
developed from experiences from their immediate
network or friends of friends experiences.
SAP must empower current millennials to
perform duties of brand ambassadors on
social networks through formal and informal
methods.

Millennial Insights Final 030816

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