https://www.thesummercampsociety.com/tristate2019

1. marketing camp to
millennial parents

2. today’s roadmap
work to understand our audience’s characteristics,
experiences, wants and needs
determine marketing messages that will influence our
target audience
learn tactics that will get our messages to our target
audience

3. Sarah Kurtz McKinnon
about me
www.thesummercampsociety.com

4. the original project
Kenta Yamamoto Anni Liang Sarah Kurtz McKinnon Gary Monteiro
+ billion-dollar childcare organization

5. additional credential

6. shiloh grace 10.14.18

7. the hypothesis
millennials parent differently than their baby
boomer and generation x predecessors.
youth-serving organizations must adapt to meet
their evolving wants and needs.

8. today’s roadmap
work to understand our audience’s characteristics,
experiences, wants and needs
determine marketing messages that will influence our
target audience
learn tactics that will get our messages to our target
audience

9. millennial facts
born between 1981-1996
(23 to 38 years old)
more than 73 million in
the U.S.
largest share of the
american workforce
came of age in the
digital era
82% of U.S. births in
2015 to millennial
women
1.3 million babies born
to U.S. millennial moms
in 2015
Source: Pew Research Center

10. but remember…
Source: Gallup
this is a hugely diverse group…do not
homogenize!
there is no “one type” of millennial, but there are
common characteristics among millennials
because of common experiences.

11. common experiences…
Source: Pew (March 1, 2018)
were impacted by the
great recession leading
to a “slow start”
most racially &
ethnically diverse adult
generation in history
are old enough to
remember 9/11
digital natives who had
off-line childhoods
grew up “in the
shadows” of the wars
in iraq & afghanistan
were teens or young
adults during the 2008
election

12. #millennialparenting
Source: Twitter

13. by the numbers
52%
say they monitor
their kids’ diets
say the
environment is
a top concern
64%
82%
say they want their
children to know that
possessions won’t
make them happy
77%
say they want their
child to graduate
college one day
48%
say “stay at home
mom” is best
61%
say kids need
more unstructured
playtime
Source: The Millennials as New Parents Survey,
Jeff Fromm (2013)

14. 35% of millennial
parents have
posted to
facebook in the
past 24 hours
Source: The Millennials as New Parents Survey,
Jeff Fromm (2013)

15. 1,000 number of photos
an average
parent will post
online before a
child turns five.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, May 2016

16. today’s roadmap
work to understand our audience’s characteristics,
experiences, wants and needs
determine marketing messages that will influence our
target audience
learn tactics that will get our messages to our target
audience

17. values of millennial consumers
authenticity and genuine
connection with brands
experiences are more
important than things
pragmatism: ”useful is the
new cool”
easy & fast access to
information
personalization &
customization
seekers of the
“meaningfully unique”
transparency
want to give back and
make a difference
Sources: Pew, Gallup, Fromm

18. today’s roadmap
work to understand our audience’s characteristics,
experiences, wants and needs
determine marketing messages that will influence our
target audience
learn tactics that will get our messages to our target
audience

19. our marketing levers
product
price
place
promotion

20. “They don't accept ’that's the way
it has always been done’ as a
viable answer. Millennials demand
that businesses approach them
differently and adjust the customer
experience to meet their needs.”
Source: Gallup (May 2016)
#1 explain the “why”

21. #1 explain the “why”
unlikely to accept arbitrary rules or policies
examine and share the reasons why you do
things big and small at camp
pre-emptive explanations (example)

23. “Millennials' hyper-connectedness
has helped them gain a unique
global perspective and has
transformed the way they interact,
consume content, browse, buy
and work.”
Source: Gallup (May 2016)
#2 understand their sources

24. #2 understand their sources
referrals from other parents, whether they know
them in person or through the internet
everything in their lives can be researched and
vetted before making a purchasing decision
crowdsourcing information is popular: ”word of
mouth” has even more power

25. example: facebook mom group

26. what comes up 1st when they google your camp?

27. “Trust is the new currency of
brand loyalty.”
“[Out of 2,000 millennial moms
surveyed], 83% said that they
trust a brand more if it offers
product transparency.”
Source: Forbes, Label Insight (August 2017)
#3 increase transparency

28. #3 increase transparency
write about or admit a mistake
share as much as you can about their children’s
experiences or potential experiences
what do you have to hide? (longacre purchase)

29. “70% of millennials say they’re
comfortable with brands tracking
their browsing and purchasing
behaviors in order to receive
more individualized
communications.”
Source: Forbes, Label Insight (August 2017)
#4 be flexible & personal

30. #4 be flexible & personal
return to choice and free play
highly-personalized experiences are the norm à
experiment with experience co-creation
value individuality

31. “Younger consumers prefer ’real
and organic’ over ‘perfect and
packaged.’”
Source: Social Media Today (November 2017)
#5 be a human

32. #5 be a human
millennials can sniff out “fakeness”
always ask: how can we make this (thing) a more
human experience?
who are you? how can I talk with you?

33. Sarah Kurtz McKinnon
www.thesummercampsociety.com/tristate2019
kurtz@thesummercampsociety.com
313.506.2891
thank you & contact