The document discusses how millennials perceive the representation of their culture in media, highlighting a significant disconnect between their expectations and what is delivered. Research shows that 48% of millennials feel misrepresented, largely due to the emergence of the 'omnicultural mindset', which emphasizes cultural curiosity and an integrated identity. The findings underscore the need for media and advertisers to adapt and align their content with the diverse and evolving views of this demographic.

1. 1
MILLENNIALS
DECONSTRUCTED
Research By:
Howyoungermulticulturalgenerationsarereshapingthemedialandscape

2. CONTENTS
CONNECTING WITH
A NEW MINDSET
MILLENNIALS’ MEDIA
CONSUMPTION HABITS
AN INACCURATE
REPRESENTATION
(and what they are
expecting)
(and how to close it)
THE MEDIA AFFINITY
INDEX GAP
THE FACES OF THE NEW
AMERICA, FROM
AMBASSADORS TO
INFLUENCERS
MOVING FORWARD:
ADAPTING TO A NEW MINDSET
METHODOLOGY AND
SOURCES
44
30 34
124
42
16
Cover Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash

3. The media industry is a slow dinosaur unable to keep up
with U.S. cultural shifts. Its content is like a rearview mirror
that reflects a distorted version of a society long gone.
While there is a lot of research around how Millennials
consume media – from time spent to favorite devices used
to consume it – there is little to no research regarding the
accuracy of how Millennial culture is represented in content
from their point of view. To tackle this issue, we conducted
quantitative research with 1,000 Millennials. Results show
that nearly half of the Millennial population (48%) believes
the media does not do a good job of representing their
culture. The apparition of a new mindset (the Omnicultural
Mindset) plays a pivotal role in this disconnection because
it raises expectations around media at a faster pace than
media has responded. The following dissertation does not
attempt to solve the dissonance between media (advertisers,
marketing departments and content developers) and
Millennials, but rather to identify the correct questions to
answer in the interest of diminishing this dissonance.
ABSTRACT
Photo by Shamim Nakhai on Unsplash

4. As society and technology evolve, so does the mindset of a singular maturing generation,
and with it, their view of the world and their expectations of media.
CONNECTING WITH
A NEW MINDSET
4
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

5. 5
It’s been only 63 years since Rosa Parks took a seat on a bus. Fast forward
to now. We live in one of the most diverse and inclusive countries in the
world. While racial tensions, racism and those who provoke them still exist,
the nation as a whole has moved forward tremendously – with one notable
exception: mass media.
A largely conservative industry, the media is often criticized for its tone-deaf
approach and portrayal of minorities. This is evidenced, for example, by
the 2017 Pepsi protest commercial featuring Kendall Jenner and the “white
washing” scandal that ended with a boycott of the 2016 Academy Awards.
Issues like that have a common thread: the blatant refusal to acknowledge
the views of an entire generation, which probes the question,
ARE MEDIA, ADVERTISERS AND
AGENCIES CONNECTING WITH THE
MILLENNIAL GENERATION?

6. 6
Millennials have significant purchasing power and, therefore,
have been the focal point of media and advertising for quite some
time. Yet despite being the generation that most avidly consumes
and has more access to media than ever before, Millennials don’t
feel their generation and culture are accurately represented. This
phenomenon, the emergence of a new generational mindset referred
to as the Omnicultural Mindset, has changed expectations of the
content generated by media and advertising.
It’s a new pattern of understanding, beliefs and behaviors shared by
the majority of the Millennial generation. This perspective begins
with a disposition open to cultures other than one’s own, but it
extends beyond acceptance to a curiosity and desire to incorporate
aspects of various cultures into one’s own life.
WHAT IS THE
OMNICULTURAL MINDSET?
Photo by Sam Manns on Unsplash

7. 7
When broken down by ethnicity, 66% of Hispanic Millennials, 68% of Asian Millennials,
53% of African-American Millennials and 42% of White Millennials share this mindset,
and we believe this pattern will only continue to increase. In fact, 73% of Hispanic
Millennials said they wanted to be more open and embrace other cultures within five
years; that is a 7% increase from where we are today.
OUR RESEARCH
SHOWS THAT 63%OF THE
MILLENNIAL GENERATION
POSSESSES THE
OMNICULTURAL MINDSET .1
HISPANIC MILLENNIALS 66
WHITE MILLENNIALS 42%
BLACK MILLENNIALS 53%
ASIAN MILLENNIALS 68%
%

8. 8

9. 9
THE EMERGENCE AND CONTINUED
GROWTH OF THE OMNICULTURAL
MINDSET CAN BE EXPLAINED BY
THREE MAIN FACTORS: DIVERSITY,
ACCESS AND TOLERANCE.
Millennials are the most diverse generation in
U.S. history; 44% of the total population are
minorities, and according to projections by
the U.S. Census, WHITE CITIZENS WILL
BECOME A MINORITY BY 20442
.
Diversity, an unstoppable force that grows
stronger as each generation passes, brings
massive waves of curiosity, open-mindedness
and pride in our own cultures.

10. 10
MILLENNIALS ARE
ALSO A DIGITALLY
NATIVE GENERATION.
They were either born or raised connected,
living in the midst of social media and
the fast-paced evolution of technology in
handheld devices and streaming media. All
of these advances have shaped them into an
“all-access generation.” Many tend to see the
negativesideofthisshift,labelingMillennials
as self-centered, egotistical and entitled, but
this is consistently proven wrong. Through
technological advances, Millennials can
connect globally with essentially seven
billion lives on a daily basis.
This exposure makes them more aware and
conscious, and unlike previous generations,
they don’t share a centralized point of view.
They don’t automatically follow societal
norms and instead conduct research to form
their own opinions.

11. 11
These revolutionary changes, which manifest in a
radically new and cohesive mindset across different
ethnicities, are not being addressed in an effective way
by media and advertising companies. Instead, they tend
to stick to the surface when it comes to relevance, often
portraying stereotypes or trying to appeal to Millennial
Omniculturals only by appealing to one of their cultures.
As a result, there is a significant gap between the content
produced for Millennials and what they actually want
and expect. Hence, the content often falls short of their
expectations. To measure this, we created the Media
Affinity Index Gap.
Our objective was to explore what all those cultural
changes mean for the future of advertising and content
development. The intention was not to find all the
answers to how to move forward, but instead raise the
right questions that can help shape the future of our
business.
Results were pulled from a recent collaborative research
study conducted by Richards/Lerma and The University
of Texas, Stan Richards School of Advertising &
Public Relations. The purpose was to gain a thorough
understanding of the unique media perceptions,
perspectives and complexities of today’s highly diverse
multicultural Millennial groups.
The study, “Millennials Deconstructed,” consisted of
a nationally representative online sample (n = 1,000)
of White, Hispanic, African-American, and Asian
Millennials between the ages of 18-34 and an additional
Hispanic 35+ reading for comparison.
Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

12. 12
Millennials consume and share a lot of content, but their social preferences and activism are not uniform.
IS FACEBOOK THE NEW CNN?
MILLENNIALS’ MEDIA
CONSUMPTION HABITS
Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash

13. 13
Millennials don’t have a pre-established pattern for consuming content; they
consume media on different occasions, depending on mindset and current
life situation3
. One thing that is clear is that media penetration and content
consumption are higher for this group than any previous generation.
MILLENNIALS SPEND AN AVERAGE OF
17.8 HOURS A DAY CONSUMING MEDIA .
This doesn’t mean they literally spend 18 out of the 24 hours of the day consuming
media, but they spend as much by simultaneously reading texts on their phones,
browsing Facebook on their tablets and watching TV. This is a significant shift
from a time when the only media people could consume were a few TV channels.
Browse
The Internet
Go To
The Movies
Social
Networking
Listen To
The Radio
Watch
Live TV
Use Email, Text,
Texting Apps
Play
Video Games
Talk About
News/Products/Brands
Watch
Timeshifted TV
Read Print
Magazines/Newspapers
MILLENNIALS RACK UP 18 HOURS OF MEDIA PER DAY
Average time Millennials in the U.S. spend interacting with media per day (hh:mm)
4

14. 14
According to data from the Cassandra Report by Noise,
60% of Millennials surveyed asserted that social
media is an important source of news and current
affairs5
. It is important to note that not only do Millennials
consume more and more media through nontraditional
channels, but this ever-connected generation is also playing
a huge part in disseminating content themselves. They are
sharing content they like and relate to within their social
circles online.
Never before has any generation played such an active and
seamless role in the creation and dissemination of content
and media the way Millennials do today. Because they are
content curators and creators themselves, Millennials expect
better representation from the channels they engage with.
When left unaddressed, the result is frustration. Millennials
look at media as beacons, charged with holding not only their
superficial/stereotypical representations, but also the values
and beliefs that shape their world.

15. This divide is not only seen between
Millennials and older generations;
cracks exist among Millennials
themselves. Omnicultural individuals
who identify with a more progressive
and global identity tend to place
higher expectations on media than
their more traditionally minded peers.
This is mostly due to their easier
adaptation of newer technologies that
allow them to further fractionalize
and hyper-personalize content
according to background, preference
and availability. There seems to be a
correlation between participation in
and proximity to the production of
media and satisfaction with what the
content reflects.
15

16. 16
Regardless of their ethnicity or mindset, Millennials feel they are
not accurately represented by media or advertisers.
(AND WHAT THEY ARE EXPECTING)
AN INACCURATE REPRESENTATION
Photo by Elevate on Unsplash

17. 17
NEARLY HALF OF THE MILLENNIAL POPULATION (48%)
DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THE MEDIA OR ADVERTISING
INDUSTRIES ACCURATELY REPRESENT THEIR CULTURE.
The consequence is a lack of connection with the content they
consume and the entities producing it. This disconnect is
magnified when we take into consideration that most of the
produced content they consume is intended to be specifically
tailored to them and that they spend the majority of their time
consuming it. The media industry often fails to understand
that relevancy will never come as a consequence of age or
ethnic portrayal. Media connections can be established only
by understanding the Omnicultural Mindset.
Naturally, Millennials share mindset traits and aspirations,
but they are not uniform. If we take a closer look and split
the generation by ethnicity, we quickly identify that Black
Millennials are the most dissatisfied of all ethnicities, and
that Hispanic and Asian Millennials show the “highest” level
of satisfaction, 56% and 59% respectively.
DO YOU FEEL THAT CURRENT ADVERTISING UNDERSTANDS
AND REPRESENTS YOUR CULTURE ACCURATELY?
Black Asian HispanicWhite
52.5%
47.5%
41%
59%
54%
46%
43.4%
56.6%
No, It Doesn’t Accurately Represent It
Yes, It Does Accurately Represent It

18. 18
However, these higher numbers for Hispanic and Asian
Millennials are being driven by those who do not share the
Omnicultural Mindset. If we divide Hispanic Millennials and
Asian Millennials into Omniculturals and Non-Omniculturals,
it’s easy to see how Omnicultural Hispanic and Asian
Millennials share their level of dissatisfaction with White and
Black Millennials, while Non-Omnicultural Hispanics and
Asians show more satisfaction. The media industry should
understand the gravity of the numbers, as Omniculturalism is
not only the prevalent mindset among Millennials,
IT ALSO REPRESENTS
THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT
THE MAJORITY OF THE U.S.
WILL BECOME IN THE
COMING 10 YEARS.

19. DO YOU FEEL THAT
CURRENT ADVERTISING
UNDERSTANDS AND
REPRESENTS YOUR
CULTURE ACCURATELY?
Omnicultural
Omnicultural
Non-Omnicultural
Non-Omnicultural
To understand this lack of connection between Millennials
and advertisers/media in general, we must dig deep into
their expectations.
Hispanic
Hispanic
Asian
Asian
19
No, It Doesn’t Accurately Represent It
Yes, It Does Accurately Represent It
47.1%
52.9%
47.6%
52.4%
36%
64%
27.2%
72.8%

20. NON-OMNICULTURAL HISPANIC AND
ASIAN MILLENNIALS ARE HOLDING
ON TO SUPERFICIAL TRAITS.
Millennials that identify themselves as Non-Omniculturals, not
having developed an ample cultural curiosity, stay on the surface
level of connection, understanding and representation and have
lower expectations from media. They are pleased to see content that
features characters just like them. Specifically, they’d like for the
characters to speak the language they speak and to look like them or
be the same ethnicity they are. Additionally, they want the content to
specifically reference their culture.
Why are they less ambitious and demanding?
20

21. 21
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE:
THEY ARE STILL FIGHTING
FOR THE BASICS.
Historically, Hispanics and Asians haven’t had
a large share of media representation in the U.S.
Asian and Hispanic characters abound, but in the
majority of occasions their roles serve more to
check a cultural diversity box than as an integral
part of the content. Multiculturals are very rarely in
core or foundational roles when it comes to fiction,
reality content and advertising. Consequently, non-
Omniculturals may still see themselves as outsiders
in the country, or at least think that the majority
considers them as such. For them, any progress
is a step forward. They want to see themselves
represented in what they view, even if only from a
superficial standpoint.
As media slowly becomes more representative
(from a casting perspective) of the growing
Hispanic and Asian population, it is not surprising
that non-Omniculturals have become more content
with their media portrayals.
This contrasts with Omniculturals, who represent
the majority of multicultural Millennials and are
substantially more demanding of media when it
comes to portrayal, inclusion and representation.
For them, a supporting role is not enough.
Language won’t suffice. They won’t settle for being
represented by a hero’s best friend who speaks and
dresses like a stereotype and dies in the first act just
to give a purpose to the white male protagonist.

22. 22
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS ARE MOST LIKELY
TO DETERMINE IF YOU LIKE AN AD?
The characters speak the same language that I speak.
21.3%
44.3%18.3%
24.2%
Omnicultural
Hispanic
Hispanic
Asian
Asian
Non-Omnicultural
Photo by Stephanie Liverani on Unsplash

23. RANK IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE THE PARTS OF YOUR CULTURE THAT SHOULD BE
INCLUDED IN ADVERTISING TO BETTER REPRESENT YOUR CULTURE (FROM 1 TO 15)
The characters speak the same language that I speak.
HispanicHispanicAsianAsian
Omnicultural
Non-Omnicultural
15TH
1ST
12TH
5TH
23

24. 24
OMNICULTURAL HISPANIC AND
ASIAN MILLENNIALS HAVE HIGHER
EXPECTATIONS AND LOOK FOR
CORE IDENTITY VALUES.
Omnicultural Asian and Hispanic Millennials are highly
demanding and unsatisfied with media and advertising. They are
the second and third most dissatisfied ethnicities when it comes to
those industries. Unlike non-Omniculturals, they don’t consider
themselves outsiders in this country. Rather, they view themselves
as two in one (100% Hispanic/Asian + 100% American). This
multifaceted identity drives their expectations for higher cultural
empathy and entertainment value from media, social and
information sources.
As Omniculturals, they attribute less relevance to superficial traits
of characters like race or language and tend to focus more on
the type of content and their connection with it. They like their
content to mimic how they think and live: with curiosity and
diversity. They like the unexpected and provocative. They do not
settle for stereotypes. They want to see characters that talk the
way they talk (mannerism over language), and they want to see
their values represented. Their expectations are higher because
they understand that it’s not about being inclusive in regards to
their race/ethnicity, but about their dual complex identities as
Americans.
Omnicultural Asian and Hispanic Millennials believe brands
should take a stand when it comes to the social/environmental
issues our country is currently facing, as this is one of the most
important factors they use to determine if they like an ad.

25. 25
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE PARTS OF YOUR CULTURE THAT SHOULD
BE INCLUDED IN ADVERTISING TO BETTER REPRESENT YOUR CULTURE?
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS IS MOST LIKELY
TO DETERMINE IF YOU LIKE AN AD?
Omnicultural Hispanic
Omnicultural Hispanic
Omnicultural Asian
Omnicultural Asian
Photo By Dani Vivanco on Unsplash

26. 26

27. 27
BLACK MILLENNIALS LOOK
FOR/EXPECT CORE IDENTITY
VALUES IN THEIR CONTENT,
BUT WILL NOT LET GO OF
THEIR PAST.
Black Millennials behave similarly to the way Hispanic
and Asian Omniculturals do. They expect content to
make them laugh and be thought-provoking. However,
unlike Hispanic and Asian Omniculturals, they continue
to hold on to some Non-Omnicultural traits, especially
those related to race.
This stems from their added expectation that all content
they consume raise awareness on social subjects. This
duality becomes more understandable as we reflect on
the long history of repression and misrepresentation of
African-Americans in the U.S. These issues began long
before the expansion of mass media and have carried on
throughout time, which isn’t surprising since, for many
years, media companies were owned primarily by
non-Hispanic Whites.
This has led to a sentiment of still feeling the same way
some non-Omniculturals do – as an “other” or outsider
in this country. All this fuels why Black Millennials
feel the need to regain their owned space in media and
advertising. For them, it doesn’t mean that they only
want to show their true colors; they want to show much
more. They want to show their true character.

28. 28
The shift from feeling like an “outsider” to feeling like they belong
within the media landscape is the main driver behind the change in
media expectations of minorities (Asians, Hispanics and African-
Americans). The traditional non-multicultural view no longer
represents the full identities of individual American minorities
that see themselves as part of this country’s cultural fabric. The
frustration they feel towards their representation stems from them
taking ownership of being American as well as their other cultural
identity – and melding them both into one – thus transitioning
from an outcast minority to a fraction of a diverse whole.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE PARTS
OF YOUR CULTURE THAT SHOULD BE
INCLUDED IN ADVERTISING TO BETTER
REPRESENT YOUR CULTURE?
BLACK
MILLENNIALS

29. 29
A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
P&G has long been vocal about their
stance regarding social issues, and that is
something that has helped them connect
with the Millennial generation.
If we take a look at their “My Black is
Beautiful” campaign with their main ad
“The Talk,” we can clearly see the brand
taking a side on racial issues America
is currently facing. More than that, we
can see them expanding the discussion
beyond minorities as it was targeted not
only to Black Millennials. It transcended
ethnic barriers through the universal
value of acceptance and equality.
Bytakingthesesteps,theyareconnecting
with what really matters to Millennials.
Though the campaign might seem
controversial, it achieved their goal:
getting people to talk about their brand
and the issue itself.

30. The Omnicultural Mindset demands a radical transformation of media and
advertisers if we want to close the gap that currently exists.
(AND HOW TO CLOSE IT)
THE MEDIA AFFINITY INDEX GAP
30
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

31. 31
There are two main factors that explain why Millennials feel
misrepresented by the media. The first was explored in the
previous section: a dissonance between Millennials’ expectations
and the actual content they consume. The second is the slow
response media and advertisers have towards those expectations.
Neither factor is static. Both perpetually evolve and move
forward together, never reaching a meeting point. In fact, they’re
getting further apart with time. The expectations Millennials
have for media are evolving at an accelerated pace every day.
And the media and advertising industries, both mainly driven
by big corporations with very slow reaction times, are having
serious trouble keeping up.
GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE MEDIA
AFFINITY INDEX GAP THEORY

32. 32
According to our findings, the Omnicultural Mindset became prevalent
at some point between 2000 and 2007. It appeared, grew and evolved. In
the process, it changed the expectations Millennials have about content
and media in radical ways. The factors contributing to its 2000 to 2007
emergence are varied: a) Millennials came of age; b) the globalization
phenomenon in which this generation was raised came into full effect
thanks to advances in technology (especially handheld); c) they became
the focus of media and advertising; and d) the apparition of social media
(YouTube and Facebook, among others). All these variables shaped this
new generation. Naturally, this new mindset also developed to make
sense of their new cultural and social vision and values.
Social media has become an excellent thermometer for gauging how
much this gap has grown, how expectations of this generation have
changed and how much more vocal and demanding they are about those
expectations. Think about the past. In 1965 when Martin Luther King Jr.
walked through Selma, reporters and activists on payphones were the
ones capable of spreading the word about that moment.
IN 2018, EVERY MILLENNIAL CAN BE
AN ACTIVIST AND REPORTER. THEY CAN
SPREAD THE WORD AND THEIR VIEW
OF THE WORLD INSTANTLY THROUGH
SMARTPHONES WITH THEIR OWN POINT
OF VIEW.
If we set aside hate crimes, social conversations about social issues
such as race spike during major events tied to content creation.
Take the BET awards or Oscars of 2016 for example. Both events
got around three million tweets regarding social issues6
. The Oscars
conversation became even more notable as posts were accompanied
by the hashtag #OscarSoWhite, which was the fifth most used hashtag
of 20167
. More recently, in 2017, the #MeToo movement took over
multiple events, like the 2018 Golden Globes and the 2018 Oscars,
becoming a huge demonstration against sexual violence but also an
empowering movement for women to achieve parity with their male
counterparts. The success of this movement was represented by being
awarded Time’s prestigious “Person of the Year” award in 2017. This
demonstrates how this generation will not settle for less than what
they demand. If the bar is not met, the backlash will be loud. This
backlash is demonstrated by reaction to campaigns such as Nivea’s
“White Is Purity” campaign.

33. 33
If the advertising and media industries aspire to remain relevant
and connect not only to the Millennial generation but also to
generations after, they must show more flexibility and change
the content they produce to make it reflect the cultural reality
of America. Box-checking to represent minorities is not enough
for a multicultural generation. On the contrary, in some cases
it seems to be working against it. We need to connect with the
values that these generations have in a nuanced, informed way.
This is a daunting task that demands not only active listening,
but also radical transformation among many organizations.
This transformation not only implies the need for outward
messaging changes, it essentially demands a change from
within, a change that should take shape from the most
fundamental question a company can ask: “Why do they exist
as an organization?” From there, it should shape an entire
company’s vision, mission, internal structure and hiring. They
must ultimately empower employees to be effective tools to
represent the real America, inside and out, to achieve better
results and connect with this elusive generation.

34. 34
The clearest example of the evolution of Millennials’ expectations of media may well be the
shift from brand ambassadors to brand influencers.
THE FACES OF THE NEW AMERICA,
FROM AMBASSADORS TO INFLUENCERS
Photo by Phil Coffman on Unsplash

35. 35
Think about how things have changed when it comes
to influence. Fifteen years ago, one of the top kids’ TV
shows was “Hannah Montana,” based on the general idea
that people’s dream was to become famous musicians/
celebrities. Now, one of the top TV shows on Disney
Channel is “Bizaardvark,” where the assumption is that
teenagers dream of being social media influencers on a
YouTube-like platform.
This change in the definition of influence and aspiration isn’t
only in consumers’ minds and on TV shows. It has transferred
over to marketing and advertising agencies, where media
plans have moved budgets from one big name personality to a
group of influencers that are more tied to consumers’ interests.
Let’s take a deeper look at how this behavior changed from a
brand perspective.
In the recent past, brands followed strict criteria for their
selection of brand ambassadors. This process usually
consisted of a box-checking exercise that helped determine
similarities between a number of celebrities and their own
target for a specific product such as age, ethnicity, race,
interests and language spoken. Most of the characteristics on
the list were primarily demographic, while others helped to
assure compatibility with the brand personality.

36. Since the inception of social media, a new behavioral
trend has taken place in which celebrities, athletes,
musicians and other personalities are no longer enigmatic
figures to be “admired” from afar. Today, celebrities are
more tangible and let consumers get to know them on a
personal level. They can be seen beyond their work in
personal ways that highlight their personalities when
not in the spotlight. This is possible through daily access
to their everyday comings and goings. It requires little
effort on behalf of consumers and happens within the
palm of their hands.
BECAUSE OF THIS, MILLENNIALS
NOW FOLLOW AND ADMIRE THOSE
PERSONALITIES THEY BELIEVE
SHARE A COMMON VIEW OF
THE WORLD WITH THEM. TODAY,
CELEBRITY CONNECTIONS ARE
DRIVEN MORE BY VALUES THAN
BY LOOKS.
One of the big mistakes Pepsi made in their 2017 “Protest”
spot was the ambassador they chose. In many ways, it
appears they picked a celebrity based on popularity and
reach without taking into consideration the disconnect
between Kendall Jenner and the message and values
attachedtothesocialmovementtheyaspiredtorepresent.
They ultimately picked a brand ambassador with mass
appeal but zero connection from a values standpoint.
That decision only accentuated the overall lack of
empathy and target understanding of the commercial.
Perhaps if they had picked a personality associated
with the movement, the ad would not have appeared so
opportunistic, and the backlash and disconnection may
not have been so great.
36

37. This is the main reason we don’t hear about brand ambassadors
anymore and why brand influencers are here to stay. As opposed
to ambassadors, influencers are not tied simply to the way they
look; they create followers because of their values and lifestyle. This
doesn’t mean brand ambassadors will disappear, it just means that
they will change. All this information points towards a future in
which the majority of brand ambassadors will be born from digital/
social platforms, with the huge advantage of not only having mass
appeal but also sharing a deeper connection with their followers
from a values standpoint.
With our Millennials Deconstructed initiative, we set out to identify
who Millennials identified as trustworthy, who they admired, and
who they considered approachable. We did this across a variety of
categories, from community leaders to athletes and entertainment
figures. The end goal was to see if core identity values were the new
norm or if superficial traits still reigned.
The results are sharp: superficial traits are a thing of the past. There
is no correlation between the ethnicities, looks or language of the top
celebrities of each category and none between the ethnicities of the
ones who picked them. Furthermore, overall leaders of each category
are personalities that can be easily tied to values, intentions and clear
points of view on social issues beyond superficial identification.
Ellen DeGeneres is one such personality that can easily be tied to
values of equality and acceptance. She has a clear stance against hate
and discrimination in America.
Total picks
SOCIAL PERSONALITY
COMMUNITY LEADER
ATHLETE
ENTERTAINMENT FIGURE
MARK ZUCKERBERG
PEREZ HILTON
KIM KARDASHIAN
JENNA MARBLES
PEWDIEPIE
1ST
1ST
1ST
1ST
3RD
3RD
3RD
3RD
2ND
2ND
2ND
2ND
4TH
4TH
4TH
4TH
5TH
5TH
5TH
5TH
BARACK OBAMA
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
AL SHARPTON
HILLARY CLINTON
BERNIE SANDERS
MICHAEL JORDAN
STEPH CURRY
LEBRON JAMES
KOBE BRYANT
SERENA WILLIAMS
ELLEN DEGENERES
OPRAH WINFREY
STEVE HARVEY
RYAN SEACREST
JIMMY FALLON
37

38. WHITE MILLENNIALS ARE SEEING
BEYOND COLOR.
As we take a look at White Millennials’ top five picks for
trustworthy, admirable and approachable, one thing is
pretty clear: Black athletes dominate, occupying the first five
spots in the athlete category. For Whites, this isn’t a sports-
only phenomenon. As we take a look at other categories,
including community leaders and entertainment figures, we
see that among their top picks there are African-Americans.
These findings lead to the conclusion that White Millennials
are seeing beyond color and connecting through values and
personality traits.
COMMUNITY LEADER
ATHLETE
ENTERTAINMENT FIGURE
1ST
1ST
1ST
3RD
3RD
3RD
2ND
2ND
2ND
4TH
4TH
4TH
5TH
5TH
5TH
BARACK OBAMA
BERNIE SANDERS
AL SHARPTON
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
HILLARY CLINTON
MICHAEL JORDAN
LEBRON JAMES
KOBE BRYANT
SERENA WILLIAMS
STEPH CURRY
RYAN SEACREST
JIMMY FALLON
ELLEN DEGENERES
STEVE HARVEY
OPRAH WINFREY
38

39. 39
HISPANIC MILLENNIALS ARE
LED BY VALUES, NOT BY
SELF-IDENTIFICATION.
For Hispanics, there is not one ethnicity that rules across
the board, which shows that for them it is also clear that
superficial traits do not take precedence (as we have seen
throughout this research).
Results in general show that Hispanics can be influenced
by figures of all ethnicities. They are influenced by Whites
in the community leader and entertainment categories
and are predominantly influenced by African-Americans
in sports.
The overall finding is that no one race or ethnicity most
influences Hispanics and may show two key factors
among the Hispanic community. First, the support of
nontraditional figures fighting to stand out in their field,
such as progressive politician Bernie Sanders, LGBT
activist Ellen DeGeneres and minority entertainer Oprah
Winfrey. Second, it demonstrates an openness to other
cultures and an open mind.
COMMUNITY LEADER
ATHLETE
ENTERTAINMENT FIGURE
1ST
1ST
1ST
3RD
3RD
3RD
2ND
2ND
2ND
4TH
4TH
4TH
5TH
5TH
5TH
BERNIE SANDERS
AL SHARPTON
BARACK OBAMA
HILLARY CLINTON
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
MICHAEL JORDAN
LEBRON JAMES
KOBE BRYANT
STEPH CURRY
SERENA WILLIAMS
ELLEN DEGENERES
OPRAH WINFREY
JIMMY FALLON
RYAN SEACREST
STEVE HARVEY

40. 40
ASIAN MILLENNIALS ARE
HIGHLY INFLUENCED BY
OTHER CULTURES.
Similar to Hispanics, Asians Millennials do not seem to
subscribe to their own superficial traits when choosing
figures they admire, as there were no figures with Asian
ethnicity in the top five of any category. This supports
earlier findings that suggested that Omnicultural Asians
don’t place importance on having people of their own race
or ethnicity in the content they consume. Instead, they
would rather see people that share their values.
Results also show how open they are to other communities.
The acceptance of sexual diversity is not something
people would traditionally associate with Asian culture.
Nonetheless, Ellen DeGeneres was their top pick in
the Entertainment category, showing how labels and
preconceptions are a thing of the past.
COMMUNITY LEADER
ATHLETE
ENTERTAINMENT FIGURE
1ST
1ST
1ST
3RD
3RD
3RD
2ND
2ND
2ND
4TH
4TH
4TH
5TH
5TH
5TH
BARACK OBAMA
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
HILLARY CLINTON
BERNIE SANDERS
AL SHARPTON
MICHAEL JORDAN
KOBE BRYANT
STEPH CURRY
LEBRON JAMES
SERENA WILLIAMS
ELLEN DEGENERES
RYAN SEACREST
OPRAH WINFREY
JIMMY FALLON
STEVE HARVEY

41. THE MOVE FROM BRAND AMBASSADORS TO INFLUENCERS
MIGHT SHOW HINTS OF THE INDUSTRY TRYING TO STAY ON
TOP OF THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION AND ITS EVER-EVOLVING
EXPECTATIONS. BUT IF THIS EFFORT IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY A
COMPLETE CHANGE, INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, NOT MUCH
WILL BE ACHIEVED.
41
Photo by Shamim Nakhai on Unsplash

42. MOVING FORWARD: ADAPTING
TO A NEW MINDSET
42
Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash

43. 43
As a Millennial Brand Planner, I have spent most of my professional life working
towards deciphering my own generation and creating communication strategies
to connect with it. But I remember the exact moment I realized that I no longer
felt part of the generation I was researching and trying to understand. I was
in a meeting, and suddenly I noticed that I no longer knew the generation
we were trying to reach. And I definitely didn’t understand some of their
cultural behaviors, such as Finstagraming (creating fake Instagram accounts
to convey messages using alternate personalities) or watching strangers play
videogames online for hours (through Twitch).
IT’S HARD FOR ME TO ADMIT THAT MY
GENERATION IS ALREADY STARTING
TO BE OVERSHADOWED BY A NEW
GENERATION, GEN-Z, BUT THIS
ADMISSION IS ALSO WHAT MOTIVATES
ME TO CONTINUE DIGGING DEEPER TO
KEEP CONNECTING IN EFFECTIVE WAYS
WITH NEWER GENERATIONS.
So, if the media is already struggling to connect with Millennials, I cannot
imagine how much more they will struggle to connect with the next
generation. That is why we felt it was so important to bring this issue to
light, to find answers to connect with Millennials as well as generations to
come. We want everyone who reads this paper to feel as motivated as I did
by my own lack of understanding and connection.
Darwin said it best, “If you want to survive, you have to adapt to your
environment.” Well, the environment has changed, and if we as an industry
don’t evolve with it, we are sadly destined to slowly fade away.

44. 44
METHODOLOGY
“Millennials Deconstructed” is a collaborative research study
that was conducted in partnership by Richards/Lerma and The
University of Texas, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public
Relations. The study was completed via an online national panel in
April 2016, among 1,000 Millennials between the ages of 18 and 34
with representative national averages among White, Black, Asian,
and Hispanic Millennials, as well as Hispanics 35+ for comparative
purposes. A series of qualitative one-on-one interviews was
conducted following the online survey to gain additional insights
into survey findings. For more information on survey data, please
contact Carlos Rodriguez at crodriguez@richardslerma.com.
AUTHORS
This research report was written by Carlos Rodriguez. The analysis
team led by Quim Gil at Richards/Lerma includes Carlos Rodriguez,
Sara Michael and Shannon Dunbar-Rubio.
The “Millennials Deconstructed” research initiative is led by Quim
Gil at Richards/Lerma in coordination with Matthew Eastin and
Alicia Bodas at The University of Texas at Austin, Stan Richards
School of Advertising & Public Relations.

45. 45
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SIMMONS 2017 NCS/NHCS Adults Full Year – SM7HS.
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Bureau. Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060.
March 2015. By Sandra Colby and Jennifer M. Ortman. P25-1143.
The Nielsen Company. “Facts Of Life: As They Move Through Life Stages, Millennials’
Media Habits Are Different and Distinct.” What People Watch, Listen To and Buy.
March 24, 2016. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2016/facts-of-life-as-
they-move-through-life-stages-millennials-media-habits-are-different.html.
Editor, Crowdtap. “Millennials Heart UGC [INFOGRAPHIC].” Crowdtap.
April 9, 2014. http://blog.crowdtap.it/2014/04/millennials-heart-ugc-infographic/.
Flynn, Kerry, Ilyse Liffreing, Suman Bhattacharyya, Shareen Pathak, and Tanya Dua.
“Millennial Media-consumption Habits Explained, in 5 Charts.” Digiday. October
21, 2014. https://digiday.com/marketing/millennial-media-consumption-habits-
debunked-5-charts/.
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Center: Internet, Science & Tech. August 15, 2016.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/08/15/twitter-conversations-about-race/.
Kottasova, Ivana. “Twitter Reveals the Top Tweeted Events of 2016.” CNNMoney.
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46. 46
Research By:
ABOUT RICHARDS/LERMA
Richards/Lerma is a full-service branding and creative agency dedicated to crafting insightful
and relevant communications for the multi-cultural market. Based in Dallas, Texas, Richards/
Lerma was founded by Pete Lerma and Stan Richards, creative director of the nation’s largest
independent branding agency, The Richards Group. Current clients include Avocados From
Mexico, Bud Light, Bud Light Chelada, Clamato, Dr Pepper, MetroPCS, The Home Depot and
Mission Foods. Richards/Lerma can be found online at richardslerma.com and on Twitter at
@richardslerma.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, STAN RICHARDS SCHOOL OF ADVERTISING
& PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations defies categorization as a catalyst
for growing exceptional communication specialists who are eager to enter the business world, as
well as a Research 1 academic institution launching innovative scholars via the advanced study
of advertising and public relations at both the master’s and Ph.D. levels. More information can
be found online at http://advertising.utexas.edu.