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HypeLife Brands Calls Lack of Millennial Marketing During March Madness a Big Miss
Branding and marketing agency says brands playing it too safe with TV ads, alienating Generation Y demographic; urges shift in strategy for years ahead.
March 28, 2013
Los Angeles, CA. March 28, 2013 - With 34 games spread out over three weeks, there will be enough makes and misses for fans across the country to relish and anguish over the next nine months. But to HypeLife Brands, a branding and marketing agency dedicated to connecting brands of all sizes with Millennials, the real misses come during commercial breaks. That's why agency Founder and CEO, Curt Cuscino, urges his clients to learn from these marketing missteps and to pay attention to how the medium is changing.
"There are very few sure things in advertising anymore, and you could argue that March Madness used to be one of them," says Cuscino. "But judging from the last couple of years, it looks like the Super Bowl has become the only legitimate place where the TV medium can still produce some cool, interesting things.
"Unless the sponsorship structure for these games is radically altered, I think we've got to expect more of the same moving forward, which is unfortunate."
What HypeLife Brands, and most within marketing circles, know is that Millennials are the most sought-after demographic among brands. It's where the money's at now and where it will be for the foreseeable future. And for Cuscino, that's baffling in watching the ads during March Madness.
"This is a tournament full of teams made up exclusively of Millennials, being cheered on in part by students and recent alumni, also Millennials," says Cuscino. "And yet most of the ads we see feature a forty- or fifty-something star telling you about the latest and greatest thing on the market.
"How are Millennials supposed to relate to that?"
Cuscino and HypeLife Brands are instead urging brands to consider shaking things up throughout the year by utilizing cutting-edge, unexpected marketing tactics to keep a brand fresh. Plus, because many Millennials are already on the Internet 24x7 anyway, Cuscino urges brands to spend a lot of their time and money there as well.
"I'm not revealing anything earth-shattering here," says Cuscino. "We all know that it's cheaper to advertise on the web, but consider the impact a brand could have by shifting the massive amounts of money it spends on media buys and production crews and filtering that to a fully integrated web campaign.
"The results could turn some Millennial heads, and in the end, isn't that what it's all about?"
Cuscino and HypeLife Brands urge brands to do things differently, but that starts with thinking differently. Here's a list of some things for brands of all sizes to keep in mind as they dive into that next campaign:
"There are very few sure things in advertising anymore, and you could argue that March Madness used to be one of them," says Cuscino. "But judging from the last couple of years, it looks like the Super Bowl has become the only legitimate place where the TV medium can still produce some cool, interesting things.
"Unless the sponsorship structure for these games is radically altered, I think we've got to expect more of the same moving forward, which is unfortunate."
What HypeLife Brands, and most within marketing circles, know is that Millennials are the most sought-after demographic among brands. It's where the money's at now and where it will be for the foreseeable future. And for Cuscino, that's baffling in watching the ads during March Madness.
"This is a tournament full of teams made up exclusively of Millennials, being cheered on in part by students and recent alumni, also Millennials," says Cuscino. "And yet most of the ads we see feature a forty- or fifty-something star telling you about the latest and greatest thing on the market.
"How are Millennials supposed to relate to that?"
Cuscino and HypeLife Brands are instead urging brands to consider shaking things up throughout the year by utilizing cutting-edge, unexpected marketing tactics to keep a brand fresh. Plus, because many Millennials are already on the Internet 24x7 anyway, Cuscino urges brands to spend a lot of their time and money there as well.
"I'm not revealing anything earth-shattering here," says Cuscino. "We all know that it's cheaper to advertise on the web, but consider the impact a brand could have by shifting the massive amounts of money it spends on media buys and production crews and filtering that to a fully integrated web campaign.
"The results could turn some Millennial heads, and in the end, isn't that what it's all about?"
Cuscino and HypeLife Brands urge brands to do things differently, but that starts with thinking differently. Here's a list of some things for brands of all sizes to keep in mind as they dive into that next campaign:
- Stop selling and entertain already!
- Maintain a strong, sometimes viral, web presence.
- If social media doesn’t drive everything you do, you’re done before you start.
- Use media buys sparingly and strategically (TV ain’t what it used to be)
- Sponsor the right events, not the biggest events
- More is not always better; cultivate loyalty with your target audience first.
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HypeLife Brands is a leading brand development + precision marketing agency dedicated to helping brands engage the Millennial generation. HypeLife serves a select roster of clients across the U.S., focusing on disruptive lifestyle brands and start-ups in industries such as surf, apparel, insurance, film & entertainment, and world-changers.
Founded in 2001, the agency is headquartered in coastally-located Oceanside, California's Downtown Arts District.
Learn more about HypeLife Brands and their laser focus on Millennial Marketing at HypeLifeBrands.com