Last week at AT&T in Atlanta, I had the honor of bringing The Hunt to the Brand Innovator’s conference “Marketing to Millennials” as a keynote speaker. Millennials are Generation Y – and the Y stands for “WHY”… These are a generation of people with incredible buying power who respect transparency and relationships. They strive to be indefinable but they might just be the biggest group of Above & Clear hunters this world has ever seen.
I say that because a Desired Outcome is key for this group. They want to work, but on their own terms. They want to be defined by their very lack of description. And I’m fairly sure not one of them wants to wear the label of “hunter” but that’s exactly what they are. Unconventional, untethered and free, Millennials are reimagining this world and shaping their future based on what they know they don’t want.
Here are the Pillars of The Hunt, redefined for the Millennial Generation:
Consciousness: Millennials know how to be present, in the moment, alive and aware. They rise above the noise and clutter of their ego and are able to predict developments and stay on track.
Authenticity: In this world of social media, authenticity strikes hard and fast with Millennials. Do not hide behind a Facebook or Twitter handle and expect to get away with it. Authenticity and transparency go hand-in-hand and millenials want to know about and then build a relationship with your brand in order to trust it.
Leverage: Millenials leverage their minds and power at every opportunity. They know their value and use it to define everything from their work hours and location to their benefit package.
Real-Time Execution: If there is anyone who understands real-time, it’s Millennials. They were raised in a world of reality TV and Twitter as a source of news before it gets to CNN or (gasp!) traditional news channels. They know how to execute in real time, targeting on-going decisions to that ever-present DO.
Flow: The gold medal, the true prize. Everything this generation does it to reach a state of Flow, where the targets line up and come to them directly. They see the world clearly, own their Desired Outcomes and are committed to doing what it takes to claim them. They align their actions and decisions with their authentic motivations building on their relationship and creating their own Hunt.
I’m was born a decade too late to be a Millennial, but I embody so many of their truths: doing what I love, so work is my joy; balancing life with work, so I get to enjoy my life; knowing that the trail I leave behind is as important as the one in front of me. Millennials are the new badass hunters and I cannot wait to see the trophies they start bringing home. Who will be the next Mark Zuckerberg?
