Companies That Spam are Likely to Lose Millennial Consumers


It is commonly believed that high volume marketing yields positive results for a brand. More advertising equals more sales, right? In reality, this does not seem to be the case when it comes to consumers who fall into the millennial generation.

Though the millennial generation has proven to be the most connected through multiple social media networks, the way in which they prefer to be contacted is different than one might assume.

There is a certain type of person, known as a “high volume sensitive” consumer, that is extremely likely to completely cut ties with brands that send a large amount of generic messages and advertisements. A research analytics firm called Aimia has disclosed that eighty percent or more of these sensitive consumers will block all phone calls, unsubscribe from emails, and delete all phone apps from companies that regularly send a high volume of notifications. The average consumer receives around seventy different marketing attempts by way of email, text message, or push notification per week. To sensitive consumers, this is enough to drive him or herself away from the brand altogether.

A millennial consumer is likely to be willing to share their email address or phone number to a brand, but according to Aimia’s vice president, “Millennials are the ‘always on’ generation, but it is a mistake for marketers to make assumptions about their communications preferences. Just because a person shares their details with a brand does not mean they want to be inundated with lots of generic messages.”

Perhaps instead of “spamming” customers with a high volume of communication, it seems that it may be a better option for brands to reduce the frequency of their marketing in favor of making their content more personalized to better fit each consumer.