MTV India YMF: How to market to the Millenials

Marketing to youth will always be in fashion, especially since more than 54% of India’s population is under 24 years of age. But according to MTV India’s latest Youth Trends Study, India ’s millennials are re-inventing themselves. Confident, curious, hardworking, and always connected, Storyboard’s Animesh Das reports that youth speak is a language that every marketer is keen to understand and interpret.

Happy. Optimistic. Connected. Pragmatic. Prepared. Hard Working. And Curious. MTV India’s ninth youth marketing forum threw up these words to describe the youth of today. Defined as the 13-25 year age group, the ‘Millenials’ comprises a thinking generation which believes in self-analysis, planning and prepping. One that believes that being your best self is better than being the world’s best.

Aditya Swamy, EVP and business head, MTV India, says, “A key takeouts that is universal is that respect is the new reward. It’s not so much about money, but it is about what I do, and am I seeing to be getting the respect from my peers and the people around me. There’s a lot of connection between positive life values, with family. People want to be seen to be doing the right thing, rather than just getting to the top. And that is something - the positivity - that brands can really tap in to.”

Born in the digital age, this generation’s direct connect to the world through the internet makes them dream big, the study finds. With the majority of Milllenials being happy and optimistic by nature, this generation is ready to make the most of what life hands them every day.

“Rebellion as a core youth behaviour or characteristic is over. Young people do not have to fight the system. Their parents are with them, their parents are collaborators, co-conspirators. And the system works for them,” adds Swamy.