The Importance of Being Human

Millennial Morph, This brand is people, the importance of being human

Despite what the Supreme Court may say, businesses are not people. Or they’re not in Millennials’ eyes. We came of age in an era where the evil of “the man” was everywhere (Enron, the recession, Super PACs). One of the causes in the Occupy Wallstreet movement (among many others) was pushing to decrease corporations’ stranglehold on the country.

Furthermore, there’s a been a recent movement celebrating local, independent businesses. And it makes sense. Which would you rather give your money to: a faceless machine of a corporation bent on world domination? Or a business where you know the owner and know the goal is to simply make a quality product and succeed?

Long story short: Be a person. There’s plenty of times where doing so was met with resounding appreciation.

Dealing with customer service can be a pain. Which is probably why this awesome exchange with a Netflix customer service rep has been so popular since it was posted on Reddit.

This isn’t an interaction with some bored customer service rep who is pushed to strictly adhering company policy. This is a chat with a fun, dorky guy. You can tell the customer likes him, and would probably be friends with him in real life. And, most importantly, he’s helpful. There’s a reason this was posted with the title “Best. Customer. Service. Exchange. Ever.” Netflix would be smart to encourage their customer service reps to be loose and open like this (if they don’t already). I really hope this guy wasn’t fired for deviating from the norm.

Take another brand with a large Millennial customer base: Taco Bell. Whoever is running its Twitter account deserves an award and/or a high five. What other Twitter account has a BuzzFeed article dedicated to its Tweets? But amidst all the snarky replies and Mean Girl references, there’s a clear message: Taco Bell gets it.
Check out this Tweet from 4/20 (or the unofficial annual weed holiday).
By acknowledging that it was down with 4/20, Taco Bell won itself a lot of appreciation online. Taco Bell wasn’t some giant fast food chain; it was that guy in your dorm rolling a joint and just chilling with you and your friends. And that made it all the more easier to cultivate brand loyalty.
So what’s the lesson here? Be human. It’s easier to be loyal to a person, not a brand. Be a friend. Just don’t try desperately to be cool and accepted (because no one wants to hang out with that guy).


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Millennial Morph

Welcome to the brave new world of Millennial marketing. How do you engage with this drastically different generation? I'll tell you. How do I know? I'm a Millennial.