NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NewsCred, the world’s leading content marketing platform, today announced the results of its quantitative millennial research study, ‘The Millennial Mind: How Content Drives Brand Loyalty,’ revealing that educational, truthful, and personalized content has a strong influence on US millennials’ brand loyalty and purchase behaviors.
NewsCred’s ‘Millennial Mind’ study surveyed 501 US millennials and was conducted by MBC Research in October 2014. The results reveal that:
- Nearly two-thirds (62%) of those surveyed feel that online content drives their loyalty to a brand - yet the content they’re receiving is turning them off by not helping them navigate their everyday problems, being too long, sales-driven, and not tailoring messaging to individual cultural interests.
- Only 12% of respondents declared their active dislike for marketing communications showing that personalized, funny, intelligent, and helpful content marketing has an open door to drive millennials’ loyalty and purchase decisions.
“Millennials today value quality over quantity when it comes to content marketing. Our survey data shows that the most important driver of brand loyalty for millennials is a great product at 77%, followed closely by brand recognition and trust at 69%. To me, this is an awesome sign for brands,” said Shafqat Islam, CEO and Co-founder, NewsCred. “Millennials don’t want to have to work to find the value in a sea of sales messages. Brands can earn millennials’ trust, loyalty, and share of wallet with the right content – but they need to invest in being a helpful partner that respects the characteristics, interests, and qualities that make each millennial unique.”
NewsCred’s survey results show that US millennials are especially receptive to content directly from brands, potentially even more so than content from their friends. The survey showed that:
- Millennials are most commonly interacting with brands via social media (49%) or a brand’s owned websites (54%).
- Social endorsements, once considered a leading driver in brand awareness and customer acquisition, were shown to have a smaller impact than expected in the NewsCred survey. Only 26% of respondents said they prefer brands their friends use, while 30% shared that they like branded content their friends share and that it helps them discover new content.
- The majority of millennials (52%) did cite content’s relevancy to their circle of friends as a motivator in sharing content themselves.
Based on the data, it’s clear that millennials look to branded content to gain knowledge and be entertained:
- Whether seeking out information to solve a particular challenge unique to themselves or looking to access a short piece of content for a laugh, purchase decisions are predicated on content being interesting and educational (35%) as well as authentic and truthful without being sales-y (31%).
To download the full results of NewsCred’s ‘Millennial Mind’ study, visit http://newscred.com/theacademy/learn/millennial-mind
About NewsCred
NewsCred is the world’s leading content marketing platform. We’re powering marketing technology for the future – helping brands transform the way they connect with people, build brand love, and win more customers.
Our cutting-edge technology enables top brands such as Pepsi, P&G, Dell, General Electric, and AIG to create amazing content experiences with simplicity, speed, and global scale. We provide brands with a single platform to streamline the entire marketing process -- from unparalleled audience insights, content recommendations, and brand compliance, to social publishing, distribution, and analytics. In one place, brands gain exclusive access to the world's largest content marketplace, licensed content from 5,000 leading publishers, original bespoke content from winning creators, and user-generated content from your brand’s biggest fans.
NewsCred is on a mission to help marketers create content people love, and prove that great content will drive long-term business growth. Learn more at newscred.com and follow us on Twitter @newscred
