3 millennial marketing lessons from the selfie

As a member of Generation X, I find selfies to be, well, almost comical. It’s photography taken by oneself, featuring oneself, doing nothing other than being oneself.

Some have started calling millennials “the selfie generation.” But what does the selfie really tell us marketers about the millennial generation?

A lot, I think. With every picture, millennials express themselves and reveal how they prefer to receive information. For marketers, knowing how millennials communicate is key to reaching them and to helping them express themselves through our brands.

Here’s how the selfie gives us insight into the millennial psyche:

Selfish selfies

Sometimes it seems like every single situation, no matter how mundane, is “selfie-worthy” to some millennials. New shirt? Selfie! Arrived at the office on time? Selfie! Just feeling good today? Selfie!

Why the “selfish” selfies? This generation is beyond digital native. They are on the cusp of being mobile natives. They barely remember a world that wasn’t connected via mobile devices.