Who better than to ask about the media preferences of millennials than millennials themselves?
That’s exactly what Nielsen did with its second volume of its “Millennials on Millennials” report, and it queried its own associates to get the answers it wanted.
Millennials are the second-largest generation group in the U.S. Its consumers have disposable incomes. But, they differ in many ways from older consumers.
Volume II of Nielsen’s Millennials on Millenials report peeks into the everyday experiences of its own millennial employees, who compiled data and insights about the lifestyles of their peers.
DIGITAL CHOICE, MUSICALLY
What drives millennial media involvement when it comes to music streaming?
Millennials are active listeners of music streaming services and are 21% more likely to frequently choose songs than to let the music play without making changes. They also access digital music more regularly than consumers 35 and older.
While Millennials are active listeners, they’re 18% more likely to use multiple music apps on a monthly basis. In fact, nearly 60% of Millennials use two or more apps for streaming, compared with only 39% of consumers aged 35 and up.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway for the radio industry is that, despite reports that millennials don’t consume radio for music consumption as much as they do digital music, that is a false conclusion.
“In actuality, broadcast radio penetration has remained steady in recent years,” Nielsen notes.
Notably, while digital radio reach has increased steadily over the past five years, Nielsen’s Total Audience Report highlights that tune-in across traditional AM/FM radio remains consistent, as 93% of Millennials listen each week.
Podcasts are also popular, and Millennials are no slouch when it comes to their listening habits. Some 37% percent of Millennials reported listening to podcasts at least once a week, which encompasses daily use. Additionally, Persons 18-34 are almost three times more likely to listen to podcasts daily.
When it comes to social communication platforms, they reach more Millennials than 35+ and at a higher frequency per month. While those 35+ often use digital messaging for one to one communications and are more likely to engage in plain text messaging, Millennials are more likely to message in groups or send videos or photos. Similar to music behavior, Millennials are less likely to use just one digital communication service. And 70% of Millennials use two or more apps for messaging.
“It’s abundantly clear that Millennials approach digital content consumption differently from the rest of the population,” Nielsen says. “More specifically, Millennials are an unfocused audience, not particularly loyal to just one digital music or communication service.”
But, this doesn’t mean Millennials are consuming less content, Nielsen concludes.
“This demographic is engaged with digital services during all waking hours of the day and while there are plenty of digital services from which to choose, Millennials are not choosing either/or, but many, and the opportunities are endless for how marketers and advertisers will capitalize on the plethora of their usage behaviors,” it says.
In this report, Nielsen defines Millennials as persons 18-34.
In future volumes of the report, Millennials will be defined as persons 21-36.
