Millennials and Brands

Brands are defined as a construct in which the brand becomes an interface between the firm's activities and consumers' interpretations (de Chernatony & Dall'Olmo Riley, 2010). While millennials are sometimes viewed as active and engaged consumers who purposely seek out brands to connect, interact and in some cases collaborate with brands (Tanyel et al., 2013; Gurau, 2012; Moore, 2012; Lantos, 2014). Fournier and Avery’s (2011) perspective suggests that, brands are in a way invading the social space of consumers, and that social media was created for people and not for brands. This study aims to find out the role brands play in the lives of university-aged millennials through social media. The literature review discusses relevant literature, which partly helped guide the analysis of the thesis. A qualitative content analysis approach through a hybrid thematic analysis method was used to answer the research question. The findings of the research suggest that brands play a role in the everyday lives of millennials through informing, inspiring, and connecting them with others. Through the use of brand marketing strategies such as relational and (virtual) experiential and in some cases collaborative marketing, brands are able to engage with their consumers and vice-versa. The findings adapt these strategies to social media elements and reveal which techniques work best or were more prevalent in the findings of the study. In general relational marketing strategies such as financial, social, and structural bonds were found to be a way to highly engage students. Experiential marketing strategies were also found as an important aspect especially when connected to inspiration and motivation as a role in the lives of students. In regards to consumers connecting with others through brands, co-creation of value for the brand can be formed through eWOM. The implications towards theory and practice are discussed in detail.