5 Companies with brand voices that appeal to Millennials

We’re spilling the tea on your favorite brands.

Sydney Wright

Posted by
Sydney Wright on

Aug 18, 2021

Kayti Lahsaiezadeh says, “The Millennial mindset is a kind of cocktail (two parts existential dread, one part workaholism, one part debt — and a half-ounce of hope, to keep us going).” The Millennial (a generation composed of now adults who spent their youth in an ever changing landscape of new tech, social media, and political divide) seems to want to relate to brands more than ever before. Digsite.com reports that “Millennials are loyal about brands, but they are also skeptical about the marketing that’s trying to win their trust.” They tend to gravitate towards brands that seem to understand them, brands with a unique esthetic, and brands that use social media to build a relationship with their audience. In a culture that shares memes instead of business cards, here’s how five brands have taken over the digital landscape by having a unique brand voice that appeals to Millennial buyers.


Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish Coffee is famously known for pushing the limit on their social channels, using their brand voice to attract a young and “hip” audience.

By targeting their audience and playing into the controversial repour that floods the Gen Z and Millennial Twitterverse, they’re able to set themselves apart in the beverage market.

The response:

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While the overall response was positive and inviting from their audience, some people weren’t as open to Death Wish Coffee’s new age of thought. But from the looks of it, they’re doing just fine without @Maramey’s business.


Baltimore City Health Department


In the mission to get the younger population of the City of Baltimore vaccinated, the Baltimore City Health Department took on a new voice – relatability. In their “Get Vaxxed” campaign, they satirically tackled Millennial generational concepts such as mimosa brunches and fad diets in order to encourage community members to join in the fight against COVID-19 in a lighthearted, meme-like manner.

The response:


Slack

An example of Slack’s brand voice is found in somewhere a little less obvious – their app store listing. Here, they chose to forgo their usual update for something a little more personal – a mental health check-in for their customers. As many businesses have turned to Slack to keep their businesses connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a good chance their client base has felt a little added pressure during the last year and a half. Sending this playful, yet thoughtful message that speaks to the brand’s caring culture to their users could be just the thing to deter them from to switching to a competitor.

When posted in a Facebook marketing group, they received an overwhelmingly positive response:


Tushy

Tushy, a bidet attachment company, is all about facing the embarrassing aspect of their product head on, whether it be on their website (their tagline is literally “Stop wiping your butt, start washing with tushy”), social, or even in a podcast advertisement.

Their comical and avant-garde approach to branding has attracted the eyes of partner companies such as Girls Gotta Eat, Buzzfeed, and CNN.

The response:

Even with a headline shaming them for their bold brand voice, Mashable still recommended the product. Not bad, Tushy. Not bad.


TOMS

While the Millennial audience is known for relating to humor (growing up amidst the wars in the Middle East, the Great Recession, countless school shootings, and living through a global pandemic – sometimes we just need a good laugh), they also are known for being more educated and socially conscious than previous generations. This appeal to social and corporate responsibility can be seen through TOMS, a company that has treated their audience like partners opposed to buyers by letting them be apart of their brand story.

TOMS pioneered the “one for one” model, where for every pair of shoes that was sold, they donated a second pair to a child in need. In 2019, they moved away from this model in order to spread their philanthropic endeavors into more diverse organizations. Today, they stand true to their initial rallying call. Not only have they started “Grassroots Good”, a mission to donate one-third of their profits to organizations driving progress on a local level, but are also a Certified B Corp and have teamed with Earthwise with the goal to expand sustainable practices in key areas of their business within the next 5 years.

The response:


Are you looking to build a brand or elevate your current brand’s voice? Akullian Creative can help! Schedule a collaborative chat with us to see how we can help your company thrive!