Curt Cuscino; How to Reach the Millennial Market

The millennial market is often misunderstood. For this reason, many startups and brands need help identifying how to reach them.

That’s where our latest guest Curt Cuscino comes in. Curt Cuscino is the CEO and Founder of HypeLife Brands. He’s helped disruptive startups and brands reach the millennial market since 2001.

We talked about the millennial market on the latest episode of The Art of Making Things Happen.

Read on to discover how HypeLife Brands helps brands reach the millennial generation.

Who Are Millennials?

Curt laughs when he hears people talk about how to reach millennials. For 20 years, he has helped brands understand the enigmatic generation.

He explains one problem most brands have is not understanding the wide age gap. He admits there is no definable age range, but they refer to the age range used by Pew Research.

To Cuscino, the millennial generation falls between the birth years of 1980 and 1996. So thinking in reference to ages, that would be between 25 and 41. That’s a difference of almost two decades!

He feels part of the misconceptions about millennials has come from media-driven stereotypes. He states, “The majority of millennials aren’t sitting around eating tide pods.”

Another problem is that people tend to think of millennials as one group. Given their wide age ranges, there are subsections within the misunderstood generation.

What Millennials Look for In Brands

Millennials are a huge, tech-savvy group. They are immersed in the digital experience of consumerism. They are also fiercely opposed to anything fake.

They are bombarded with advertisements all day long, so reaching millennials can’t be done in a conventional way. They have seen the slick tricks and don’t respond to them.

Instead, Cuscino says that millennials want to connect with brands on a personal level. They want to believe in the company’s mission and values.

That’s why HypeLife Brands works with their startup and lifestyle brands to craft their brand story. Millennials want to know a brand’s compelling “why” for starting their brand.

Reaching Millennials Is All About Connection

Cuscino explains that a major focus of marketing for millennials is showing, not telling. He says this is what many brands get wrong.

He explains that many brands will say they are a lifestyle brand when they should be showing it. Millennials need a connection to a brand. That means brands should establish why their brand is important to them.

Cuscino says that millennials have to be able to visualize themselves using your brand. Without that, there’s no connection.

How HypeLife Brands Helps Disruptive Startups and Lifestyle Brands

HypeLife Brands helps brands from idea to market. Cuscino explains it like a pyramid. He says the base is the strategy.

After that comes messaging, look, and other design elements. Last is the building in form and function.

Cuscino explains that he loves working from a blank canvas. It allows them to be creative and less restricted than working with a company tied to certain elements of their marketing.

He likes working with startups and lifestyle brands because they often have the vision but need the extra support to guide them to market.

If you have an idea for a brand and are considering starting a company, reach out to HypeLife Brands for help.

Looking to Reach the Millennial Market in 2021?

Are you looking to reach the millennial market with a new product or service? HypeLife Brands can help. To learn more about their business, please check out their website.

They have a generous amount of millennial-dedicated blog posts to help you.

Liked this article? Check out the interview on The Art of Making Things Happen. For more info about the man behind the mic, coaching services, and more, check out the Steve Sims website.