New Quad Report Gives Insights on Marketing to Millennials; How They Value Print

SUSSEX, Wis. — March 17, 2016 — Quad/Graphics, a leading global provider of print and marketing services, has released "Millennials: An Emerging Consumer Powerhouse," a report spotlighting best methods for marketers, advertisers and media partners to capture the attention of the connected Millennial market, defined as those born between 1981 and 1997. The report:

• Explores Millennials’ media engagement preferences and attitudinal behaviors across five key industry verticals: grocery, Retail, restaurant, automobile and financial services.
• Examines the impact various media channels have on their behavior and, ultimately, their purchasing decisions. These channels include, but are not limited to, catalogs, mobile, direct mail, email, social media, retail inserts and magazines.
• Reinforces that omnichannel marketing campaigns should include more than just digital channels. Traditional channels like print can be used to elevate brand awareness and drive traffic online.

Joel Quadracci

“By 2020, Millennial spending power will surge to an estimated $1.4 trillion — just as they are reaching key life milestones such as getting married, purchasing a home and becoming parents,” says Joel Quadracci, chairman, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics. “It is critical for marketers in these industry segments to capture the attention and influence of these consumers early on in their buying journey.”

Key findings from the research are:

• Even though Millennials are the most digital-savvy generation, surprisingly more than half ignore digital advertising, and instead pay the greatest attention to direct mail and print advertising.
• More than half of Millennials read retail email, more than any other type of email marketing.
• Fewer than one in 10 Millennials based a purchase decision on what’s happening in a social network.
• Nearly half of Millennial mobile users discovered new brands by following, liking, pinning or tweeting information on social media.
• Millennials are cost-conscious, multichannel consumers who actively shop from catalogs and retail inserts using print and mobile coupons.
• Nearly half of Millennials made a purchase because of something they read about in a magazine.

“Millennials are a connected, media-astute generation who are completely in control of when and how they engage with content across an ever-growing number of media channels,” Quadracci relays. “This has created a crisis of measurement for marketers who are challenged to optimize their marketing spend across channels to break through the clutter, engage with the end user, and increase response and loyalty. Our report shows that Millennials engage with different channels for different reasons with all of them contributing value on the path to purchase. Further, our research supports that brands perform better when using a balanced approach with online and offline channels.”

The findings in "Millennials: An Emerging Consumer Powerhouse" were gathered from Quad/Graphics’ proprietary Customer Focus 2015 Research Study, as well as from external research authorities, including Pew Research, Nielsen and Annalect, among others. Customer Focus is a quantitative annual survey of 2,500 adults, a solid representative sample of demographic U.S. Census estimates. Millennials made up the largest share of the U.S. workforce as of Q1 2015 and, in 2016, Millennials will surpass Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) in population size for the first time in history.

For the complete "Millennials: An Emerging Consumer Powerhouse" report or more information on Quad/Graphics Consumer Focus research, visit http://www.QG.com/millennials-an-emerging-consumer-powerhouse or contact Ashley Durkin-Rixey at (202) 223-4933 or adurkin@stantoncomm.com.

About Quad/Graphics
At the forefront of innovation for 45 years, Quad/Graphics (NYSE: QUAD) is a leading print and marketing services provider focused on helping brand owners market their products, services and content more efficiently and effectively across media channels. With a consultative approach, worldwide capabilities, leading-edge technology and single-source simplicity, Quad/Graphics has the resources and knowledge to help a wide variety of clients in distinct vertical industries, including but not limited to retail, publishing, healthcare, insurance and financial. The company helps its clients perform better in today’s rapidly changing world through the integration of print products with complementary services to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, lift response and increase revenue. Quad/Graphics provides a diverse range of print and related products, services and solutions from multiple locations throughout North America, South America and Europe, as well as strategic partnerships in Asia and other parts of the world.

Source: Quad/Graphics.