"You are the steward of the cluster that’s drawn to your brand.” Today, we’re simultaneously in control of our brands and not in control, as we build an increasingly diverse audience across diffused media platforms and touch points. It’s this dynamic that Gabriella Mirabelli spends most of her time helping big media and tech brands navigate. We talked about millennials, media brands, and more this week on the On Brand podcast.
 About Gabriella Mirabelli
Gabriella Mirabelli is the foremost authority on translating millennial behavioral trends for executives at major media enterprises. She was listed on Inc. as one of the "5 Unsung Heroes of New Media" and is the CEO and co-founder of ANATOMY, a New York based, Emmy Award winning creative agency and branding consultancy. As the host of The Up Next Podcast, she talks with the brightest innovators, risk takers, and disrupters on the front lines of change from Hollywood, Wall St., Silicon Valley, and beyond.
Over the last half decade, Gabriella has studied how the practices of media brands intersect with the media consumption habits of millennials. Her most recent in-depth report “Millennials At the Gate” is an examination of streaming, ad blocking, and piracy habits of young millennials. It has been cited by major publications such as Forbes, The Wrap, MediaPost, and Yahoo Finance.
Episode Highlights
What are the top millennial behavioral trends that brand builders need to be aware of? First, Gabriella focuses on what she calls "young millennials — ages 18–24. Two-thirds of millennials are ad blocking. Sixty-nine percent are pirating and, of those, 67% think there’s nothing wrong with that."
How can we translate these trends into brand initiatives? “It’s all about the touch points, the overall experience. Social platforms are giving that emotional payoff.” As brand builders, we have to make sure that we’re creating a brand that means something to our audience.
Surrendering control of our brands. “We’re both in control and not in control of our brands today. You are the steward of the cluster that’s drawn to your brand. Apple is a great example of this."
When it comes to media, are we marketing the show — content brands — or the larger network brand? As Gabriella noted, “I have a strong opinion about this. It’s the show brand. You go to see the show. You don’t go to the AMC theater. You go to see the movie playing there. Unless you’re an art house theater that curates and adds meaning. They’re about creating a better experience with real butter on the popcorn, where the ushers care about film.”
What brand has made Gabriella smile recently? “Netflix. And what I love is that they don’t market to me obnoxiously but they still have meaning to me. They care about audience and experience."
To learn more, go to Gabriella’s podcast website (UpNextPodcast.com) and check out the ANATOMY website.
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