Message to Marketers: How Male and Female Millennials Respond to Different TV Ads

By John Consoli -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/17/2012 1:20:10 PM

Marketers are well aware of the upside of reaching millennials - those in the 13-34 age demo -- but a new study by Nielsen says advertisers need to be careful of how they reach out to each gender, finding that males and females are drawn to very different types of TV commercials.

As far as the tone of the commercials, female millennials like upbeat ads with high-energy scenes and lively music. Male millennials like action-oriented or humorous commercials.

Female millennials prefer commercials with strong and inspirational female celebrities, while male millennials like commercials with competition and extreme imagery.

In the area of humor, female millennials like commercials that are silly but not mean-spirited, while males like commercials that are edgy, sarcastic and a bit offbeat.

Female millennials appreciate characters in pleasant situations that they can identify with, while males like to see regular guys in exaggerated situations.

Nielsen also released results from its latest Cross-Platform Report, which shows that women ages 18-49 watch roughly 11 more hours of traditional TV a month than men in the same demo. Women 50-plus years old watch 22 more hours of traditional TV a month than men 50-plus. Overall, women 18-49 spend about 148 hours a month watching traditional TV, while men 18-49 watch about 137 hours. Women over 50 watch about 215 hours of traditional TV per month, compared to 193 for the average 50-plus man.

In the under 17 demo, females watch only about an hour more of traditional TV per month than males  - 107 hours compared to 106 hours.

Men 18-49 spend about an hour-and-a-half more per month on the Internet than women in the demo -- 7 hours and 42 minutes on average, compared to 6 hours and 14 minutes. Men 50-plus spend 4 hours and 27 minutes per month using the Internet while women in the demo spend an average of 3 hours and 42 minutes per month.

The gap between male and female millennials under 17 years of age is closer with Internet usage. Males under 17 spend 2 hours and 58 minutes using the Internet per month, while females under 17 spend 2 hours and 32 minutes online.

With mobile phones, men in the 18-49 age group spend an average 5 hours and 11 minutes per month on those devices, while females 18-49 spend a relatively close 4 hours and 59 minutes. However, women 50-plus average 5 hours and 21 minutes on mobile phones per month, while men 50-plus average 3 hours and 46 minutes.

The message from Joe Stagaman, executive VP, advertising effectiveness analytics for Nielsen, regarding gender when preparing ad campaigns is: "Don't ignore gender and the nuances; use them to your advantage. Recognizing different perspectives based on gender offers marketers opportunities to create ads with clever, unique approaches. "