Millennial men are very in tune with brands

Look out ladies, we are getting pushed aside! Millennial men are taking over as key consumer influencers, a title we've held for years.

Millennial men are the most likely of any group within the population to be word-of-mouth influencers, according to a new report from social media monitoring platform Engagement Labs.

CEO Ed Keller says they noticed a seismic shift from millennial men versus a decade ago. Ed says they're talking about brands on a daily basis at a higher level than any other group in the population,

Millennial men are also having twice as many brand-related conversations than any other men, and about 50 percent more than millennial women. And, Ed says, they're not just talking about typically male categories like sports or beer. They're talking about children's products and personal care products, too.

Millennial men are more likely than other men to talk about Barbie and Fisher Price toys, which is a reflection of the life stage they're in. They're also talking about brands like Nivea. And they're more likely to be talking about financial services brands like Bank of America, Citibank, and MetLife.

Ed says they were shocked to see how millennial men have become word-of-mouth influencers over the past decade and how they've really outpaced millennial women. He says it was an "A-ha" moment for Engagement Labs and think it's going to be a big "A-ha" for people in the marketplace, too.

That means brands need to rethink their strategies to focus on millennial men and do it the right way.

Ed says Axe is a company that's nailing it. Axe launched a campaign a year ago that, Ed says, really fits the millennial man's mindset. It's all about individuality and finding your magic. Axe present images of all different types of men, saying "Whoever you are, that's fine, embrace it and live that life."

Engagement Labs says millennial men are talking about brands not only on social media, but also when they're hanging out with their friends. They call this "from URL to IRL (in real life)".

Ed says when millennial men use social media, it's most often Twitter, Tumblr, or LinkedIn.

Women engage more often on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.

www.engagementlabs.com