Tapping into the latest trends to appeal to Mexico’s Millennials

While Mexican Millennials are at a variety of life stages with a range of different responsibilities and needs, they are broadly united in their love for the fun and different, including new experiences, food, flavors and tech. This presents exciting new opportunities for brands to explore in a post-COVID Mexico.

Both younger and older Millennials are driven by new adventures

Around half of Millennials look for new foods and flavors to try all or most of the time, and a similar proportion say that they love trying new experiences. This is true for those in their twenties, who may be living alone or with their parents and those in their thirties, who are now starting families of their own. With half of Millennials also saying that being made locally will be among the most important factors when choosing food post-COVID, brands should look to combine their love of new flavors and experiences with their interest in local food.

For example, Burger King’s campaign for its Tamarindo King burger, which was inspired by La Quebrada cliff divers and aims to encourage consumers to get out there and try new things.

And while the drink space has seen quite a few tamarind-inspired launches, it remains a relatively untapped ingredient for the food category (except for in confectionary and sauces). This is just one flavor where brands could look to take advantage of Mexico’s local ingredients to innovate when it comes to food.

‘Less-but-better’ will help keep up interest in premium and indulgent foods

The stay-at-home situation caused by the pandemic has increased consumption of both premium and indulgent food and drink, as consumers try to elevate their in-home experiences.

Yet, the pandemic also has Millennials worried about health and finances and now, in this downturn economy, premium ranges will be challenged to justify their price points. Brands should help consumers find ways to treat themselves in smaller ways that will do less damage to their finances and diets, while still offering moments of pleasure.

Positioning products around ‘less-but-better’ is a creative way to market premium items in a more affordable and weight-friendly way, allowing consumers to justify buying these more indulgent products.

Gaming influencers can help brands connect with Millennials

With people spend more time at home, the gaming market also boomed in 2020. Between January and July 2020 the percentage of Millennials who said that they regularly played video games doubled. This level of video game adoption creates opportunities to either bring a gaming element to online campaigns to make them fun and interactive or to partner with gaming influencers and platforms to create in-game ads that are in line with players’ interests.

Even when almost half of Millennials say that their dietary choices are not swayed by social media influencers, there’s no doubt that gaming influencers entering this space can help brands connect with younger generations. Since 2019, Knorr Mexico has teamed up with gaming influencer SirPotasio to promote some of the brand’s launches on Instagram, but brands have a unique opportunity to stand out by partnering with some rising female gamers, such as Paola del Castillo.

Redefining the concept of beauty by raising awareness of self-love

In light of the pandemic, beauty and grooming habits are changing as consumers focus more on skincare than on makeup, with two in five Millennials saying they were wearing less makeup due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, a similar proportion said that they had added a new step to their facial skincare routine in the three months prior to July 2020.

Some makeup brands such as GOC are responding to this shift by extending into skincare with face toner, face shampoo, micellar water and an astringent.

There is also a general trend that sees Millennials feeling pressured to always look good and as a result, they seek beauty products that can boost their self-esteem. Brands need to respond to this demand by redefining the concept of beauty and raise awareness of self-love and self-development.

Despite different life stages, it is clear that Millennials share a love for new experiences, are avid users of digital tech and are on a quest for self-love and self-expression. Brands need to move fast to tap into and capitalize on these trends and in doing so capture the imagination of this influential generation.