Millennials Trust Peers’ Content Over All Else

As if advertisers needed more proof that millennials are avoiding traditional media, a new study from marketing startup Crowdtap and research company Ipsos reveals just that: millennials will almost always trust their peers over traditional media sources. User generated content (UGC) – including status updates, blog posts, and other types of reviews – is viewed as 50% more trustworthy, 20% more influential, and 35% more memorable than traditional forms of media. Of the 18 hours per day that Millenials spend with media, 30% is with UGC, and 71% of media consumption is on social networks. The most important metric for marketers and advertisers, though, is that 68% trust peer reviews and 74% trust conversations with friends over TV, Print, and Radio. The point: UGC is king with millennials, and is the key to driving purchases, from cars, to clothing, to appliances.