H&G PERSPECTIVES #2 SWIPE RIGHT
WELCOME
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AKA MILLENNIALS When the oldest was 15
When the youngest was 15
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H&G PERSPECTIVES #2
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CONTENTS THE BASICS THE FINANCIAL DIVIDE ASPIRATION SHIFT MOVING MILESTONES
01 02 03 04
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H&G PERSPECTIVES #2
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CONTENTS NEW SUCCESSES BRANDS HTTING THE MARK SEGMENTATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES
05 06 07 08
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THE BASICS
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THE MILLENNIAL BASICS 01 SWIPE RIGHT
THE BASICS
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THEY’REALL GROWN UP The (media) narrative around Millennials often lingers on their avocado-laden past. And yet the oldest among them (born in 1981) are 45 years old and firmly in middle age. It’s time for brands to reassess their treatment of this generation and market to them as the adults they have become.
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THE BASICS
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THEY’RE COMPLEX There are 1.8 billion of them around the world (340 million in China alone) and 15 million in the UK. So, whilst they were born in the same era and have some common traits, they are too broad to be treated as an amorphous audience by brands. It’s more complicated than that.
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THE BASICS
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MEET THE MILLENNIALS 48% married, 27% single, 25% in relationships.
married
single
in relationships SWIPE RIGHT
THE BASICS
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MEET THE MILLENNIALS 60% have kids and 40% do not.
parents
pre-parent SWIPE RIGHT
THE BASICS
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MEET THE MILLENNIALS 39% are suburb-dwellers, 45% live in cities.
suburban
city-dwellers
other SWIPE RIGHT
THE BASICS
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MEET THE MILLENNIALS 60% own their own homes and 40% do not.
homeowners
other SWIPE RIGHT
FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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THE FINANCIAL DIVIDE 02 SWIPE RIGHT
FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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FINANCIAL REALITYBITES In Deloitte’s 2026 UK survey, 52% of Millennial respondents identify the cost of living as a top concern. Some 43% say they live payslip-topayslip, and 46% have delayed major life decisions because of their financial situation.
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FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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10 YEARS AGO: AN EVEN SPREAD Income of 43-year-olds in 2015 0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
£10,000 or less
£10,001 to £15,000 £15,001 to £20,000 £20,001 to £24,000 £24,001 to £29,000 £29,001 to £34,000 £34,001 to £40,000 £40,001 to £48,000 £48,001 to £60,000 £60,001 to £100,000 £100,001 to £125,000 £125,001 or more
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FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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TODAY: HAVES AND NOTS Income of 43-year-olds in 2025 0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
£10,000 or less £10,001 to £15,000 £15,001 to £20,000 £20,001 to £24,000 £24,001 to £29,000 £29,001 to £34,000 £34,001 to £40,000 £40,001 to £48,000 £48,001 to £60,000 £60,001 to £100,000 £100,001 to £125,000 £125,001 or more
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FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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Housing helps explain why two people born in the same year can inhabit very different consumer worlds. A Resolution Foundation audit found that 36% of recent first-time buyers used gifts from family or friends to help buy their home. Over 50% of all under-40 homeowners had help from family. That means that, whereas 60% of Gen X owned a home at age 30, just 35% of Millennials owned their homes at that age.
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FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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Gen Y
35% OWNED A HOME AT AVGMARRIAGE AGE: 33 £45K+ STUDENT DEBT 25% LIVE W/ PARENTS Gen X
60% OWNED A HOME AT AVGMARRIAGE AGE: 28 MINIMAL DEBT 10%LIVEW/ PARENTS SWIPE RIGHT
FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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Coupled with this, in the past 5 years … Consumer prices have increased by 28%, and food by 39%. So a meal that cost £100 in 2021 cost £139 last year and even more now. Electricity prices have increased by 27% and gas by 95%. All the while, wages have been lagging inflation.
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FINANCIAL DIVIDE
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A salary tells us what someone earns. For this audience in particular, housing costs, levels of family support and caring responsibilities tell us much more about what they can actually spend. That distinction should be absolutely critical to any Millennial brief – the divides are wider than ever and have a more profound impact on behaviour and attitudes as a result.
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ASPIRATION SHIFT
ASPIRATION SHIFT
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03 SWIPE RIGHT
ASPIRATION SHIFT
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ASPIRATION SHIFT Financial pressure does not erase taste. It makes the trade-offs involved more important and evident. Someone can buy supermarket ownlabel groceries and spend heavily on a gig. They can wear second-hand clothes and save for a particular hotel. They can cut several subscriptions while keeping the one that makes a difficult week more enjoyable.
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ASPIRATION SHIFT
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For planning purposes, this is a useful way to think about Millennial spending: look for the things people protect, as well as the things they cut. The same household may be cautious in one category and extravagant in another.
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MOVING MILESTONES
MOVING MILESTONES
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MOVING MILESTONES
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MOVING MILESTONES Millennials grew up with a recognisable account of how adult life would unfold. Qualifications would lead to a decent job. A decent job would help pay for a home. Stability would follow.
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MOVING MILESTONES
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For many, those connections have weakened. Being professionally established can coexist with renting a room. A couple with good salaries can still depend on grandparents to make the working week possible. Someone who looks affluent online may have very little financial room to manoeuvre. And that creates a gap between outward adulthood and the security people expected to accompany it.
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NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS
NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS
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NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS
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NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS Brands need a wider picture of progress. A first home can be a milestone. So can making a rented flat feel personal, rebuilding after a separation or choosing a life without children. With buying a home or starting a family delayed or redefined, Millennials are shifting their focus to personal growth, everyday resilience and “romanticising the ordinary,” reclaiming control and finding joy in bite-sized victories. SWIPE RIGHT
NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS
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“I have seen too many people in my career think that there is some natural progression in life … Unfortunately, life doesn’t know it is supposed to follow a schedule.” Ruth Porat
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NEW FORMS OF SUCCESS
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Brands can recognise these moments without turning them into consolation prizes. Show people improving the circumstances they have. Offer useful ways to do it. Give their choices the same dignity marketing gives the wedding, the mortgage and the new baby. The opportunity is to make more forms of adult life visible. There is aspiration in a life that follows a different order. SWIPE RIGHT
BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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BRANDS HITTING THE MARK 06 SWIPE RIGHT
BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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KOMPISHÄNG BY IKEA The KOMPISHÄNG collection by IKEA is the brand’s direct response to “nomadic living” and Millennial and Gen Z rental trends. Launched globally in 2026, this 13-piece lineup addresses the reality of young urban dwellers who view moving not as a one-time life milestone, but as a repeating rhythm dictated by rising rents and career mobility.
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BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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“A bed you can carry on your back, a folding table with its own handle, a giant shopping bag on wheels … the collection is made to keep up with those moments when life suddenly takes you in a new direction.” The launch of IKEA’s KOMPISHÄNG portable furnishing collection SWIPE RIGHT
BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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AFFABLE AFOLS LEGO’s adult offer is an instructive example. The company explicitly invites adults to build for enjoyment and rediscover play, and the proposition demonstrates how a brand can give a childhood interest a credible place in adult life. In this case the brand uses nostalgia to offer an indulgence: a screen-free investment of time in something they feel they are doing for themselves. SWIPE RIGHT
BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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“Rich in LEGO, broke in life.” Common ‘Adult Fans of LEGO’ refrain
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BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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STRAVA CONNECTIONS Strava reported rapid growth in clubs on its platform in 2025, with hiking clubs increasing 5.8-fold and running clubs 3.5-fold. They offer a useful model for participation: a shared activity gives people a reason to turn up and an easy way to talk. Community becomes valuable when it fits into someone’s week. The brand earns its place by making that possible. SWIPE RIGHT
BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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“Gyms and run clubs are increasingly being positioned as alternative spaces for socialising, offering the energy of a night out but without the hangover.” MINTEL, Wellness Report
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BRANDS HITTING THE MARK
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VINTED: THE VALUE OF EVERYTHING In its Impact Report, Vinted found 41% of those surveyed said they considered resale value before buying something new. Millennials now assess the longer-term cost (and value) of ownership, so brands need to explain why a product earns its place in someone’s life. A low price can matter, but so too can durability, reliability or the number of times something will be used. SWIPE RIGHT
MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION07 SWIPE RIGHT
MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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With 15m of them in the UK alone and the divides we’ve outlined, it’s clear we can’t treat all Millennials the same. We need to dig deeper to understand the different mindsets and world views of this very complex generation. So we have identified four broad segments: the Urban Independent, the Suburban Settler, the Millennial Rebounder and Millennial Wealth. With the exception of the latter, which is the smallest segment, each accounts for roughly the same number of people.
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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1.
URBAN INDEPENDENTS Living smart, not settling down.
Looking for things that save time, signal taste, and skip the performance. Look for convenience, culture, creator economy, brand authenticity and reject over-curated content and hustle narratives.
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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Getting it right …
THE ORDINARY: MARKUP MARCHE SWIPE RIGHT
MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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2.
SUBURBAN SETTLERS
We grew up, but we’re still cool
Navigating cost-of-living pressures and childcare challenges with digital-first savvy. Look for value for money, brand maturity, modern parenting and reject a patronising tone or one-size-fits-all family marketing.
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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Getting it right …
TOMMEE TIPPEE: MATRESENCE SWIPE RIGHT
MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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3.
MILLENNIAL REBOUNDERS Resetting isn’t failure, it’s clarity
Navigating a financially broken system with emotional intelligence. Embrace flexibility and a growth mindset, rejecting shame-based marketing and performative resilience.
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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Getting it right …
REFORMATION DIVORCE EDIT SWIPE RIGHT
MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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4.
MILLENNIAL WEALTH
Made it work. The system helped
Conscious that family wealth has played a key role in enabling upward mobility. Looking for purpose-led innovation and quiet luxury, rejecting flashy aspiration.
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MILLENNIAL SEGMENTATION
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Getting it right …
RATHBONES: INVES WELL, LIVE WELL SWIPE RIGHT
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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MINDSET FIRST Be clear on the mindset and segment you want to target and go deep on what you can do for them both at their particular life stage and in relation to how they feel about your category.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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FILL THEIR CASTLE Find ways to fit in with wherever and however they live – owning, renting or camping out – and help them make their home their palace.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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GSOH Communicate with knowing wit and savvy, alongside a pinch of worldly cynicism – an acknowledgement that things didn’t go the way they were supposed to, but worked out nonetheless.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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HUMANITY Always consider the unintended consequences for people, society and the planet.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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SAVVY X QUALITY Satisfy their savvy tendency with the right balance between low price and high quality.
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