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Deep(ish) Millennial Thought of the Week

One time in 2020, in the middle of working from home during the early stages of the pandemic, a co-worker gave me the “💅“ emoji as a response in a Slack group. This moment lives rent free in my head to this day.

At the time, I didn’t know what this magenta polish-infused gesturing meant and to this day, I’m still not fully sure. It most definitely was not a sign of support, as the fingernail had been given in response to my (extremely controversial) Millennial take that TikTok would one day be banned in America. Three years later, I’m looking a little smarter with that prediction but still feeling dumb that an emoji response (in a public online group setting with co-workers) admittedly still haunts my thoughts (🥲) every now and then.

Emojis are tough to translate for any generation and perhaps even more confusingly, hold different meanings across different age groups. Weird, right?

As Fast Company pointed out, Millennials not fully grasping the meanings of emojis, or put in another light, Gen Z having alternative interpretations of their appropriate usage, creates just one more barrier to total peace and harmony between us all. The pandemic made the risks of emoji misinterpretation that much greater, particularly in the virtual workplace, as many people were introduced to each other online first and relied on Slack, email, etc. as primary forms of communication.

Me? I’m still not sure how I feel about emojis in general, so much so that I had to poll Twitter to see whether I should put one in the subject line of this email. While fun, I generally like using words to express feelings. That’s a hard enough challenge without adding cartoons to the mix.

That being said, emojis (unlike TikTok thank you very much) are not going away anytime soon. For Millennials to keep up, Curb Your Millennialism has created “The Millennial Guide to Effective Emoji Usage” to make sure you don’t get left behind or look totally out of sync with the world who chooses to use these things.

1. Do your research ahead of time and stay updated on the latest emoji meanings. There are plenty of articles showcasing how we’ve continually screwed this up to bookmark for current and future reference.

2. If you are unsure of the attempted meaning of an emoji, ask for a definition. You may look a little uncool at first, but it’s worth skipping the potential drama later. This works particularly well when trying to relate better with Gen Z.

3. Stick to a maximum of 5-10 clearly understood emojis in your own rotation. I’ve employed this strategy since “💅gate” and it has worked great. I generally recommend playing it safe with 😀, 😂, 💯, 🔥, ❤️, but will occasionally throw in one or two emojis I brand as unique to me (🤘,🤷🏻‍♂️) as means to stand out just a little.

THE VERDICT: Emojis aren’t going anywhere, but with a little research ahead of time and some good general usage practices, you’ll be free of any misinterpretation in no time.

Less Deep(ish) Millennial Stuff of the Week

• LUCKY ENOUGH TO OWN A HOUSE? SWAP IT! Those looking for cheaper summer vacation options may be in luck. As detailed in Axios, home swapping networks are increasing in popularity especially in popular tourist cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

• GEN Z IS FLIPPING FOR… FLIP PHONES? Tired of too much going on within their screens, CNBC recently reported that a growing number of Gen Zs are ditching smart phones for dumb phones. While still only expected to grow to a potential 5% of total phone market sales, this is one trend this emoji-confused Millennial might want to hop on board with. Need something a little more in-the-middle with that is sure to elicit nostalgia? The new(ish) version of our favorite phone growing up is right around the corner.

• GRILLING SEASON HAS ARRIVED! This is not really a news headline, it’s just something that (literally) warms my Millennial heart. Here are some tricks to get the most out of your grills with proper cleaning tips from Wirecutter. (Note: I do not make any commission by including this link. I just love to grill.)

• TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, BUT CHILL DUDE. In addition to spring and summer grilling, what’s better than taking in a baseball game with friends and family? According to the Chicago Cubs, a baseball game with CBD beverages in hand might be the answer for a heightened watching experience. As highlighted by InsideHook, the acclaimed Wrigley Field will be the first to sell a Cannabidiol (CBD) beverage after the team recently acquired MYND Drinks. As I watch my Yankees continue to struggle, I’d definitely be open to trying this in place of the traditional beer. Philly sports fans could certainly benefit from calming down and using beverages for good, not evil.

Millennial Product Spotlight

Last week, I highlighted a short-lived early 90s favorite niche cola. This week, I decided to try something much more modern: my first PRIME beverage.

Launched recently in 2022, PRIME offers sports-focused beverage products that can be quite polarizing depending on how you feel about a) social media sensations and founders of PRIME, Logan Paul & KSI b) celebrity created brands and c) the nutritional impact of its offerings as outlined here. Controversy aside, there is no denying that PRIME is one of the newer brands that has become the talk of CPG Twitter while sending parents nationwide in a frenzy to hunt down its often sold out, non-caffeinated “Hydration Drink” version.

Now let me set the stage for you. I am 37. I do not have kids. The decision to try the 200mg of caffeine-in-a-can PRIME “Energy Drink” (which is not as hard to find as its aforementioned non-caffeinated version) was based pretty much on the following:

1. I am depressingly addicted to caffeine and had missed my second coffee while hopelessly looking for mulch at no less than three locations before ending up at Target. Is there anything more Millennial than that?

2. From a marketing perspective, I’ve been fascinated by how the PRIME team has forced the product into mainstream conversation. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of marketing touchpoints I’ve been exposed to for PRIME over the last year. Sure, it helps when you have over 39 million followers (the amount Logan Paul and KSI have) on your YouTube channels. But the team has been creative. For example, as a result of Logan Paul joining the WWE in 2022, a human PRIME bottle (KSI in costume) was literally one of the stars of Wrestlemania 39.

3. The packaging was clean, bright and stood out. In a crowded fight for consumer attention, sometimes this is all you need to convince me to take a sip.

But enough about the reason why I picked this obscenely pink can up. You are here for the verdict. Did it live up to the hype?

It was too sweet for me.

Taste is subjective and if you like 15/10 on the sweetness scale, you may want to check it out. If you are under 18, pregnant, or nursing, you may not. For what it’s worth, I did finish the can and found myself properly refreshed and caffeinated.

Will I buy this again? Likely not. I like intaking my caffeine the normal adult way: slowly but steadily throughout the day via way too much coffee. For sports hydration, I’ll stick to H2O with the occasional Gatorade. But if I can find PRIME Hydration Drink, I’m willing to give that version a taste test because marketing…

(Note: This is not a paid review, but I’ll take your money instead of using my own if you want to sponsor me in the future!)

Millennial of The Week

Curb Your Millennialism scours the globe to find top Millennials making an impact on the world that embody the spirit of being part of the best generation.

This week we are highlighting Sean Sutherland. Sean is the Founder of Sonny Seltzer, a tequila and sparkling water beverage that played a big part in my Cinco de Mayo festivities. In addition to bringing a delicious drink to the masses, he is a dad, husband and creative director who can be reached here.

Note: In the past, Sean has gifted me some Sonny beverages and some sweet, sweet, merch.

Have someone you feel deserves some special attention? Tweet your suggestions at me for future MOTWs.

That’s all for this episode…

Before I go, a little about me:

I’ve been in omnichannel marketing, business development, sales and operations for startups and big brands alike for over 15 years now. If you’d like to talk with me about consulting, find me on LinkedIn or Twitter or reply to this email. Or you can get creative, I know you have it in you!

Thanks for tuning in. Until next time…