Will Millennial travelers switch to JetBlue because of their 'GreenUp" effort?

In celebration of Earth Month (Earth Day is April 22) JetBlue is launching a "GreenUp" effort.  It's a contest.  Consumers nominate their favorite environmental-focused nonprofits and the winner receives a $20,000 grant; three runner-ups receive $5,000 each.

Consumers who participate are entered in a separate contest where the winner will have their carbon footprint retired and runner-ups will receive free tickets.  All participants are being invited to join JetBlue's volunteering efforts.  (Gazdik, 2019)

Interesting. Millennials talk a lot about being green.  Unfortunately their actions do not follow their words.  Research shows that the older you are the more green you are.

According to a Harris Poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, here's the percentage of people who regularly recycle in each age range:

·         65+: 54%

·         35+: 48%

·         35 - 44: 43%

·         18 - 34: 33%

Clearly there's room for improvement across the board. (Leblanc, 2016)

But that having been said, Millennials do like to be considered green.  So they would undoubtedly welcome becoming part of a "green tribe."  That might bode well for the "volunteer with us" part of the effort.  And entering a contest is a relatively low commitment that anyone can participate in.

But what about actually switching airlines?

The video that JetBlue posted on YouTube makes their case by noting that they are investing in fuel savings technology and planting trees.  You can watch it here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_kKWI8JdVI&feature=youtu.be

But per mile, per passenger, flying is the most greenhouse intensive mode of transportation.  One cross country round-trip produces emissions equal to 10.5% of  an average American's annual carbon footprint.

And based on this chart is appears that JetBlue is below average in fuel efficiency versus other airlines.  Not that there seems to be much difference.

But of course most people won't check the research so it's unlikely that this knowledge will influence them.  But they may see the video or other elements of the campaign.  Which brings us full circle. 

So, will you watch the video and participate in JetBlue's contest?  Will you join their volunteer efforts?  Most importantly, will you fly JetBlue if other lower price choices are available?  What do you think other Millennials will do?

Gazdik, T. (2019, April 8) JetBlue Launches 'GreenUp" Effort.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2019, from  https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/334195/jetblue-launches-greenup-effort.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=113437&hashid=ybq2buULrntyGS6NfbELk0afrrI

LeBlanc, R. (2016, September 9)  Recycling Beliefs Vary Between Generations, Says Study.  thebalancesmb.com.  Retrieved October 23, 2018, from

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/who-recycles-more-young-or-old-2877918

McDonnell, T. (2015, June 5)  Here's Why Obama Is Cracking Down on Airplane Pollution.  motherjones.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2019, from

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/06/aviation-charts/

 

Can McCormick coax Millennials into cooking by partnering with BuzzFeed?

Millennials don't cook much.  Last June UBS published a 82 page report entitled "Is the Kitchen Dead?"  In it they predicted that by the year 2030 most meals would be cooked outside of the home and delivered. (Chong, 2018)

As a company that makes spices for home cooking, McCormick must have been pretty discouraged by that finding.  But 2030 is still a while away and in the meantime they have an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that at the moment some consumers do cook.  But not surprisingly the percentage that does, decreases with age.

Frequency of Cooking at Home by Generation

generation	Everyday	A couple times a week	Once a week	A couple times a month or less	Never
Millennials	49%	37%	6%	5%	3%
Gen X	58%	32%	5%	4%	1%
Boomers	62%	29%	3%	4%	2%
Silent	62%	24%	3%	6%	4%

 

gobranded.com (Miles, 2017)

Which brings us to the question of how to engage Millennials in cooking.  Enter BuzzFeed and Tasty.  In case you missed it, according to the latest data, BuzzFeed has a global audience of 650 million people and reaches 60% of Millennials in the U.S. (Smith, 2019)

While Tasty currently has about 4 million subscribers who are looking at 700 million videos weekly. (2019)

Perhaps more importantly, Buzzfeed has shared data about Millennial cooking and shopping trends and McCormick has used these to develop new Tasty Seasonings Blends with flavors such as Fiery, Zesty and Jazzy, which will be introduced this spring.  (Guaglione, 2019)

I have to admit as a Baby Boomer those designations don't do much for me.  But then again I am not the target for the effort.  But perhaps I should be, as it is easier to convince a customer who is already using your product to use it more, than it is to get a new customer.

Or perhaps Gen X would have been a better target.  They're already cooking more than Millennials, and since they are 39 - 54, their doctors are probably getting on their cases to clean up their eating habits.  And then there's Gen Z, who maybe spearheading a back-to-basics approach to life.

So, what do you think?  Does it make sense to target Millennials given the availability of relevant data and a medium that reaches them?  Or would it make more sense to reach out to a different segment?  Perhaps a different generation?  Or ethnicity/gender?

Chong, A. (2018, June 26)  Millennials Are Ordering More Food Delivery, But Are They Killing The Kitchen, Too?  forbes.com.  Retrieved April 2, 2019, from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/06/26/millennials-are-ordering-food-for-delivery-more-but-are-they-killing-the-kitchen-too/#554f439f393e

Miles, K. (2107, October 24)  To Cook Or Not To Cook? Generational Differences In Cooking Habits.  gobranded.com.  Retrieved April 2, 2019, from  https://gobranded.com/branded-poll-to-cook-or-not-to-cook/

Smith, C. (2019, March 24)  38 Amazing BuzzFeed Statistics and Facts (2019)  dmr.com.  Retrieved April 2, 2019, from  https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/buzzfeed-statistics/

(2019, April 1)  Channel Changes For Tasty.  statsheep.com.  Retrieved April 2, 2019, from

https://www.statsheep.com/UCJFp8uSYCjXOMnkUyb3CQ3Q