FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

The impact of the Millennial generation (born after 1982) is widespread—from public relations to marketing to advertising. In higher education, we are adjusting to how we reach these students (on the Web, not through the mail), how we teach them (let’s add some online “chat” and work in teams) and even how we deal with their “hovering” parents (dubbed the “helicopter parents”). College administrators wonder if, in addition to a Dean of the Faculty and a Dean of Students, perhaps we now need a Dean of Parents?

According to a recent article in The New York Times, even established magazines like Jane and Marie Claire are recognizing the need to shift focus and attract this rising generation of consumers. For managers, Millennials in the workforce also require an adjustment. Susan Heathfield, a management and organization development consultant who specializes in human resource systems, issues, and opportunities, wrote:

“Unlike the Gen-Xers and the Boomers, the Millennials have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives, and contact with diverse people. Millennials are used to working in teams and want to make friends with people at work. Millennials work well with diverse coworkers.”

So perhaps we can all gain by a little inside information about the Millennials and what makes them tick. In the following post, Rollins College Dean of the Faculty Roger Casey, an expert in popular culture and the Millennials, offers some entertaining insight.

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Rollins College Assistant Vice President of Public Relations Ann Marie Varga has more than 20 years of experience in the field of public relations. In 2004, she was named "PR Professional of the Year" by FPRA. The award is the chapter’s highest individual award and is presented to a public relations practitioner whose accomplishments have made major contributions to the profession.