Hasta La Creative!

Marketing to digital natives aged 12 to 26 is a tough task for the Gen X (and older) crowd, for Millennials have built up a heretofore unseen immunity to typical marketing come ons.

But Millennials are not perfectly immune. According to BusinessWeek, a marketer simply needs to speak their language. And thanks to efforts by Edo Interactive, a Nashville-based firm, brands like Jersey Mikes sub chain are learning the lingo.

Edo created what amounts to a fiscal Facebook: After applicants create profiles on Facecard.com, they get a Mastercard in the mail that allows them to borrow, lend, or give away money to buddies electronically. For a fee, retailers can send them “prewards,” small denominations of instant store credit, based on their age, location, and personal interests. Because the $2 to $3 gifts are redeemed via credit card, tracking is a breeze.

Jersey Mike’s sent “prewards” to 300 high school seniors, a group that is notoriously nonresponsive. But the gamble yielded an “overwhelming” 17% return rate, which is “way above” the numbers direct mailings produce.