“You are unique. You are different. You are special.” This seems to be the market-generated motto for millennials. Advertisements today exploit and propagate the clichéd image culminating in stock montages of tech-obsessed youngsters using social media or “living life to the fullest”.
A video from Dissolve and And/Or studio (above) mocks those very advertisements with This Is a Generic Millennial Ad. They parody the misinformed, “tone-deaf” approach taken by multinational brands in their advertisements, which “pay lip service to the youth market with meaningless hashtags, misplaced emojis, slang that’s totes old, and stale pitches to ‘join the conversation’”, according to a press release.
The video depicts how brands capitalise on the social and political awareness of millennials – which they’re notorious for – with token moves like putting a rainbow-filter to show solidarity with Pride Week, or putting up a facade of being “environment-friendly.” It even takes a jab at a beverage company that tried to co-opt political protests.
At the same time, the video – edgy and current in its own approach – also becomes a mockumentary on the social-media-driven, stereotypical millennial. It refers to – and humours – current social, and social media, trends and subcultures, like hipsters with ukuleles, liberals, and their love for peace and causes, gender fluidity, and apps.
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