Heroes: The Ultimate Millennial Fantasy?

I have already nominated several fictional characters as the ultimate Millennial persona: Andy Sachs, heroine of Devil Wears Prada, Harry Potter and his friends, the ensemble cast of Hamlet2. The common theme is the ability of seemingly ordinary kids to conjure up hidden talents or even hidden powers to accomplish something very difficult, usually beyond the capabilities of adults. Now we have NBC's smash hit, Heroes, which seems to fully capture the essence of this 'wait til you see the real me' fantasy in full. Here is how the Heroes wiki site describes two of the show's key characters:

Claire Bennet is a high school student formerly of Odessa, TX where she used to be a cheerleader. She lives with her adoptive family in Costa Verde, CA. Claire discovers she has the ability to heal seemingly any wound, nearly instantaneously.

Peter Petrelli worked as a common hospice nurse while living in New York City. Peter appeared to his family as a witless dreamer, who believed he had a greater place in life than just saving one life at a time. He discovered he was an evolved human who had the ability to absorb and use the powers of other evolved humans. Peter has since decided to use his abilities to save the world.

The show is wildly popular among Millennials, and given Millennials' passion for making a difference in the world, it's easy to see why the show is so appealing. Marketers would do well to tap into this fantasy, with products that help Millennials be more the person they know they were meant to be, and make a greater impact for good. NBC is leveraging this insight well, with a create your own hero contest and animated online series. Superpowers for ordinary mortals of course is not a new theme. but what makes Potter nd Heroes different from, say Superman, is the unique generational angle. It's not just about having unique talents, it's about being YOUNG and having unique talents. That is what makes these characters remarkable in their worlds and appealing in the world of Millennails.

Millennials: I'm Gonna Be A Star!

Celebrities have a special appeal to Millennials. Many Millennials aspire to be famous themselves -- and being famous actually seems within their reach -- so they pay special attention to those who are already famous. We have noted before how many tween TV shows now feature ordinary kids with celebrity careers, thereby 'normalizing' the experience. Furthermore, Millennials have been told from a young age they can be anything they want to be. USA Today, in a Jan 2007 article, titled "Generation Y's goal? Wealth and fame" observes that half of Millennials expect to become rich, and many expect to become famous in their field, though not as famous as Jessica and Nick. They attribute this to being raised with a camera pointed at them and now the ability to put themselves on the Internet. A 24-year old woman who aspires to being a college professor summarizes Millennials motives neatly: "Fame doesn't necessarily mean being on TV. I personally hope to become an influential figure and to be a prominent researcher in my field...it's famous, but it's much less than stardom. I want to affect society."

Several retailers, including Macy's and Wal-Mart, have leveraged this preoccupation nicely. Wal-Mart cleverly leverages Hannah Montana's superstardom in its current back-to-school commercial with a repeated musical refrain 'want to be rock star' to which the Hannah-wanna-be replies "Bring it on!" The message? 'I've become and star and so can you!'

Pauline Hwa, a former Notre Dame MBA student of mine, who is now helping ogplanet.com market video games, says she and her friends enjoy Macy's celebrity-filled commercials featuring Mariah Carey, Gabriel Aubrey, Carlos Santana, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Kenneth Cole, Jessica Simpson and more.

When I asked my friends, the best response I got was for the recent Macy's commercials... the Macy's commercial was very appealing for her and her friends. What made the Macy's commercials resonate with them is not just that (it had celebrities). One person said while she's not a fan of the celebrities featured in the commercials, she knows who each of them are, and she was surprised that they all had products in Macy's stores, which she didn't know about since she doesn't shop there typically. I have seen the commercial she was talking about, and I somewhat agree with her about its success.