A new research study by SDL digs deep into the behaviors of millennials and how they interact with brands, media and content. The study sampled more than 300 millennials in the U.S. (ages 18-36), all college educated and employed full-time. The study itself builds on the SDL's recent Privacy Study that found 79 percent of customers are willing to provide personal information to a brand they trust. Here are some highlights that you may find interesting, all which would be suitable bullet points for your next presentation:

• 66% use more than one mobile device, daily
• 40% are able to identify specific data collected about them and tracked by brands
• 60% are more likely to share personal data based on past experience and how much they trust the brand
• 80% choose to connect with brands in social media, but they want something in return
• Millennials look their mobile phones more than 45 times per day

What this study provides that most others don't is that it gives actionable advice for brands trying to reach that "unpredictable, sometimes narcissistic yet passionate" millennial on the multitude of mobile devices they use daily:

• Campaigns are Extinct: Millennial consumers orchestrate their own brand experiences on their time, across channels and devices with brands that they trust. As a result, campaigns no longer start with a contact list and stop with an email blast – they are continuous exercises, consistent across all communication channels.
• Your Data Trumps Big Data. View your customer’s data as a key source of intelligence for hyper-segmentation and targeting. Done right, targeted marketing messages add value for your customers. Done wrong, they seem creepy. Use customer data deliberately so you can deliver messages that are consistent, considerate and relevant.
• There’s Only One Language: Focus your marketing efforts on initiatives that not only build awareness, but also cultivate referrals. Determine where your customers are, and then meet them there, with a long-term strategy top-of-mind.
• Content Finds the Customer: Social networks and customizable news feeds dominate content discovery: The top three channels where millennials discover online information are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with customizable news feed sites surpassing traditional news sites and email for content discovery.
• Channels are Irrelevant. Create consistent, cross-channel experiences to cater to any multiple device & optimize offers by channel and realize that consumers see content the day its shared.

What’s clear from the study is that brands must adopt the same principles as media companies if they truly want to reach this very active demographic - being storytellers, building a content engine, aligning internal teams to optimize content operations and being agile.