At Mike Harrington Photography we explored the tastes and appetites of the professional millennial generation by creating advertising photography for a leading financial organisation.
Working with a leading creative agency, we were required to shoot 5 distinct images to form the basis of a campaign designed to demonstrate the power of financial products. 
Finance can be sold in a number of ways. In the past, as large percentage of the population were focused on saving money – the lead-in for advertising used to be the rates. Remember the low finance deals, zero charges and interest free loans that used to dominate the industry?
This approach is no longer enough – because competitive rates and deals are everywhere. How do you therefore interest and engage a saturated audience?
First you have to understand them. Let’s take a look at the difference between millennial audiences and the previous generations:

• They like to live right up to the edge of their salary. Millennials are more likely to scrape in at the end of the month with no cash left over.

 
Contrast this with their parents who tended to save for those big items – reserving credit for the mortgage.
 

• Accommodation is generally rented instead of bought. The big credit spend of their parents is swerved in favour of getting the most attractive apartments in the coolest parts of town.

 
Think flats by the river – or small residences in the heart of the city centre.
 

• Cars are no longer a purchase, whilst sofas and interiors are regularly updated. Every item is an expression of their lifestyle and a statement of personality and individuality.

 
With these concepts firmly in mind – what effects do purchases have on the audience?
It would be tempting for this campaign to focus on large-scale prestige or luxury items -such as the holiday or even a wedding. But these purchases overlook the continual on-going and evolving relationship that millennials have with their money.
Everyday transactions define transitions. Simple purchases build to create an image and an identity for millennials. Focussing on this lifestyle aspect allowed the campaign to present the power of finance through a common language.
And you can see this clearly expressed within the photography.
Each shot outlines the story of a purchase.
Utilising a simple timeline going from left to right on the screen, the audience is shown the snap change created by the purchase of a sofa, a new kitchen or a television in terms.
The simple before and after dynamic incorporates some subtle techniques of emphasising this metamorphosis.
Lighting, tone and the whole energy of the piece resonates emotionally – carefully directing the feelings associated with each individual purchase.
Kitchens move away from the drab routine room into exciting areas of conversation and interaction between family members.
The sofa defines the entire atmosphere of a room. Think of how you can relax and feel surrounded by the comfort of a new sofa. Resting on your accomplishments.
Television becomes a place where the old and the young – different generations can come together aided by their love of shows, drama, sports and films.
The most interesting factor in this project is that the production and themes of this advertising photography mirrors the way in which the millennial generation lives their lives.
Each image maximises the available contrast and makes a statement that’s inline with fashionable, social expectations.
In the same way the millennials use credit to present fashionable and social accoutrements to their daily lives. 
And because there’s a synchronisation of these two themes – the advertising photography was a success across both digital and print media for the finance client.