For a brand to be successful in the tween market, it must understand three essentials needs of that consumer: aspiration, security, and acceptance. The combination of these three doesn't equal success 100% of the time, but these are all important elements.

There will be even more fragmentation and more channel promiscuity as technology evolves. All the research suggests this is happening. We know Millennials are more likely to watch television with laptop and cell phone in hand than are their parents but, like sociologists studying sexual promiscuity, it's directional.

After presenting the results of our latest report on technology and media at the Higher Ed Tech Summit at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, I spent the bulk of the plane ride back from sunny Las Vegas to snowy New York contemplating the changes that have occurred since the last time we measured these same topics just 12 months ago.

As marketers look for new opportunities to grow their businesses among the 70 million or so Millennials, they might want to start by looking at their Boomer parents' behaviors. As we know, Millennials are a group that doesn't reject their parents or their tastes, and they seem to trade purchasing cues back and forth.