The environment we live in is complex, unstable and unpredictable. The economic crisis between 2009 and 2013 and the period linked to the COVID-19 pandemic have strongly marked the development of new marketing trends and had a notable impact on communication between businesses and consumers. The majority of consumers have started using completely new approaches – the majority have gone ‘digital’.
New generations are coming of age, mastering technology and the Internet, which is reflected in their media habits. When we look at the daily communication between different generations, it sometimes seems that we no longer understand each other. Different generations have different communication styles. The use of slang and different communication tools and styles of communication lead to a growing lack of understanding between the generations.
It is important to know the characteristics of communication with each generation, in order to understand the means and tools of communication that they use. In order to be more effective, communication needs to be adapted to each generation. We will not succeed if we try to please everyone. We need to approach groups of individuals in a tailored way – and of course first understand the different generations, before we can build relationships with them.
Each generation is characterised by traits that are general in nature and reflect the social circumstances in which each generation grew up. They are not, however, completely uniform and homogeneous, so that not all the characteristics of a generation can be attributed to all the members of a given generation. Nevertheless, some common and general characteristics can be identified.
Baby boomers (children of prosperity), born before 1959, are the second largest generation (after Generation Y). They grew up in a period of economic stability and higher living standards. They follow the younger generation, surf the Internet frequently and are starting to use online shopping. They use technology differently (more for communication) than the younger generations. They also use social networks (FB), less so IG and Snapchat. They spend more time reading or browsing different content than other generations. It is a misconception that Baby Boomers are old-fashioned and ignorant of technology – digital marketing can reach them too.
It is advisable to communicate with Baby Boomers using the following marketing tools:
Generation X, born between 1960 and 1979. The period in which members of this generation grew up was characterised by economic instability and major changes in both the social and political spheres. They are well-educated and believe in the importance of education. Most members of this generation have reached a certain level of financial stability and are saving to a large extent. They are buyers with needs and high purchasing power: the current drivers of development. They have been brought up according to the traditional value pyramid, with modesty, loyalty, solidarity and a secure future being the most important values. They respond to marketing in traditional ways, similar to the older generation of Baby Boomers. They are much more familiar with the use of different technologies than Baby Boomers. Many of them use social networks (FB) and the use of smart mobile phones is widespread among them. They also shop online.
It is advisable to communicate with Generation X using the following marketing tools:
Generation Y (Millennials), born between 1980 and 1995, is the first high-tech generation. Millennials grew up in a time when the use of high technology (computers, mobile phones, the Internet, forums, blogs, Skype, MSN, MTV) was commonplace. The presence of high technology has always given them the possibility to acquire and access new information, making them the most informed generation. They are labelled as the first ‘always connected’ generation – the use of communication tools and social networks is an indispensable part of their everyday life. They are an intensely involved generation. They are among the most frequent regular heavy online shoppers (57%) (Valicon, Ceneje.si, Iprom, 2022).
It is recommended to communicate with Generation Y using the following marketing tools:
Generation Z, born after 1996, grew up in an era when technology had already taken over the world. They are also referred to as the ‘silent generation’ or as the ‘iGeneration’. This generation was the first to be born into the ‘digital world’. They communicate mainly on the Internet – through online communities such as Google, FB, Twitter, etc., instead of meeting in person. They access all content via mobile phones. This is thought to result in less developed verbal and public speaking skills. They have different expectations of what is on offer and how salespeople should approach them. This is why they bring new challenges to product/service providers. They also increasingly shop online. They are among the most frequent regular heavy online shoppers (56%). They are defining and introducing new categories and changing the structure of online sales (Valicon, Ceneje.si, Iprom, 2022).
It is recommended to communicate with Generation Z using the following marketing tools:
If we want to get the attention of Generation Z, we need to be able to write in a way that they understand. They use emoticons a lot, lots of GIFs, memes, abbreviations, short 3-second videos. They communicate differently than what we are used to in traditional writing.
This is a summary of the trends according to the results of the current Media Consumption 2021 survey (Iprom and Valicon, 2021):
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