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Generational Communications

Generational Communications . Learning to Speak Their Language - Presented by Monnie Huston Wertz, M.Ed. . Initial questions about your business?. How do you communicate with your clients? How do you or should you use technology? How do people get information about your business?

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Generational Communications

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  1. Generational Communications Learning to Speak Their Language - Presented by Monnie Huston Wertz, M.Ed.

  2. Initial questions about your business? • How do you communicate with your clients? • How do you or should you use technology? • How do people get information about your business? • What could you be doing to reach more Gen Xers and Millennials?

  3. What’s so different?

  4. Generations • GI (born 1901-1924) • Silent (born 1925-1942) • Boomer (born 1943-1960) • Generation X (born 1961-1981) • Millennial (born 1982-1999) Taken from Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (1991). Generations. New York: Harper Perennial.

  5. Who is Generation X? • Bottom Line Generation • New “Lost” Generation • 13th Generation • Cynical Generation • Slacker Generation • The Brash Pack • The Baby busters

  6. Are you a Generation Xer? • Do you know who shot JR? • Do you know the meaning of the words “wax on/wax off” • Do you own cassettes? • Did you ever use a Trapper Keeper? • Do you remember “Solid Gold”? • Did you meet OJ Simpson while he was running through airports with his luggage? • Do you still feel conflicted about whether to “Just Say No” or to “Just Do It”? • Did you ever have super hero Underoos?

  7. Culture/Contribution • Flexible and casual (birth of Casual Fridays and flex-time at work) • Yellow pages to Google and letters to email (beginning of tech orientation) • Come from weak families • Multi-employers – death of company loyalty • Lack of economic opportunities • Independent and self-propelled

  8. Things to remember: Gen Xers • Don’t like hype – repelled by overstatement and hypocrisy. • Communicate open and directly – acutely aware of media manipulation. • Offer opportunities to educate them on your products and/or services. This is where the DIY revolution came from. • Offer a variety of times – flexibility is key and they value their lives. • Appeal to their sense of humor and creativity. • Concerned about gender stereotypes. • More likely to choose environmentally friendly products. Taken from Myron, Monique Reece and Truax, Pamela Larson, “Anatomy of the ‘Generation X’ consumer”, Denver Business Journal, April 24, 1988.

  9. Millennials • Net Generation • Keyboard Generation • Google Generation • iGeneration • Digital Natives • Generation Y • Sunshine Generation • Baby Boomlet

  10. Are you a Millennial? • Has the Green Giant always been Shrek not a guy on a vegetable can? • Has Earvin “Magic” Johnson always been HIV positive? • Does the KGB mean nothing to you? • Has Bobby Cox always been the manager of the Atlanta Braves? • Have their always been flat screened TVs? • Have condoms always been advertised on TV? • Have you ever used a card catalog to find a book in a library?

  11. Culture/Contributions • Special • Sheltered • Confident • Team Oriented • Achieving • Pressured • Conventional • Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising The Next Great Generation. Toronto: Random House.

  12. Things to remember: Millennials • Needs to understand how things benefit them specifically • Expect a multitude of choices – not dependant on “brand” or peer pressure for consumer choices • Low tolerance for delay and require constant feedback (text) • Practical and results oriented – expect processes to work consistently • More apprehensive and less self-reliant than former generations (parents) (decision making) • Word of mouth is the paramount of most trusted form of information – specifically from peers. Information taken from Millennial Behaviors and Demographics (2006) by Richard Sweeney and The Millennial Generation (www.ufsa.ufl.edu/aboutufsa/admin/ids/ppts/TheMillennialGeneration.pps) by Dr. Jeanna Mastodicasa

  13. Influence of Technology

  14. Examples of Common Technology • Facebook/discussion groups • Cell phone apps • Google search/customer reviews • On-line sales assistance

  15. Facebook

  16. Cell Phone Apps

  17. Peer Reviews These reviews and ratings have become critical in Gen X and Millennial consumers decision making processes.

  18. Bottom line to communications • Mobility – cell phones, email, iPods, pdas, wifi. Ask customers how they prefer to be contacted. • Interactive – IM, pop-up chats, discussion boards, blogs. If they don’t feel they can talk to you, they won’t come. • Specific – individualized responses, tailored information. The concept of privacy is dying so don’t be surprised by their expectations. • Clarity – clearly outline what services and products are available and on what terms. Managing expectations is important. • Diversity – of message and sensitivity to whom it is directed. Don’t assume language, ethnicity, or background.

  19. Questions?

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