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?

What could you be doing to reach more Gen Xers and Millennials?

What’s so different?

Boomers Generation Xers Millennials

Handshake High five Fist bump

Direct mail Email Text message

TV DVR On-line

Yellow pages Google Cell phone app

Typewriter Computer Smart phones

Library books CD-ROMs On-line databases

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.

Who is Generation X?

Bottom Line Generation

New “Lost” Generation

13th Generation

Cynical Generation

Slacker Generation

The Brash Pack

The Baby busters

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?

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

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.

Millennials

Net Generation

Keyboard Generation

Google Generation

iGeneration

Digital Natives

Generation Y

Sunshine Generation

Baby Boomlet

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?

Culture/Contributions

1. Special

2. Sheltered

3. Confident

4. Team Oriented

5. Achieving

6. Pressured

7. Conventional

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising The Next Great Generation. Toronto: Random House.

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

Influence of Technology

Examples of Common Technology

Facebook/discussion groups

Cell phone apps

Google search/customer reviews

On-line sales assistance

Facebook

Cell Phone Apps

Peer Reviews

Click icon to add picture

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

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.

Questions?