Читать книгу Secrets of Advertising to Gen Y Consumers - Aiden Livingston - Страница 3

The problem with trying to communicate with an individual from another generation is it is a lot like trying to talk with someone from a foreign country, except the variations are less obvious. Most people instinctively realize the difficulty in trying to portray ideas to an individual from, say, Thailand. First, people see the language barrier; the Thais may not understand what you are trying to express if they don’t speak English. Second, most can appreciate a cultural divergence. If a person grew up in Thailand, it is very likely he or she has different priorities and views than someone from Florida. There is literally a plethora of minor nuisances that can further impede communication between individuals from different countries. Most people are aware of these differences when dealing with people from overseas.

By contrast, most people fail to realize that the same obstacles exist when trying to reach an individual from another generation. People confuse proximity for familiarity. “Surely, a person that lives on the same street as me should be the same as me,” one may justify. However, cultural deviations can be formed by temporal separations as easily as they can be from geographical separations.

Many of the obstacles we might expect in dealing with an individual from Thailand can be extrapolated to a generational frame of reference. For example, even though two generations speak English, most can appreciate that they don’t necessarily speak it in the exact same way. The cliché of a parent trying in vain to incorporate his or her children’s slang is ubiquitous within sitcoms and Hollywood movies for its comedic value. That is, of course, without even beginning to discuss the enigmatic code that was born from texting or SMS messaging.

Furthermore, anyone with children can appreciate that priorities and views can be very different despite living in close proximity. Differing opinions on perceived priorities is yet another example of a cultural cliché. Ironically, we all seem aware of the cultural differences inherent to different generations and yet many businesses fail to acknowledge the importance of these dissimilarities in formulating their marketing plans.

This book is a means to bridging the gap between generations. I explain the different values and perceptions so that people can more accurately construct advertising campaigns that reach Gen Y consumers in the most effective and efficient way possible. Many other authors have delved headfirst into this topic, and many are brilliant writers who make cunning observations. However, at the end of the day the Achilles’ heel of these books is that they are based on observations. When the problem is a cultural deviation, it is only prudent to have a member of the studied culture provide insight into the issue. To do otherwise is to fail to address the root of the problem.

I make my deductions based on my life and my experiences, not from what I have observed in an individual from a foreign culture. This is ultimately the greatest advantage to this book for the reader. My conclusions are not subject to error in interpretation because the culture I explain is my own; I live it every day. My every interaction in the day recapitulates the principles I discuss, whether it is a conversation with a friend about what movie to see tonight, or my internal dialogue when I go to make a purchase. It is in exploring my own actions and those of my peers that I am able to produce an invaluable resource for anyone who seeks to truly understand how to best reach Gen Y consumers.