- 09 August 2017
- Training events
Generation Z (so-called Millennials Generation which includes those born between 1995-2010) does not reject the physical store but is convinced that everything distributed in the marketplace is available online.
For the next generation (Millennials=next generation), there is no such thing as a nuanced interpretation of the Web: The company that is unable to present, and thus offer its products on the Web, in fact simply does not exist.
Web presence is an index of trustworthiness just as opinions or reviews are critical to the final purchase decision. Opinion on social is more trustworthy than traditional communication channels. It matters more what is said online than brand awareness according to traditional marketing schemes.
For these reasons, communication to this generation cannot avoid planning digital channels with foresight by selecting them carefully.
The digital addiction of millennials reaches such a point that Facebook has been around forever and already appears to be an "old style" tool. They communicate via audio messages on whatsapp and use pictures on instagram to convey their emotions and experiences.
The result is a shift from a "literary/abbreviated" dimension that characterized early social posts to a communication made up of symbolism via emoticon faces that are stylized representations of a state of mind. Fear, happiness, astonishment are reduced to post-modern hieroglyphics of a generation that travels at supersonic speed perpetually connected. The shift from the keyboard to the use of voice commands is now so near and obvious that all major technology players are implementing voice command software
For this generation, the car is a product that still contains emotional components but with fewer distinguishing features than in the past. Buying a designer handbag, a new smartphone or a fashionable dress are all purchases that have different emotional content depending on the perception of the individual consumer. The car has been a one-of-a-kind product compared to a sensual/erotic object. The loss of some of the distinctive and exclusive elements flattens it to a more common and neutral role. So much so that for a significant portion of Generation Z, buying a car is an unnecessary and expensive action. Better to rent or share or even give up toward other forms of mobility.
There is no risk of a loss of status because the car is no longer the determining and unique element in identifying one's social position. On the contrary, almost in countertrend as a form of rejection, for this generation the reading of one's well-being or social success occurs with alternative and multiple expressions that are more articulate and less brazen.
The result is a much more informed, less conformist and therefore more complex generation that is not swayed by classic traditional forms of communication. For Millennials, the emotional components are relegated to the major issues facing the world (for which they are particularly sensitive).
A new challenge for those involved in business communication as they are forced to scale back the emotional components of the product seeking greater rationality and concreteness in the message, immediacy of responses, effectiveness and speed in service delivery or product delivery.
Rules that, with different variations and some exclusions are nevertheless universal and include almost all products. Cars included.
(Michele Lombardi)