The Paradigm Shifts of New Generations: Are You in or Out?

Today, popular culture and generational changes are more related than ever, with real content creator generations that shape the most shared digital pieces. It is vital to understand the new audiences when generating the strategy of each advertiser, seeking to take advantage of the opportunities they offer to brands. Of course, each generation has different behaviours and attitudes compared to the previous ones, but these particularities can be lost in the crowd of information. If we want to create high-impact advertising campaigns that connect with them, we can’t miss that part.

It is true that the most marked change occurs between the millennials or generation y - born between 1981 and 1994 - and the centennials or generation z - 1995 and 2010 -, and from the centennials to the alphas - 2010 and 2025-. Millennials believe in brands, while centennials trust influencers more. Gen y seeks to do it all, while gen z is more concerned with mental health care and personal well-being. Both age groups share a real and conscious activism, and have a greater awareness of diversity and sustainability. 

To understand these new audiences, it is necessary to speak their language and adapt to their cultural codes. Brands that already understand this new code have a competitive advantage compared to those with decades of history and must adapt to a new language. For that, I think it is necessary to be able to understand that we are experiencing a paradigm shift, and being close to this phenomenon does not allow us to see it clearly. Chaos occurs when an old-mindset brand tries to appeal to new generations by forcing a new language or trying to follow values it doesn't actually believe.

One of the key transformations is related to content, as this new youth are both creators, consumers, and influencers of popular culture, and brands can leverage their influence to create content that is relevant to a broader audience that is constantly consuming and generating material. It is a great opportunity for advertisers to capitalise on influencers/cultural icons that centennials and alphas follow and admire.

Although we already know that these generational changes set trends, it is important to be attentive to these transformations that we are experiencing in order to create advertising campaigns that connect with these new young people. The key for brands is to be able to dialogue in the same language, capitalise on creativity and influence to make the most of the new opportunities that appear. In other words, today both agencies and brands cannot be oblivious to these changes in consumption and popular culture, but we must take them into account when creating advertising campaigns, to ensure that they are effective and relevant today.