Four Tactics to Bridge the Generational Communications Gap

So you've been asked to launched a new initiative for your company, and have developed the seeds of a killer campaign, complete with all the trimmings: journalist outreach, social media — even an event budget. Now, you need to fine-tune the message and get it into the appropriate hands.

Choosing the right channels to reach your target can be an interesting challenge for many public relations professionals. How do you reach a multi-generational audience with different values and communication preferences and get the most return?

If you marry generational preferences with a precise understanding of your audience, the job becomes that much easier.

Four generations of audience?
Although dividing lines vary depending on whom you ask and can be broken down into several subcategories, the following generations are typically accepted:

• Traditionalists (born before 1946) — lived through the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, and the Korean War.

• Boomers (1947 to 1964) — experienced the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, space travel, and assassinations.

• Generation X (1965 to 1976) — dealt with the fall of the Berlin Wall, Watergate, women's liberation, Desert Storm, and the energy crisis.

• Millennial (1977 to 1989) — grew up during a time of school shootings, the Oklahoma City bombing, technology, and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal.

Generational values at a glance
Researchers have identified a different set of core values — beliefs and perceptions that shape decisions and behaviors — common to the members of each generation. These are important inputs to message development.

A few statistics on media usage
Studies show significant differences in media consumption by generation. For example, the two older generations spend more time on the news, and are more likely to read print versions of newspapers.

Another way of slicing the pie: Multi-generational media
In another model, terms such as Traditionalists, Boomer, GenX, and Millennial are applied not to their corresponding age or generation, but rather in relation to the types of media frequented. Thus, a Baby Boomer who often utilizes social media sites, chat rooms, online communities, and other forms of popular technology — activities assumed counter to Boomer mentality — may actually align with Millennial values. Along these lines, a Millennial who scours print versions of newspapers and magazines — mediums typically associated with older generations — may have values closely resembling those of their Traditionalist or Boomer counterparts.

Four tactics that narrow the communications gap:
In the end, there is no one size fits all media, as audiences vary widely. However, there are ways to ensure that you are communicating effectively with the varying generations.

1. Understand your audience by demographic: A little research can go a long way. Determining your core audience, their gender, age, and other key characteristics is the first step in creating a successful campaign. Your marketing department should have this data to share with you; if not, start to gather it on your own.

2. Shape messages based on audience values: Knowing that Boomers often view themselves as team players who value personal growth while Millennial see themselves as confident individuals with a respect for diversity can help you build messages aligned with consumer needs.

3. Use media channels most frequented by your target audience: A large part of getting your message into the right hands involves knowing how and where your audience gathers information. If you are looking to reach a general consumer audience, you may find beneficial research from analyst firms such as Forrester or Jupiter. Better yet, survey and interview your customers, and craft messages that resonate.
   

4. Pay attention to those responding: Given varying media outlets and cross-generational values, your messages might be reaching more than just your intended audience. Looking closely at who responds to your calls to action can help you tailor future messages.

How BurrellesLuce can help
Let BurrellesLuce assist you in planning, monitoring, and measuring the media coverage given to your organization. Here are some of the ways we can enable you to maximize the value of your media relations activities:

• First, we can help you target your messages to those most likely to write about your efforts using the industry's most comprehensive online media directory. Take advantage of free, unlimited e-mail distribution of all your news releases.

• Next, we can monitor your coverage from every form of media. We deliver exactly the news you want to see, complete with all photos and graphics.

• Then, you can gain insight through our automated and customized media measurement services.