Internet - a word that has changed the entire world we know today! As dynamic as it can get, advancements in technology have a high impact on consumer behaviour, making it intriguing for brands to understand the millennials, identify with them and entice them into buying their products and services. Also, with India going digital to a great extent, advertisers have a plethora of platforms and channel to drive their campaigns. Gone are the days where brands had to accept that reaching out to a specific target audience or a distant town would not only be high on cost but also risky. The world of advertising has opened up as a playground!

GenZ is smart and matured beyond their age, ready to challenge the norms and remarkably, they are always ONLINE! They are easily found on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and every possible social media platform! This makes the platter larger for advertisers.

While the urban millennial is spoilt for choice with the exposure, there is also a huge market amongst the smaller towns, who with the recent access to the Internet, are focal points for advertisers. This market offers huge dynamism with consumers ready to adopt new technologies and offerings, thereby making it an interesting proposition for brands to up their game, influence the market and stand out as market leaders.

Now the big question is, how do we cater to both these diverse markets together?

The answer lies in attention to detail! A common string that brings these diverse audiences together is two major commonalities- they both like it simple and prefer a brand that creates an emotional connect.

As advertisers, we are seeing a tectonic change in the way of communication. The ‘where’ and to ‘whom’, has opened up a whole new world of ‘how’ and ‘what’ for ad agencies. The big question here is- how do we as agencies communicate to create a maximum impact for our client’s products / services and what mediums will be the most impactful and cost-effective for us to do so?

Let us start with identifying the ‘how’!

As it is rightly said, content is king and interesting content needs to be consistently created. If you want to get the attention of GenZ, you can’t be boring! The real challenge lies in keeping the GenZ interested and yet reach a wider audience without compromising on different cultures, regions and beliefs. Now, how do you do that? Simplicity is key!

When you want to reach a wider target audience, keep it simple. The language should be crisp, easy to understand, yet impactful. It should attract the attention of the target audience, and also ensure every reader understands your product and brand’s proposition.

Another key approach is the ‘conversion of communication into regional languages. This is an effective, target-based method that allows you to communicate with your target audience in a more personalised way. This establishes a personal connect with the brand and the product, irrespective of the demographics. This communication style also helps position the brand as the one that understands them, is ready to go an extra mile to ensure their comfort and most importantly, helps create a bond with the target audience.

This further gets us to understand the ‘what’:

While traditionally, all brands earlier preferred to launch a new product only through traditional media, the language too, would mostly be English or Hindi. However, with the widening in the target audience base and more openness to towards trying out something new, marketeers prefer to add digital media, widely, as a part of their 360-degree campaigns. In some scenarios, companies are launching products only digitally, while the other traditional media act as a medium to create recall. These media are sometimes not even a part of the marketing strategy. Marketeers don’t just stop here, they go a step ahead and translate this into the local language, to create a better connect with the target audience. Overall, the trick lies in finding the right balance which gives you maximum leverage.

While the dynamics have changed, the basics in the advertising industry remain the same, as there is no replacement for creativity! The medium may change, the target audience may be wider, but the power of a good advertisement is the one element in the world that will remain forever.

(The author is founder and business Head at AURAA. The views expressed here are her own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)