Perception of advertising strategies : -a qualitative study comparing Generation X and Generation Y

Abstract: Advertising is a major part of the communication between companies and consumers. It is supposed to create awareness and attention toward the aimed target group. For an advertisement to get the right response it is important for companies to create and uphold a relationship with their consumers. Recent research acknowledges that different advertising strategies can create different responses. Continuously, different generational cohorts have different values, perspectives and backgrounds, and therefore their perception can differ as well. It can hence be important to explore how consumers perceive different advertising strategies and if there is a difference in perception according to generational cohorts. This study intends to examine how traditional and ambient advertising in Sweden is perceived by Swedish consumers within Generation X and Generation Y. Furthermore if there is a difference between these two generational cohorts’ perception. From this the authors want to find out if it is appropriate to create the same advertisements for both generations in Sweden, or if the different generational cohorts demand different advertising strategies. For this study, a conceptual model was based on the process of perception, through which the generational cohorts and advertising concepts were examined. The authors additionally researched advertising properties, and their effect on consumers’ perceptions toward advertising. This research was conducted as a mix of multiple-case study and cross-sectional design. It further used a qualitative approach, using semi-structured focus groups to retrieve a deeper understanding of consumer perception and the underlying reasons behind such behavior. The conclusion that can be inferred from this thesis is that Generation Y perceives ambient advertising as better than Generation X, since they are more open to interaction with marketing events. Generation X instead perceives traditional and ambient advertising as equally powerful. Yet, the differences between the two cohorts are small, and according to some advertising properties, minimal.