Understanding How Baby Boomers Use the Internet and Social Media to Improve the Engagement with Brands

María-Victoria Carrillo-Durán; Soledad Ruano-López; M-Rosario Fernández-Falero; Javier Trabadela-Robles

doi:10.17231/comsoc.41(2022).3516

Authors

María-Victoria Carrillo-Durán Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1256-8870
Soledad Ruano-López Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1963-3898
M-Rosario Fernández-Falero Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6970-109X
Javier Trabadela-Robles Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5338-9257

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.41(2022).3516

Keywords:

ageing, social media, motivations, brand engagement, baby boomers

Abstract

The emergence of the baby boomers, as a new group of people aged 55 to 75, with unique interests, media exposure and shopping habits, set a before and after in the language that brands must speak. The main objective of social media is to build engagement, and in the digital environment, it means engaging both seniors and companies. For this, learning how they act in the digital environment is key. This paper aims to show how baby boomers behave in this environment, showing the challenges and advantages brands have to reach them effectively. Based on an exploratory and qualitative study with focus groups of senior internet and social network users from Portugal and Spain, the results show that analysing their habits of exposure to these media and the interests, brands do not seem to speak the same language they do, and that is why baby boomers do not feel engaged with them online. This work provides recommendations to get this engagement and improve the digital experience. In this line, to build this engagement, brands need to understand the variables of interest for baby boomers stemming from this study: affiliation and support. On the other hand, they must assume that this level of engagement will depend on establishing an active dialogue, with content targeted at different segments of the population, related to the variables above (affiliation and support), and to a degree enough to reach baby boomers emotionally.

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Author Biographies

María-Victoria Carrillo-Durán, Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain

María-Victoria Carrillo-Durán is a professor in audiovisual communication and advertising at the University of Extremadura (Spain). She has a degree and is a PhD in information sciences, advertising and public relations from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). She has a master’s degree in professional marketing (UCM) and specialises in advertising management (UCM). She is the Information and Communication Doctoral Programme coordinator at the University of Extremadura. She is the principal researcher of the Área de Comunicación (AR-CO) research group, which develops and participates in projects and publications on the influences of communication and business communication.

Soledad Ruano-López , Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain

Soledad Ruano-López is a professor in the Department of Information and Communication at the University of Extremadura (Spain). She has a degree in information sciences (audiovisual communication) from the Complutense University of Madrid and is a PhD from the University of Extremadura. She is the principal investigator in the Conectar research group.

M-Rosario Fernández-Falero, Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain

M-Rosario Fernández-Falero is a professor in the Department of Information and Communication at the University of Extremadura (Spain). She has a degree in chemistry (specialised in technical chemistry) and is a PhD from the University of Extremadura. She is the director of the Department of Information and Communication at the University of Extremadura. She is a researcher in the research group Conectar.

Javier Trabadela-Robles, Departamento de Información y Comunicación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación y la Comunicación, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain

Javier Trabadela-Robles is a professor in the Department of Information and Communication at the University of Extremadura (Spain). He has a degree in information sciences (audiovisual communication) and is a PhD from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is the teaching secretary at the Faculty of Documentation and Communication Sciences (University of Extremadura). He is a researcher in the research group Área de Comunicación (AR-CO) at the University of Extremadura and a member of the Scientific Association for Research in Information and Communication Technologies Icono 14.

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