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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The demographic winter that is widespread throughout Europe, along with the spread of network society, has
brought to contemporary societies a striking new world of opportunity and challenge. The growing adherence of the senior
population to Information and Communication Technologies, with a focus on digital social networks, is perceived as a positive
sign of inclusion and digital literacy. In this context and given the potential of this segment as a marketing target, brands
need to understand the interests, motivations, and profiles of these users to achieve greater interaction and proximity with
this audience. Taking into account two countries, Portugal and Spain, the aim of this research is 1) to discuss the role of social
networks in promoting active aging; 2) to understand the level of importance and how this senior segment interacts with the
brands on social networks and 3) to compare the results among the two sociocultural realities. Methodologically, an
exploratory qualitative investigation was carried out based on the realization of a Focus Group in which users of social
networks residing in Spain and Portugal participated. Results point out that more than seeking and get information about
brands, seniors navigate the social networks in search of affiliation, support, and socialization not only broadening their
network of contacts in the virtual world but mainly by networking with their "acquaintances" to retrieve memories and
strengthen bonds of friendship. As little research has been undertaken so far into the ways that older consumers are adopting
or rejecting new digital technologies, this study contributes to the academic literature regarding this subject. Furthermore,
for marketers, it is important to tailor their strategies and to convey appropriate messages as there is evidence that seniors
have still to be pushed to join and use pages of brands on Facebook as a platform to interact with brands.
Description
Keywords
Aging Social media Motivations Brand engagement
Citation
Publisher
Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited