The “aspirational” message in communication is no longer to be like someone else but to be oneself

– By Carolina Proaño Wexman, Head of DEI Gender and Environmental Communications at Latam Intersect PR.

It is becoming increasingly clear that audiences prefer communicative content which showcases and reflects their own identities, passions and values, while at the same time possessing a greater awareness of their power to report, cancel or simply ignore messages that fall short of this.

The idea of “aspirational” no longer refers to showing “people who are different (and better) than me living a life that I don’t have (but that I’m supposed to have).” Today, an aspirational message “represents me and shows me how I see myself and recognize myself, as well my environment and my values, in all my breadth, and how I see myself or imagine myself living the life that I am building for me and my community”.

This idea is much broader and more inclusive because, as society and culture open up more spaces for people, the images and ideas of who we should be mutate towards who we already are, multiplying and becoming “un-homogenised.” 

Today we are looking for more personal experiences, more custom made options and not just a mass and standardized one-size-fits-all that we once had to accept and to which we had to adapt ourselves in order to fit into, with all that responsibility and weight carried by the consumer.

Today it is clear that it is a collective effort led by the audiences. And it is not just about generation Z. There are the new generations of digital native professionals, 50+ women, sensitive masculinities; cultural, environmental, and disruptive movements that are more aware and more active. 

The spectrum is more diverse, so the task of communication will be to find points in common that unite -that unite us- in the entire range of values, colors, thoughts, tastes, identities and messages. It won’t always be an easy task, but it certainly is an opportunity for brands and organizations to create valuable and deep connections with this generation and the next generation of audiences.