Tip 1: don't underestimate the challenge
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 4:20 am
Whaddup gappies and mammies? Vin-to-da-cent drops a column on FrankieWizzle, you know? If I had written this entire column this way, I would – no diggity – make an immortal fool of myself. At the same time, a part of the target group (communication and marketing professionals) would have no idea why the above rules are idiotic. And that's because many people don't realize that you enter another planet as soon as you start marketing and communicating for young people.
Brave attempt
I think it is quite brave when a company or government makes a creative attempt to reach today's youth. Take the municipality of Lelystad. They made a brochure about unemployment, specifically aimed at young people. 400 young fellow citizens without a job or diploma received the paper in their mailbox. In order to appeal to this specific target group, Lelystad decided to put the texts in street language.
Tjappie = dumb
But yes, street language remains a tricky guatemala whatsapp number phenomenon: it is trend-sensitive, idiosyncratic and therefore rather elusive. The municipality probably did not dwell on this long enough. The opening of the leaflet was 'Yo tjappie, alles chill?'. Now 'tjappie' does not only mean 'dude', but it can also mean 'dumb'. Not a nice introduction. The goal was fine: to address young people in their own language. But the choice of one small word can ruin all good intentions. Prevent an 'epic fail' and prepare yourself thoroughly.
Slippery ice
I have two teenage sons myself. And believe me, their world of experience is completely different from mine. Fortunately, because that's how it should be with a generation gap. In daily communication, this means that I mainly try to connect my choice of subject to their interests or experiences (fun, friends, school, money, girls, films, games, apps, design). But as soon as I try to adjust the form of my communication, I'm on thin ice. The chance that you make a fool of yourself as a parent is quite big. You have to take into account that you can completely miss the mark at any time in terms of word choice or 'moves'.
For shame
That's why I deliberately choose to embarrass myself in this area with my sons on a regular basis. A man over 40 who says 'yo' or remarks that something is 'chill' is of course really not acceptable. And dad who tries to do the 'dab' is even more embarrassing. My children now laugh at this behavior of mine, because they know that I understand how feeble-minded that looks. Together we have managed to shift this 'fissa' (party) of awkwardness from painful to comical. In this way we prevent it from becoming 'strana' (weird or strange, as one of the many street language books says). In other words, tip 2: don't take yourself too seriously.
Brave attempt
I think it is quite brave when a company or government makes a creative attempt to reach today's youth. Take the municipality of Lelystad. They made a brochure about unemployment, specifically aimed at young people. 400 young fellow citizens without a job or diploma received the paper in their mailbox. In order to appeal to this specific target group, Lelystad decided to put the texts in street language.
Tjappie = dumb
But yes, street language remains a tricky guatemala whatsapp number phenomenon: it is trend-sensitive, idiosyncratic and therefore rather elusive. The municipality probably did not dwell on this long enough. The opening of the leaflet was 'Yo tjappie, alles chill?'. Now 'tjappie' does not only mean 'dude', but it can also mean 'dumb'. Not a nice introduction. The goal was fine: to address young people in their own language. But the choice of one small word can ruin all good intentions. Prevent an 'epic fail' and prepare yourself thoroughly.
Slippery ice
I have two teenage sons myself. And believe me, their world of experience is completely different from mine. Fortunately, because that's how it should be with a generation gap. In daily communication, this means that I mainly try to connect my choice of subject to their interests or experiences (fun, friends, school, money, girls, films, games, apps, design). But as soon as I try to adjust the form of my communication, I'm on thin ice. The chance that you make a fool of yourself as a parent is quite big. You have to take into account that you can completely miss the mark at any time in terms of word choice or 'moves'.
For shame
That's why I deliberately choose to embarrass myself in this area with my sons on a regular basis. A man over 40 who says 'yo' or remarks that something is 'chill' is of course really not acceptable. And dad who tries to do the 'dab' is even more embarrassing. My children now laugh at this behavior of mine, because they know that I understand how feeble-minded that looks. Together we have managed to shift this 'fissa' (party) of awkwardness from painful to comical. In this way we prevent it from becoming 'strana' (weird or strange, as one of the many street language books says). In other words, tip 2: don't take yourself too seriously.