This was one of the key topics explored by our colleagues from the Strategy team, Kristýna Ochvatová and Tereza Košťálková, at Communications Summit 2026, where VML was a partner.
The discussion focused on a common challenge in today’s communication landscape. Many brands are trying to stay relevant for younger generations such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha, while a significant part of business performance still comes from Gen Y and Gen X. In this effort to reach everyone, communication often becomes diluted and loses clarity across audiences.
The key insight was that generational targeting is not the core issue. The real challenge is whether a brand is still able to communicate a clear and consistent identity across all contexts.
Successful brands do not build their communication on age segments. Instead, they are anchored in a strong core: a clear identity, a defined point of view, and a long term purpose. This foundation remains stable, while the expression adapts to different audiences and situations.
This approach was illustrated on the example of Česká spořitelna, which builds its communication on a consistent brand essence rather than tailoring messages primarily by generation. The brand maintains a stable identity and adapts only the way it is expressed across different contexts.
Another example came from a VML campaign for Coca Cola. The work connected the brand with a traditional Czech moment, smažák, through influencer collaboration. Coca Cola has long been associated with shared experiences and time spent together, and the campaign showed how this core idea can be translated into a locally relevant context without losing consistency.
