Walk into a home in Colombo, and you might find a six year old showing their parents how to use ChatGPT. Drive a few hours out, and you’ll meet another child the same age. Their world is shaped more by face to face community, TV ads, and the local shop than TikTok trends. These kids are both part of Generation Alpha.

As marketers, we need to stop treating this generation as a single group and start understanding how they are growing up in very different environments in Sri Lanka.

Who Really Is Gen Alpha?  

Born between 2010 and 2025, Generation Alpha is the first generation entirely born in the 21st century. Globally, they are seen as the most connected, educated, and influential generation ever. But in Sri Lanka, their experience is more complex.

While some Gen Alpha children watch “Ms. Rachel” on YouTube Kids and learn to code by age 10, others are more familiar with Derana cartoons, their local pirith nool seller, or the neighborhood kade uncle who gives them free toffees.

Despite the digital gap, one thing is clear: these children are already influencing what their families buy. Whether it’s picking a shampoo brand because of a cartoon ad, asking for biscuits they saw on TV, or requesting a birthday treat from a specific fast-food place they are shaping family spending habits.

5 Generations, 1 Sri Lankan Marketplace

Sri Lanka now faces a unique marketing challenge: speaking to five active generations at once.

• Boomers: Traditional, prefer familiar brands, trust recommendations.
• Gen X: Value quality and functionality, often the decision makers in families.
• Millennials: Experience driven, tech aware, balancing convenience and values.
• Gen Z: Bold, expressive, trend sensitive and socially aware.
• Gen Alpha: Curious, visual, and highly influential often before they can even read.

The magic and the challenge for Sri Lankan brands is figuring out how to connect across this entire range without losing relevance, especially with a generation that’s still growing up.

The Digital Divide: The Two Faces of Alpha

Let’s be honest while urban Sri Lanka is moving into the future, the country’s digital access is still below 65%. That means a significant part of Gen Alpha is growing up in places where digital experiences are not always available or consistent. .

So what does that mean for us as marketers?

It means that Gen Alpha in Wellawatte is not the same as Gen Alpha in Welimada. Their interests, dreams, access, and attention span are very different.

But even in areas with less digital access, these kids are still:

• Watching TV and picking up on product cues early.
• Shopping with parents and making requests for specific brands.
• Engaging with radio jingles and billboard characters.
• Learning about popular products from their school friends.

They may not be creating Reels yet, but they have a significant influence on everyday household purchases.

How Should Brands Respond?

We can’t wait for Gen Alpha to grow up. Brands need to adapt now, both in connected and less-connected regions of the country. Here’s how:

1. Hybrid Engagement Models

Don’t just go digital combine digital with physical. Use digital content along with real-world interactions: pop-up school events, interactive packaging, TV storytelling, or gamified posters with QR codes leading to simple web games.

2. Build for Families, Not Just Kids

Most Gen Alpha kids don’t make purchases themselves they influence what their families buy. Your campaigns should appeal to both the child and the parent. Use nutritional messages for moms and fun characters for kids. Brands need storytelling that speaks to both groups.

3. Edutainment, Everywhere

Learning through entertainment isn’t just for cities. Brands can work with local teachers, content creators, and even temples or churches to create simple, educational content that introduces product values in engaging ways..

4. Localization is Power

Whether it’s language, music, characters, or cultural references, go local. A jingle in Sinhala or Tamil with a relatable story can perform better than a polished digital ad in certain communities.

5. Get Real About Values

Kids today even in smaller towns talk about climate issues, kindness, and fairness. They care. Start including sustainability and social responsibility in your product stories, not just in your corporate responsibility presentations.

So, Are We Ready?

Many Sri Lankan brands are still catching up with Gen Z while Gen Alpha is quietly changing our markets. Their influence may not yet come from credit cards or online orders, but it’s already affecting.

• Grocery purchases
• Apparel choices
• Entertainment subscriptions
• Even travel destinations. This influence will only grow.

We shouldn’t wait for Gen Alpha to become adult consumers. The smart choice is to start listening, learning, and building with them, not just for them. This means investing in research and development focused on youth, using kids’ insights in brand planning, and moving beyond the “urban-first” marketing approach.

Final Thought

Gen Alpha is not just a new audience. They represent a new mindset one that values empathy, immediacy, and engagement. In a country like Sri Lanka, where community matters and family decisions are shared, this generation’s impact will extend across both digital platforms and social connections.

As marketers, we need to prepare not just our brands but also our hearts and minds for this shift. Because whether we like it or not, Gen Alpha is already watching.

Chathura Ganegoda (BSc (USJP), MCIM (UK), MBA(UOC))
“Lead the world to New Dimensions.”
LinkedIn – @Chathura Ganegoda
Email – Chathura.d.ganegoda@gmail.com
WhatsApp – 0777371229