B2C communications of Russian telemedicine digital platforms with youth and elderly audiences

Telemedicine digital platforms (TDPs) are emerging as an alternative to voluntary health insurance. The challenge of mass engagement with these platforms stems from the low interest of youth in health-related issues and the skepticism of older generations toward paid online medical consultations. This study aims to identify effective B2C communication means for engaging youth and elderly audiences on Russian TDPs. The article presents a content analysis of the most popular social media releases by Russian TDPs from 2020 to 2024 (90 analysis units, 630 coding units), focusing on communication formats and value-driven narratives within the linguistic structure of messages. The findings provide recommendations for tailoring content to both age groups. The study reveals that promoting TDPs requires adherence to “infostyle” principles, the use of multimodal texts (“cards”), personal branding techniques, storytelling, and collaborations. Youth audience is effectively engaged through concise content addressing beauty, health, psychology, and nutrition, incorporating humor and gamification elements. In contrast, elderly audiences respond positively to messages about disease diagnostics, early symptom recognition, prevention strategies, and health maintenance. To enhance elderly engagement, platforms should promote the narratives about personalization of medical services and saving time for receiving professional online consultations