As a marketer, chances are you’ve found one, if not several ways to segment your target audiences – age, gender, education, household income, home ownership or other key demographic characteristics. Demographics can tell you the “who” about your target audience, but they fall short in giving you the insights to “what, how, and why” audiences react the way they do. Enter the field of psychographics that offers more valuable insights about interests, opinions and activities of defined segments of people. Let’s get you started with one of the easiest ways to gain these insights: generational profiling. Right now, the majority of your target audiences will fall into the four active generations: Civics, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials.
Civics (now ages 65-85) Born prior to 1945, Civics also are referred to as the Greatest Generation and “Masters of the American Dream.” These men and women were raised in an era of American progress, economic growth, highlighted by traditional families, safe schooling and a new world order. This generation came of age during the post-depression, World War II era – when they were called on to serve a cause greater than themselves, this generation responded in whatever way they could (think: war effort work, war bonds, victory gardens, etc.). They entered a job market eager for their contribution and found company structures that supported the traditional 30- or 40-year career. They are the last generation to have a healthy savings account and the post-retirement support of a traditional pension system.
Baby Boomers (now ages 46-64) Born between 1946 and 1964, the Boomers were the largest generation in American history numbering more than 75 million. Raised in an era of extreme optimism, opportunity and progress, most Boomers grew up in two-parent households, with safe schools, and job security. As a group, this generation is characterized by a deep reaction to all forms of tradition – religious, familial, cultural, musical, societal. We can credit Boomers with the rise of rock-n-roll, the mass entry of women into the workforce and the societal upheaval necessary to achieve desegregation. However, while achieving much, Boomers are a self-absorbed generation that demands personal recognition and fulfillment. As evidence, we can look at Boomers sky-high divorce rates, their quest to “never be old” (or perceived as being/acting old), and their hunger for personal wealth and materialistic gain. The popular phrase, “He who has the most toys when he dies, wins!” is distinctly a Boomer mentality. Their focus on personal fulfillment has left deep impressions with their children (Gen Xers and Millennials) and on the shape of our current culture.
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Gen Xers (now ages 31-45) Born between 1965 and 1979, this is the smallest generation in modern American history, numbering slightly less than 50 million. Considered to be the most ignored and most misunderstood generation, Xers are the first in American history that will not do better than the previous generation. They grew up in two-career families with rapidly rising divorce rates, downsizing, the dawning of the high-tech and information age and the introduction of the entertainment culture. As the first generation to be marketed to as youth, they seek truth as a countermeasure to the “hype” of empty promises. For Xers, there never was a notion of “job security” and most credit the initial and subsequent dot-com booms from the entrepreneurial drive of this generation. Driven by a quest for balance and security, Gen X seeks to counter the instability of their youth with a drive to achieve balance both at work and at home.
Millennials (now ages 10-30) Born between 1980 and 2000, Millennials (also called Gen Y) are the largest generation in American history at more than 100 million. They are the most diverse (1 in 3 is not white), most educated, most marketed to, most medicated, and most cared for generation in history. Nearly half of Millennials were raised by divorced parents, 33% lived with a single parent, and nearly 75% had working mothers. Millennials have come of age during a time of rapid technological and social shifts. The advent of SMS (texting) created whole new paradigms of communication and interaction. More than 95% of Millennials have an account on at least one social networking site. Characterized as impatient and with a high need for immediate response, Millennials reflect the shift to real-time information and sharing. This generation began in an era of rapid American economic growth and prosperity and the presence of America as the lone global superpower, but they lacked security of safe school environments or stable home environments. Interestingly, despite the shifts around them, Millennials exhibit confidence, connectedness and values similar to Civics, with a deep sense of being called to a cause greater than themselves. Today, only half of Millennials have entered the workforce but they are being highly studied and are certain to have a dramatic impact in how we define “work, play and pray.”
What’s this mean to you as a marketer?
Move beyond the known demographics and push to better understand your audiences (and your co-workers) based on their generational affiliation. Revisit your marketing channels, your messages, and your calls-to-action and view them through the generational lens. Add depth to your demographics with generational profiling and you’ll gain a better understanding of your audiences’ values and motivations – and you can apply that kind of knowledge to your brand and its bottom line.
Note: data on generations can be found through the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Labor, Pew Research, Nielsen Research, Forrester Research, Cone Research, and others.
Jenny Schmitt is the Senior Spark at CloudSpark, an award-winning communications strategy company based in Atlanta. A frequent speaker and media contributor, Jenny has been quoted in BrandWeek, Nielsen’s Small Business, and USA Today among others; she regularly contributes to blogs relating to comnmunications and social media. She can be reached at jschmitt(at)cloudspark(dot)com or on Twitter @cloudspark.
