The first part of marketing – it’s important to understand your audience. There isn’t a one size fits all. Each generation has its’s own unique habits, trends, interests and nostalgia that can affect the behaviour of how they react with certain brands and their marketing.
Whether you’re a Millennial or Gen Z, it’s vital to think about creating campaigns that resonate with more than one generational cohort.
Generational cohorts are described as ‘a group of individuals who were born during the same period and share everyday historical, cultural, and societal experiences’ (Lewis 2024).
For example, ‘Boomers’ (1946-1964) may take value in the quality and reliability of a product and how it is displayed. Stereo typically, they’re less experienced with technology and social media – meaning they may not be as clued in to trends or find certain approaches relatable (Clarke & THE INVESTOPEDIA TEAM 2024).
Whilst Gen Z (1996-2010) are known as, ‘digital natives’ the first generation to grow up with the internet, thriving off short and visual formats stemming from platforms such as TikTok (Anon. 2023).
Finding an approach to connect to the right audience can be tough, especially if your target audience is a wide range. When starting off a campaign to understand your target audience, encouraging user-generated content such as contests and interactive ads, can generate interest and build trust. This can be something people of all demographics can engage in (Giancaterino 2023).
Whilst it can be easy to go off stereotypes, the first step should be using insights for more valuable accurate results. Consumer behaviour evolves, therefore so should your strategy.
Referencing and sources:
ANON., 2023. What Is Gen Z? [viewed 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z
CLARKE, Caitlin and THE INVESTOPEDIA TEAM, 2024. Baby Boomer: Definition, Age Range, Characteristics, And Impact [viewed 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/baby_boomer.asp#:~:text=“Baby%20boomer”%20refers%20to%20a,economy%20during%20their%20working%20careers.
GIANCATERINO, C., 2023. Gen Z Vs. Millennials: How To Target Both Audiences | FiveCRM [viewed 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.fivecrm.com/blog/marketing-to-gen-z-vs-millennials
LEWIS, E.J., 2024. Evolution of Cross-Sector Cyber Intelligent Markets. IGI Global
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