Habla Blog

Each new generation has unique experiences and challenges.  Businesses, political campaigns, government and other organizations try to understand their habits, attitudes, motivations, and more.   Sometimes, explanations of these age groups don’t offer much more information than weekly horoscopes.   Ward & Associates has put together a quick primer for deciphering each of these groups. 

Remember, this primer is just a starting point.  Which one do you fall into?  Do the assumptions ring true?

The Greatest Generation

Grandparents and those born from the 1920 until 1946 are considered the “Greatest Generation”, or the World War II Generation.  According to Australian Herald Sun, “they grew up at a time when unemployment meant hunger and work[ing] in a bank was a job for life. In marketing terms they are seen as conservative and security-conscious. Their numbers are dwindling.”  This generation did not grow up with technology.  FDR’s “fireside chats” were the big evening entertainment.   However, this generation contains great storytellers, and is focused on personally connecting with others, their families, and their community.  They have always been politically active.

The Baby Boomers

The “Boomers” were part of the post-World War II baby boom.  They were born between 1946 and 1964.  “Brash, confident, [they were] the product of a prosperous society when youth was discovering its wings for the first time. From free love to freedom rides, they forced their social and political values onto society.

Today they’re the managers, the politicians - your boss.

From the marketing standpoint they still follow their teenage values and can be brand-switchers, and argumentative…

They are doers, communicators, achievers. But don’t expect them to retire at 65 - they figure that so long as they can think and talk, they can do the job better than anyone.”

Generation X

Generation X was born between 1965 and 1979.  The media dubbed this generation “X”, because it was so hard to categorize this dynamic group.  “Brought up by a bunch of would-be hippies and divorced parents, they swung the other way and tended to a more detached view of the world. [Think Alex P. Keaton]

[Growing up in the 80’s], their influences were MTV, small families, AIDS and higher education. Sex had been liberated by the sexual revolution and they were not inclined to commitment.

[O]nly now are we seeing them start to marry, in their 30’s, and far later than any generation before them. Many have only recently left home.”

USA Today says, “Generation X makes up just under 20% of the U.S. population. [T]hey are now starting families and buying the houses that we aging boomers are selling.”

Generation Y

USA Today goes on to say, “Generation Y (also known as the Millennials), born between 1980 and 1994, is more populous than Gen X, making up fully one-quarter of the U.S. population.”

Computers were ubiquitous, and the internet opened up the world, and cell phones can pull them into temporary groups.

“[A] few text messages can cause a rave party of thousands to mushroom - or a riot to ignite, “ says the Australian Herald Sun.  

The Barack Obama campaign is a perfect example of how marketing to this generation produces tremendous results.

Similarities between Generations X and Y

Growing up after Watergate and coming of age during the two Iraq Wars, both Gen X and Gen Y are generally suspicious of big institutions, big business, the government and the media.

Independent, self-directed, and technologically savvy, reaching them is a challenge because they take everything with a grain of salt.

They are different in other significant ways as well:

• Unlike earlier generations, equality of the sexes at work and at home is a given for them.  Many members of this group grew up in single parent households.

• They have little brand loyalty.

• They consider themselves entrepreneurs. Even if they don’t start their own businesses, they have entrepreneurial careers.

So, how do you sell to a group that is intrinsically distrustful and cynical?

1. Avoid any hint of a hard sell.

What they want is authenticity. They are not going to simply trust what they read, or what your brochure says. They want to see and understand for themselves the value of a product or service. USA Today

2. Reach them where they are: Online.

More than almost any other generation, Gens X and Y spend time on the Internet, working, networking, shopping, reading, watching, meeting, and gaming.

That means you have to be there too.

One especially potent way to reach them is through the plethora of social networking sites out there like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and so on. The savvy marketer who wants to tap the Generation X and Y market will likely have a significant online social networking presence. USA Today

Moreover, according to the website for the book Groundswell,

24% of Gen Yers read blogs, which is twice as often as the 12% of Gen Xers (ages 27-40) and three times the seven percent of young Boomers (ages 41-50).”

For more information on social networking, try our new teleseminar, Wallflower to Expert Networker in 60 Minutes- Online and Offline Networking.  Click here to register!  The first 200 will receive a free CD!