Generation Z, Generation X, Baby Boomers… Marketing Pain Points and Characteristics of the Top 5 Generations in the World
Generation Z, Generation X, Baby Boomers... In the context of overseas marketing, there is a generational division of target audiences that is completely different from China.
image wikipedia
As can be seen from the above figure, the division of generations overseas is very different from China. This is because the generation division in China is based on 10 years , so there will be different generations such as the post-80s, post-90s and post-00s. The mainstream overseas generational division (especially applied to the marketing field) is basically based on 15 years/major historical event nodes.
Therefore, if overseas brands want to more accurately divide their audiences and target their preferences, they should more accurately grasp the division and characteristics of different generations overseas.
1. 5 Generations Active in the Marketing Environment
Each generation has its own set of beliefs, preferences, and shared experiences that influence how they think and behave—especially when making purchasing decisions or interacting with brands.
Technological development, financial stability, and education all influence the behavior of different generations over time. Excluding the Alpha generation (early 2010s-mid 2020s), whose generational characteristics are still being built, and the overly distant 19th and early 20th century generations, the top 5 generations currently active in all brand marketing environments are:
Their intergenerational characteristics determine their behavioral characteristics as target users and consumers. Some of them are cutting-edge consumers who are interested in technology products, while others are loyal users of traditional brands.
2. Characteristics of the 5 Generations and Decomposition of Marketing Strategies
01 The Silent Generation: Before 1945
Characteristics: The Silent Generation is the oldest generation still being targeted by marketing. These people are looking for products and services that make life easier. They will be loyal to the brands they have already consumed and will spend for a long time to maintain stability. At the same time, they also highly respect and value the relationships with those with whom they transact.
Marketing strategies: TV, radio, direct mail and print (such as postcards, address books and flyers)
Pain Points: This generation values family, community, and respect, and responds to any simple, direct content and imagery relevant to the age group.
Social media marketing takeaways: It’s almost impossible to reach this group of people on social media, but their children and grandchildren can still be reached as a brand’s target audience on social media. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the emphasis on caring and respecting the elderly and barrier-free use.
02 Baby Boomers: 1946-1964
Characteristics: Baby boomers grew up in the post-World War II economic recovery and growth period, and are the generation with the largest purchasing power and disposable income among the top 5 generations. This is due to their age and length of service.
Baby boomers have spent most of their lives without modern technology, but they are not unacceptable to new things, and they are also active on platforms such as social media. And from the influence of the economic development period, they can maintain good transaction behavior and have high brand loyalty.
Marketing strategy: Traditional advertising, such as print, radio and television; focus on in-store purchases and loyalty development with face-to-face interactions.
Pain points: Customer service and easy-to-understand content.
Social Media Marketing Essentials: Highlight the easy shopping experience your brand or product can provide on social media.
03 Generation X: 1965-1980
Characteristics: Generation X grew up in recessions. They are wary of money and more skeptical of brands. This generation is hesitant to change and innovate, preferring to stick with what they know. Despite growing up and living most of their lives with modern technology, Gen Xers place more trust in nostalgia, word of mouth, and other user reviews.
Marketing strategies: traditional advertising, building customer loyalty programs; word-of-mouth marketing, email and social marketing; using incentives (such as discounts, giveaways, and coupons) to drive user interest.
Pain Points: Need for authentic and clear messaging, clear and concise paths to purchase, email marketing campaigns, customer service, offers, and social media.
Key points of social media marketing: In the face of Generation X, it is necessary to focus on the combination of "preferential + word-of-mouth", on the one hand to cultivate trust, and on the other hand to mobilize activity.
04 Millennials: 1981-1996
Characteristics: Millennials, also known as "Generation Y," are the first generation to grow up with modern technology.
They are the most active generation in the marketing environment today, so brands must market to a wider audience and be able to build a large customer base by building trust with millennials.
Millennials value authentic brand messages and will proactively support brands that are socially and environmentally responsible. That is, they focus on both the actual value the brand provides and the social value the brand generates.
At the same time, the recognition of this generation comes more from UGC content and word-of-mouth advertising. Unlike Gen X, they prefer their own low-priced brands, rather than the price cuts and promotions of high-priced brands.
Marketing Strategies: Multichannel, UGC, Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Content Marketing.
Pain Points: Branding, social media marketing, user reviews, cost-effectiveness and digital marketing in support of charities.
Social Media Marketing Essentials: The generation that pays the most attention to UGC marketing is also the generation that social media marketing can cover most widely.
05 Gen Z: 1997-2012
Characteristics: Gen Z is the most diverse generation and one that has grown up with modern technology. Although many of this generation are still young, they have enormous spending power.
Gen Z takes financial issues very seriously because they are a generation that places equal importance on spending and managing money. They are more reliant on social media reviews and recommendations than other generations, and are happy to engage with brands that use social commerce, and they are happy to consume DTC brands.
Marketing strategy: influencer marketing (especially small and micro influencers), social media marketing (especially TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube), social e-commerce means (such as social shopping and live broadcast, etc.)
Pain points: small and micro influencer marketing, short videos, niche interests, emerging smart applications.
Social media marketing takeaways: Collaborate with micro-influencers, respect diversity, and demonstrate a niche interest.
3. SaaS platforms that can profile social media crowds:
Marketing Cloud
Different brands have different target groups. As we have seen above, social media marketing plays an important role in reaching all major generations.
So how do you determine the user generation and characteristics of your social media homepage?
The "Portrait" function provided by Marketing Cloud can gain insight into the basic information such as the user's gender, age, country & city, language, and constellation, and provide loyalty data such as audience interaction time, interaction type, and interaction times on this basis. It also provides and supports exporting relevant reports at any time to help brands keep abreast of the characteristics and changes of their social media followers and consumers.
To better understand your audience on your social media platform, welcome to use Marketing Cloud, a global social media data marketing management platform. Whether it is the "Portrait" function, the "Public Opinion" function or the "Social Listening" function, it can help you better perform social media marketing with high ROI.