Stranger In A Strange (generational) Land

If you visit Japan, or Germany, or Brazil, you expect cultural differences. Same with people of different races or religions. But the cultural gap between generations can still surprise us. I think we unconsciously tend to expect people “like us” to have similar attitudes and wants, no matter what their age. Not so.

Why should a marketer care? Here’s just a sampling of industries and functions where generational differences radically impact the form and usage of products and services:

Retirement communities
Cell phones
Publishing
Restaurants
Automotive
Human Resources
Fund-raising
Volunteer recruitment

If you have been giving thought all along to how generational differences affect your business, that’s great. But it’s my experience that very few people do.

If they give it any thought at all, older marketers tend to lump everyone else into YOUNGER. Younger marketers tend to lump everyone else into OLDER. And middle aged marketers just figure everyone is exactly like them.

Generations are defined by unique core values created by what happened to certain groups of people during their formative years. Most “experts” (there’s no certification or credentials for generation gurus) tend to lump living Americans into the following groups:

G.I. generation Born 1901-1926
Silent generation born 1927-1945
Baby Boomer generation born 1946-1964
Generation X born 1965-1981
Millennial generation born 1982-present

If you’re thinking you’d like to know more, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There is a ton of research on the attitudes and behaviors that define the different generations, at least here in the U.S. (generational data for other countries is much harder to find). A good starting place is The Generational Imperative by Chuck Underwood, one of the pioneers in the field. He has specific chapters on his book on how to market to each generation, which can be a convenient short cut.

Want to discuss how your business plan might better reflect generational differences? Give me a call--I’ve already read the book!