Marekting to Generation X, Y

If you are marketing or trying to advertise your services to many groups of people, you may want to keep in mind the buying differences in two groups that have made an impact in the last several years. About 51 million people are in the Generation X category. This generation was born approximately between 1965-1977. Research studies have shown that the events that shaped their lives were corporate layoffs, high divorce rate, end of the Cold War, latchkey kids, and an increase of mothers going back to work. Generation X'ers are also considered to be independent, strive to find a work/life balance, wary of commitment, and tend to be self-sufficient.

Marketing to Generation X'ers can be a little tough. Unlike the baby-boomer generation, they are not known to show loyalty to any one particular brand or company. But if you are offering a deal or special discount it may encourage them to stay around a little longer. Give them benefits of using your product and WHY it would help them. Is it of good value? Try not to market to just stay-at-home moms. Starting with this generation, many more dads decided to stay home with the children and/or spend much more of his time than his own father did.

Now on to Generation Y, also called Millennials. This generation is generally regarded as born between 1978-1997. They number a whopping 75 million and are entering the workforce in large numbers. Their lives have been defined by growing up with school shootings, AIDS, widespread use of computers, the 1990s economic boom and the Internet. They are tech-savvy, racially diverse, self-empowered and extremely independent. Since this generation was raised in a technology driven world, some professionals see them as impatient and image-driven. However, they use these same skills when purchasing a product by using market research and visiting websites in order to find all information about the product. The Internet is their medium.

Whatever generation your target audience is remember to tailor your marketing campaign to that particular audience.