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Archive for the ‘Millennials/Gen Y’ Category

Social Media Grabs Headlines; TV and Print Grab Wallets

Friday, April 1st, 2011
Food for thought: while social media marketing may appear to be the darling of the day, “old fashioned” TV and print continue to grab prospects by the wallet.  The effectiveness of television advertising is consistent across all ages – high numbers of Millennials, Baby Boomers and 65+ seniors report that it has an impact on their buying decision.  And the impact of magazine ads increases with age.
 
 According to the latest edition of Deloitte Research’s “State of the Media Democracy” survey, 71% of Americans still rate watching TV on any device among their favorite media activities. In addition, 83% of Americans stated that TV advertising still has the most impact on their buying decisions.
 
This isn’t a surprise to Creating Results – this blog has repeatedly noted that television is still a safe bet with great reach when you are marketing to Baby Boomers and seniors.  But it’s timely news this week given Century 21′s decision to return to TV. 
 
Chief Marketing Officer Beverly Thorne told AdAgethat “ it was time to return to TV to raise awareness about agents with young-adult home buyers.”  The median age of US primetime TV watchers is 51 (Boomers) and 65+ers (seniors) watch more television than any other age.  So Thorne’s ploy to get in front of young adults will put Century 21 in front of the adults who actually do buy new homes: 40+ matures.
 
The ability of ads on web sites to move traffic to other sites has dropped from 72% to 59% over the past three surveys.  Online advertising trails magazines for effectiveness, especially when it comes to older targets.  More than 2/3 of matures (defined by Deloitte as 63-75) and half of Baby Boomers (which Deloitte defines as 44-62) say magazine ads are highly motivating to them.
 
According to the survey, since 2007 a consistent 70% of Americans state that they enjoy reading printed magazines even though they know that they could find most of the same information online.  James McDonnell, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, says “… enthusiasm for printed magazines is consistent across all age groups, a unique result in consumer attitudes across all the media categories, we surveyed… 
 
It may be April 1st but we’re not fools.  As Creating Results has noted before, the top monthly magazines rely on older readers and news magazine readers, in particular are older, wealthier and more educated than the average.  We feel we can safely predict that print won’t be dead for quite some time.
 
MediaPost shared the following chart with statistics at a glance – the advertising vehicles that have the most impact on the buying decision, by age:
 
Advertising With Most Impact On Buying Decision (% of Respondents)
  All Trailing Millennials Leading Millennials Xers Boomers Matures
TV 83% 80 82  86 82 80
Magazines 50 44 45  45  53 67
Online 47 55 69 46 41 32
Newspapers 44 20 17 37 59 79
Radio 32 26 22 37 34 27
Billboards/outdoor advertising 13 11 12 14 13  8
In-theater advertising 11 27 19 10 6  3
Source: Deloitte Research, March 2011 (Trailing Millennials: Age 14-20, Leading Millennials: 21-26, Generation X: 27-43, Baby Boomers: 44-62, Matures: 63-75)
 
 What do you think? Share your thoughts on TV, magazines and marketing to Baby Boomers and seniors below.

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y, Real Estate Marketing, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Social Networks on the Rise, Email for Everyone, Finds Pew

Monday, December 20th, 2010

The Pew Internet & American Life Project released its second ‘Generations” reportlast week, with data about what various cohorts – from Gen Y/Millennials to Baby Boomers to the Greatest Generation – are doing on the Internet.  Turns out, these cohorts are becoming more alike in their online activities.  A quick synopsis:

Activities Dominated by Millennials

Pew found that Gen Y/Millennials aged 18-33 are much more likely to use instant messaging, watch a video, or play online games.  While larger numbers of older Americans are joining online social networks, they still lag their grandkids/great grandkids in this activity.  Social network sites are used by:

* 16% of Greatest Generation (74+)
* 34% of Silent Generation seniors (65-73 years old)
* 43% of older Baby Boomers (56-64)
* 50% of younger Boomers (aka Generation Jones, 46-55)
* 62% of Gen X (34-45)
* 83% of Gen Y/Millennials

Use of the Internet itself is an area where older cohorts still lag.  79% of all Americans go online, states Pew, yet younger folks are overrepresented in a census of Web citizenry.

The percentage of each generation who go online

Chart: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Generations 2010

Online Activities Where Older (Gen X, Boomers & matures) Dominate

Pew found only 2 areas where older cohorts are more likely than Millennials to be active:  visiting government websites and getting financial information online.  Consistent with lifestage, Baby Boomers and Silent Generation seniors are spending the most time seeking out financial information, including mortgage rates, stock quotes and advice to help them plan for retirement or make the best of un-retirement.

Everybody Loves Email

As Pew puts it, the bulk of online activities are now more consistently popular across the age groups.  Some have significant differences between the oldest cohort (Greatest Generation) and the youngest (teens & Millennial) generations – if they didn’t, THAT would be a headline!

For marketers feeling the pressure to put dollars into social media, if you’re targeting Boomers and beyond, remember that email is used by nearly 9 in 10 of all people over 50.  Email is the most popular of all online activities regardless of age:

* 88% of 74+ers
* 90% of the Silent Generation
* 93% of older Boomers
* 91% of younger Boomers
* 94% of Gen X
* 96% of Millennials

Now that Pew has detailed what online activities Boomers and seniors are pursuing, how do you apply these statistics to your marketing program?

In January 2011, Creating Results will release findings from our proprietary, national survey of mature consumers that could offer some answers.  More than 400 consumers over 40 answered questions about web preferences – pet peeves, favorite features & more – and attitudes toward social media.

And we went “beyond the numbers,” inviting 40+ Americans to share their opinions in their own words.  There also are specific take-aways for those marketing housing to Boomers and seniors.

To be first to receive the full findings of “Social, Silver Surfers,” please register here:  http://www.creatingresults.com/silver_social_surfers/.

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Posted in Boomers, Gen X, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Internet, Marketing, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Social Networking, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Older Generations Puzzle over Today’s Youth (Redux)

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

While Creating Results spends its time focusing on Baby Boomers and beyond, marketer Carol Phillips focuses on Millennials.  After two “what’s the matter with kids these days” articles in high-profile publications, she mused about a Generational Culture Gap on her blog.

“Millennials have a way of driving older folks crazy … Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers find this generation puzzling, and rather than strive to understand the differences, instead are inclined to view them negatively.  It’s as if they were visiting a foreign country, and instead of trying to understand the culture, they respond with, ‘Eww, look at them, can you believe it??!’

… Millennials meet the definition of a subculture. Data and experience both show that Millennials look at many things — work, food, religion, politics, fashion and more —  differently.”

Phillips calls for all to suspend judgment and truly get to know their targets – good advice whether you’re marketing to a 50-something Baby Boomer or a 70-something senior or a 20-something Millennial. 

As a marketing  professional who specializes in the language, customs and drivers of Baby Boomers and other older generations, I’d venture pretty much every young cohort has a way of driving the older generations crazy.

* The “Silent Generation” (born roughly between 1925 and 1945) got its moniker from a Time cover story.  The reporter (from an older cohort) sure sounded frustrated with the kids of his day.  He bemoaned their lack of activism and reported that “the girls want a career – and marriage.”

* Baby Boomers (1946-1964) drove their elders crazy with their hairstyles, clothing, protests, drugs and more.  Heck, “Bye Bye Birdie” was all about a (musical) generational culture gap.

* Time_Magazine_Cover_Generation_XThe nickname for Gen X (born roughly between 1965 and 1945) was popularized by yet another magazine article.  At the time, the other name being used for this cohort of stand-for-nothing underachievers was the “Postponed Generation” because young adults kept moving back home.

Phillips wraps up her fine post by saying “It’s not better or worse, it’s just different.” 

In my view it’s not better or worse, but quite familiar!

Posted in Boomers, Gen X, Marketing, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Age of Social Networks? Mature

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

“In social media, not only do women rule, but it seems that the middle-aged are Social Media’s largest share holders,” writes Brian Solis in a new blog post.  Solis shares new data from a Pingdom study of 19 social networks which found the age groups that dominate the social Web are 35-44 (Gen X, 58%), 17 and under (21%) and 45-45 (younger Baby Boomers, aka Gen Jones, 16%).

In the past, we’ve counseled those marketing to Boomers and beyond to go slowly and be choosy.  Pingdom’s studycould help marketers make some of those choices.  They found that the 35-44 age group “dominates the social media sphere,” representing 25% of the users across 19 sites.  This age group is the largest segment on 11 of the 19 social media sites.  Those 45-54 are tops on another 3 out of the 19 sites Pingdom reviewed.

AgeDistroSocialNetworkSites.pingdom

Where will you find …

The average user of a social networking site is 37 years old, reports Pingdom.  They then calculated an average age for each of the sites they studied.

* Looking for Millennials?  Try Bebo – average age 28.4.  MySpace and Xanga are close behind.

* For the not-so-Silent Generation, you might have luck with Classmates – 8% are over 65, making Classmates the site with the largest share of this mature cohort.

* Does (Gen) X mark the marketing spot for your organization?  61% of Facebook users, and 64% of Twitter-ers are over 35. 

* We were surprised to discover 20% of Friendster users are between the ages of 45 and 54, which makes them trailing edge Baby Boomers (also known as Generation Jones).

* And LinkedIn, as we’ve noted before, appears your best bet for Boomers in general.  Average age is 44.3 years old.  That’s up three years since we shared our thoughts on LinkedIn as a mature marketing vehicle in September of 2009.  More than 35% of are between 45 and 64 years old.

Be sure to read Pingdom’s post for a chart with the average ages for each of the 19 sites under review.  Useful information for those preparing their social media marketing strategies.

P.S.  Creating Results has been conducting research into the attitudes of 40+ consumers towards social media.  We recently opened up our survey to a national audience, putting a 3-minute poll online.  Whether you love or hate social networking, we’d love to hear from you!  Follow this link:  http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/233384/40-plus-social-media

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Posted in 40+, Boomers, Gen X, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Marketing, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y, Social Networking | 1 Comment »

New Findings: Generations and Donations

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported this week on new research into how different generations – from Millennials to Silents – support and interact with charities.  The survey claims that Gen X and Millennials/Gen Y now make the majority of potential donors but notes that both younger cohorts “contribute less money and support fewer charities” than Baby Boomers.  Convio estimates 79% of matures (defined as born before 1945) give, as do 67% of Boomers, 58% of Gen X and 56% of 18-29 year-olds.  The amount given increases signnificantly with age.

GenerationalGroupsAverageContributionsYear

Direct Mail Dominates for Boomers, Silent Generation Donors

The report finds that direct mail, long a consistent vehicle for for-profit marketing, continues to be an effective way for not-for-profits to reach members of the Silent and Baby Boom generations.

Direct mail remains the dominant way through which older people give, with 77 percent of donors born in1945 or earlier saying they had given through the mail in the last two years. But among members of Generation X and Generation Y, no single way of giving dominated.

Forty-three percent of Generation X and 26 percent of Generation Y members in the survey said they had given through the mail in the last two years, while 35 percent of Generation X had used a charity’s Web site and and 29 percent of Generation Y had used that approach.

The full report from Convio notes that today’s traditional direct marketing fundraising letter – that long form, friendly piece that feels like it came off a typewriter – grew up with today’s Silent Generation and older.  And it still works for them.  35% of people older than 65 first heard about a charity through the mail.  Asked how they first learned of their top charity, Millennials did not even register mail as an option.

Convio’s take-away?  “Direct mail has a bright future — but it needs to evolve.”  It needs to be one part of a multichannel mix, one that includes the web, email, telemarketing and social media.

I had the honor of talking with a group of Northern Virginia charities and government agencies last week, at a lunch sponsored by the Coalition for Human Services.  Our topic was another channel in Convio’s desired mix: social marketing.  Friday, I’ll share some of the insights from that presentation and the lively discussions that followed.

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Millennials and Religion, Baby Boomers and Spirituality

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Wrapping up our short takes from new Pew Research Center data, we turn to religion.  Pew’s study says that Millennials are not as religious as the four elder cohorts – Gen X, Baby Boom, and generations Silent and Greatest. 

0210ImportanceReligionByGeneration.PewReschCtr

Pew points to people’s natural “tendency to place greater emphasis on religion as they age” but notes that – when you look at how the generations felt when they were of similar ages (18-29 years old), Millennials are more like Baby Boomers than Gen X.

“[Y]oung people today look very much like Baby Boomers did at a similar point in their life cycle; in a 1978 Gallup poll, 39% of Boomers said religion was very important to them.”

We are reminded that marketing to Boomers or any other generation for that matter) cannot be based on a cohort’s label alone.  It’s what what Dick Stroud once called the “the blindingly obvious – lifestyle and lifestage trumps age.” (more…)

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation | No Comments »

Fewer Younger Veterans Than in Past Generations

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

The excellent Pew Research Center report, “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change,” contains this nugget of insight regarding military service across the generations. 

  • In 1964, when Silents were ages 19-36 yrs old, 24% had already served in military.
  • In 1978, when Boomers were ages 14-32 yrs old, 13% were veterans.
  • In 1995, Gen X were ages 15-30 yrs old, 6% had served.
  • Millennials are currently 18-29 yrs old.  Per 2010 Pew research, only 2% are veterans.

(You also can look at this data in Pew’s excellent interactive chart, comparing generations now and when they were the same ages.)

No wonder the Silent Generation feels that their wartime experiences/history are what make their generation unique from Baby Boomers, Gen X and the Millennials. 

Learn about marketing to mature veterans as a senior “niche” by reading our 2009 post on the subject.  And add your comments below on what this shift means – if anything – to generational marketers.

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Social Networking Habits of Baby Boomers and Beyond

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

More insights from a new Pew Research Center study on the Millennials, which compares the attitudes and habits of 18-29 year olds with those of the Baby Boom, Silent and X generations.  Today’s topic: Social networking.

0210SocialNetworkingUsersByGeneration.PewReschCtr

Despite tremendous growth in the numbers of Baby Boomers and matures actively participating in social networks, Pew Research Center found that “Only 30% of all Boomers and 6% of members of the Silent generation have created their own profile on a social networking site.”

 Now, 30% of all Baby Boomers is a sizable group, but the research reminds mature marketers it’s good to be choosy about how much and where to invest in social media marketing.

Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) Gen Xers and fewer than 1 in 10 (11%) Boomers told Pew they visit social networking sites multiple times a day.  More Boomers (26%) than Gen X (19%) go on once a day.  14% Millennials, 10% Gen X, 6% of Baby Boomers and 1% of Silent Generation members say they have ever used Twitter.

Learn more about social media and Boomers/seniors.  Please check out our other posts on this subject or download our complimentary “Top 10 Take-aways” from the 2010 Builders Show.  Or, email social [at] creatingresults.com to request our Social Media Cheat Sheet (with descriptions, data on popular social networking sites) and the Social Media Survival Guide (lays out a five-step plan for getting your brand socially engaged).

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Marketing, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Social Networking, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Technology Use, Attitudes Distinguish Youngers from Elders

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Another look at the generational marketing snapshots provided in the new Pew Research Center study on Millennials (see yesterday’s post).  Today’s topic: Technology. 

 Two years ago, Harris Interactive asked Americans what they’d re-name their generation, if they could.  A full quarter of both Millennials and Gen X chose “Generation Tech.”  That finding is confirmed in Pew’s new research which reported that – especially for the 18-29 year olds -, technology is what defines them as distinct from Boomers and beyond.

0210TechnologyUseByGeneration.PewReschCtr

It’s not just use of technology but attitude that distinguishes Millennials and Gen Xers from their elders.

“[A] majority of the public takes the positive view of modern technology. Half of the public says that new technology makes people closer to their friends and family, but 39% say that new technology makes people more isolated. A majority of Millennials (54%) and Gen Xers (52%) think that new technology makes people closer to each other rather than more isolated. But Boomers and members of the Silent generation are more divided in their opinion.”

The upshot for those marketing to Baby Boomers and Silent Generation?  Many elders are tech savvy and active online.  But it’s not what defines them.  Don’t forget traditional marketing techniques such as direct mail or print advertising when trying to motivate 50+ consumers.

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Internet, Marketing, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Generational Snapshots from Pew Research Center

Monday, March 1st, 2010

The Pew Research Center’s latest study, “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change” provides insights for marketing to Gen X, Baby Boomers and Silent Generation as well as the nation’s 18-29 year olds.  This week we’ll post short takes related to social networking, economic outlooks and other topics.  We recommend reading the full study and spending some time with the terrific interactive graphs that compare the generations todayand when they were at the same age as Millennials are now.

Do Generational Distinctions Matter to Marketing?

How we see ourselves does matter to marketing, so it’s interesting to note that each of the four generations told researchers that there are reasons they are unique. 

First, here’s how Pew defines the generations:

  • Millennial: Born after 1980, currently 18-29 years old
  • Generation X:  Born between 1965-1980, now 30-45 years old
  • Baby Boom: Born 1946-1964, currently ages 46-64 (includes both leading edge/older Boomers and the trailing edge/younger Boomers often broken out as “Generation Jones”)
  • Silent (aka “Ikes”): Born between 1928-1945, now 65 years old or better

Now, here’s how each generation defines what makes them different than the rest.

0210WhatMakesGenerationUnique.PewReschCtr

All of the generations except the Millennials said work ethic was a distinguishing trait.  This is especially ironic because Pew’s study also shows that 15% of Millennials reported being successful in a high-paying career was one of the most important things in their lives (vs. only 7% of respondents over 30 years old who felt that way).

The report cites Millennials (61%) and Silents (66%) as saying theirs is a unique generation.  The Silent Generation respondents were most likely to say that theirs is not just a different generation, but it is better/stronger than the others (4%).

Silents also were most likely to say that the historic times in which they lived were defining of their generation.  (Check out this case study of branding/market research done for a museum focused on WWI and WWI experiences to see one way we’ve applied this type of insight.)  Perhaps this will get lazy marketers to stop tossing peace symbols and Woodstock references into every Boomer-oriented ad?

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Marketing, Millennials/Gen Y, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

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