Anyone who is on social media is fully aware of the generational battles — whether it’s #okboomer, millennials are lazy and entitled, or GenZers enjoy eating Tide pods and snorting cinnamon. While these might provide entertainment and ways to irritate family members, the generational battles are typically nonsense and have little value for those who are trying to communicate with and engage an audience from any of these groups of consumers.
Generations Versus Lifestage
“Anyone who is on social media is fully aware of the generational battles — whether it’s #okboomer, millennials are lazy and entitled, or GenZers enjoy eating Tide pods and snorting cinnamon.”
Our experiences and research into the consumer mindset and behaviors show that what’s more important than these pre-assigned labels, is where the consumer is in their lifestage. So, stop talking about generations, it’s lifestage.
From an objective perspective, how different is the consumer who is currently 40 years of age (a millennial) and one who is 41 (a GenXer)? The answer is potentially, no different unless of course, they are at a different stage of their lives.
One of these consumers might be married with two children, while the other is single with no children. One may be a VP at an insurance company, the other just starting their own business. One may be a backcountry camper, the other an RVer. Our generation does not define us, our lifestage that includes all of our behaviors, attitudes, preferences, aspirations, and relationships that comprise our lifestyles does.
When considering how you are positioning your marketing, how you are measuring your business outcomes, how you are marketing your product and/or service, try to remove yourself from the mindset that certain attributes define a generation, and begin thinking about the profile of the consumers who fit into your preferred category based on where they are at in their lives.
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