80 likes | 243 Views
Generational Divide. By Alison Stein Wellner. A Generation Defined. Webster’s: “a category of people born and living contemporaneously.” Marketers: “a group of people who share the same formative experiences”’ Year of birth is commonly used by demographers because it is: Easy to measure
E N D
Generational Divide By Alison Stein Wellner
A Generation Defined • Webster’s: “a category of people born and living contemporaneously.” • Marketers: “a group of people who share the same formative experiences”’ • Year of birth is commonly used by demographers because it is: • Easy to measure • Does not change with income, geographical region or marital status
Jonathan Pontell’s “lost” generation:Generation Jones • Traditional Baby Boom too wide (1946-64) • According to Pontell, • Boomers = 1942-1953: Vietnam & Woodstock • Generation Jones = 1954-1965: AIDS & PC’s • “Generation Jones is an accurate realization that the Baby Boomers are really not a homogenous group.” • “It’s just a blatantly inaccurate way to determine who a generation is, to base it on something as random as birthrate.”
American Demographics Jonathan Pontell
The Other View: Size Does Matter • Birthrate = best indicator of what economy will look like in the future • ie. Diaper Company • Boomers share child-centric upbringing and value individuality, youthfulness, and respect for knowledge. • By creating Generation Jones, Pontell is acting just like a Boomer himself, by demonstrating self-absorbing tendencies
Age Defying Classification • Generation vs. Psychographics • Market Size vs. Attitudes • “The new measuring stick…will by lifestyle, life stage, and health stage more than generation” • Niche Generations – increasingly smaller groups that share common experiences • “Generation Jones simply puts a sliver of the Baby Boom under a psychographic microscope”
The Great Debate • Are traditional ways of looking at generation still meaningful in the world today? • What is the ideal method of segmentation? • What does this all mean for marketers who seek a deeper understanding of customers?