Generational Marketing The Secret Ingredient to Maximize Marketing ROI
Mar 26, 2015
Generational MarketingThe Secret Ingredient to Maximize Marketing ROI
5 Generations of Consumers
• Matures born 1925 to 1942
• Boomers born 1943 to 1960
• Gen X born in 1961 to 1981
• Gen Y (Millennials) born 1982 to 2004
• Gen Z born 2005 to the present
Which group contains the most consumers?
• Matures born 1925 to 1942
• Boomers born 1943 to 1960
• Gen X born in 1961 to 1981
• Gen Y (Millennials) born 1982 to 2004
• Gen Z born 2005 to the present
What does this mean to you?
With Baby Boomers moving into retirement and their parents well into old age, marketers are going to need a deeper demographic understanding of younger customers if they hope to remain relevant.
Kenneth W. Gronbach, The Age Curve: How to Profitfrom the Coming Demographic Storm
Matures and Their Media Habits
TV news (39% of the audience)
Newspaper and print (40% of the audience)
2 of 5 members of this group participate in social/civic organizations
Radio also has influence
You'll win if you . . .
Appreciate they’re avid readers.
Put a premium on courtesy and customer service.
Understand they may havetransportation challenges.
Craft messages that speak to their sense of history.
Make your website easy to use, magazine-like, without fast-popping multimedia experiences.
Avoid . . . Trying to fast-talk them into a decision with razzle-dazzle media.
Making them feel like they're being hustled.
Too much personalization in marketing literature—it creeps them out!
Marketing Tactics that Work
Traditional collateral and direct mail
Advertorials with credible pitchmen
Print ads
Catalogs
Radio messages
Boomers and Their Media Habits
They still think it's all about them Buying decisions based on facilitating convenience or commemorating successes
Media habits are remarkably similar to Matures
TV news (40% of the audience)
Newspaper and print (40% of the audience)
2 of 5 members of this group participate in social/civic organizations
The only generation to respond frequently to direct mail
You'll win if you . . .
Capture their attention in seconds—or lose them. Appreciate they are the busy generation.
Speak to the rebel/trailblazer who wants to be in the know and leave a legacy.
Make your website easy to use, magazine-like, and limit the amount of multi-media.
Avoid . . .
Making them read lengthy marketing messages
Marketing Tactics that Work
Traditional collateral
Print ads
Advertorials
Catalogs
Radio messages
Personalized direct mail with factual information
Gen X and Their Media Habits
Market savvy
Overly complex lives seeking simplification
Love hip fun
If you make a promise, you better deliver
TV news on comedy channels (78% of the audience)
Web (86%)
Lifestyle events
You'll win if you . . .
Understand how they use their time.
Know they rely heavily on pure information.
Avoid . . .
Disappointing them with your brand
Making them stand in line
Including cookie trails in websites
Marketing Tactics that Work
Permission marketing
Personalized direct mail
Event invitations
Incentives
Sardonic messaging on the web and TV
Hip, fun multimedia
Gen Y and Their Media Habits
Influenced by brand-conscious Boomer parents
Brains are wired for complexity
Tech savvy generation
They’ll trust you, but will be more influenced by their tribe
TV but target by cable channel and by show
Digital media
Permission marketing but in groups so social media is effective
You'll win if you . . .
Understand how they use their time Go where they are—malls, concerts, ballgames, brew-fest, fun runs, music fests, local causes
Make your website a “sweet” place to visit
Direct mail with freebies, discount coupons and event invitations
Incorporate social media
Avoid . . .
Too heavy of a focus on traditional media
A simplistic website
Marketing Tactics that Work
Rich media
Personalization on direct mail
Events
Social media
Media that lets the audience create
QR codes
Mobile messaging tied to permission marketing
Two Areas Where Opportunity AwaitsBillboardsDirect mail
“No one has taken their mailboxes down, and the outdoor is still right there on the road facing you. Yet for some reason advertisers and marketers are missing two of the biggest opportunities,” Gronbach says.
Direct Mail Benefits
It reaches the recipient.
It is a tactile experience.
People look at it.
The Trojan horse effect.
Neuroscience research shows the benefits of direct mail over digital
Higher retention
More learning about brand information
Study was conducted by Millward Brown working in association with Bangor University and the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail.
What can you do with this information?
Thank you for your attention. If you need more information,
please contact your Hopkins Printing account executive.