Another day and another story about how brand managers need to be especially cognizant of generational needs, wants, and desires. These days, we’re not fixated on “misunderstood Boomers.” After nearly seven decades, the world knows about as much about the children of the 1960s as it needs to know.
The mystery generations continue to be those up and coming Gen Zs, with contrails of questions about Millennials, still somehow mystifying marketers even though we’re been studying them for a quarter of a century. Today’s story, however, is all about Zs and their little brothers and sisters, Alphas.
It ran last week in Retail Wire with the blaring question, “What Do Gen Z and Alpha Want From Brands?”
And a subheader advises, “Brands would be smart to find out what each generation expects from a shopping experience and deliver whatever that is with deliberate care.”
Aside from recommending marketers lead with mobile over email, there are absolutely no insights in this story. You’ve read it all before.
Part of the problem with generational marketing is that most research on the topic stereotypes trends, habits, and preferences to a point where consumers push back in protest.
That reaction is humorously addressed in a story in The Comeback, “Here is a list of things that millennials are killing” with the simple subhead, “Blame millennials.” This is a meme that’s been floating around the web since at least 2017 based on my Google searching (I didn’t even waste an episode with ChatGPT on this one).
Despite the fact, “it’s been done,” the Comeback list is comprehensive and funny. As the father of two Millennials, I especially appreciated their generation taking the heat for eradicating the following:
- The oil industry – Rev up those EVs
- The beer industry – Hello to the craft beer generation; pass on the Miller Lite
- The gold industry – Actually, this one’s moved multi-generational
- The movies – With a push from the pandemic
- Focus groups – Wait….what!
Their list goes on (along with appropriately snarky comments).
At least radio didn’t make the list. (It could have.)
The problem, even with satirical stories like this one is that no one likes to be categorized, especially by their generational group. Especially with the aforementioned Millennials, their members in good standing will tell you there are different types. And that they belong in the other group.
Part of the problem is that generational groupings tend to stretch out 15-18 years or so. And that’s a lot of chronological “real estate” to cover. It’s the same way radio people de-emphasize the 25-54 demographic because there’s no way someone on its young end even resembles someone else in the older portion of this 30-year expanse.
And that’s partially why one of the most respected research names on the planet is well on the way to wiping out generational labels in our radio lifetimes. Pew Research Center’s Kim Parker recently published a white paper explaining that much of the so-called generational research that pops up on our screens is actually clickbait. And of course, she’s right.
Pew has actively engaged in generational research for years but recently took a pause to study the space. And in the process, they came up with guidelines that might be helpful (or not) for the rest of us.
First and foremost, Pew believes that when historical data exists that allows them to study generations at the same stage of life, there’s validity in using generations. So, today’s Millennials might be compared to Boomers – IF there’s research on the latter from when they were also in their twenties and thirties. Here’s the explainer quote from Pew:
“When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.”
No, but there’s a lot to learn by comparing generational behavior, like the “dual pyramid” in Techsurvey 2023 you see below, juxtaposing Millennials and Boomers and the media, gadgets, and activities common to each. Those little graphics symbolize the things Millennials do more than Boomers using K-Pop phenom BTS logos. And on the other side, activities more common to Boomers than Generation Y, illustrated by BTO, good old Bachman-Turner Overdrive. When I show this chart, it gets some laughs. But it also clearly defines the differences between these iconic generations.
Another Pew caveat is methodology. Surveys conducted decades ago were mostly done over the phone. Today, it’s pretty much all online, of course. And those differences impact results – and comparative analysis, too.
Pew’s Parker points to major events that shape minds and hearts at given points in time, mentioning the impact of the Watergate scandal on trust levels back in the 70s. Of course, there’s been no shortage of life-roiling events in the past 20 or so years – 9/11, the Great Recession, Donald Trump, and COVID. (What did I miss?)
Her thesis is that these events impacted all generations – not just one group more than another.
And then there’s the notion that age (the metric on which generational research is based) is just one chapter of the story. Ethnicity, gender, and other factors would seem to have every bit as much to do with attitudes and opinions as age – if not more so. Yet, we still default to comparison between Xers and Millennials, perhaps leaving out some key variables.
And Pew’s idea is to be more intentional about their research, digging deeper than surface generational labels to glean insights.
At Jacobs Media, we’ve wrapped up Techsurvey 2023 for this year, and are now about to dive into Public Radio Techsurvey, representing 60 or so stations across the non-commercial spectrum here in the U.S.
And so I’ve started thinking about the ways in which we use generational research analysis. Looking at this chart from TS 2023, I still see value in looking across the generations, especially when you see linearity like on the chart below.
This question is from our “Why radio?” series where we investigate the motivations for listening to broadcast radio beyond the “usual suspects” – music, air personalities, contests, weather and traffic. It’s the emotional underpinnings that often are revealing, like the question shown here. These respondents say “escaping from the pressures of everyday life” is a main reason they listen to AM/FM stations.
While the numbers representing the total sample bounce around a bit over six years of tracking, it is gender and especially generations where we reap the benefits of staring at these crosstabulations. When the Gen Z to Greatest Generation (those born before 1946) have a 5x difference, that tells you something about what radio means to different listeners born at different times.
So, I’m not thinking we’re going to change the way we collect and report data anytime soon. To understand radio’s basic relationships, traditional generations seem to work well.
However, the Pew white paper suggests something else – grouping people by the decades in which they were born. So, we’d be looking at folks who came into the world during the Civil Rights movement vs. the MTV Revolution when we compare those who came into the world during the 1960s vs. the 1980s respectively.
As Pew notes, we’re then looking at 10-year age cells – smaller and tighter than our generational definitions. In theory, that suggests more commonality in their experiences, and in theory, their beliefs, attitudes and opinions.
The next time you’re tempted to flip off an “OK, Boomer” or someone accuses all you Millennials of killing the NFL, maybe think twice.
Or head to TkTok for a daily dose of @champagnecruze and his sharp generational humor.
@champagnecruze “We don’t need to do a call” —What’s your preferred way of communication at work? 😂 #generations #corporate #workhumor #workfromhome #relateable ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Another fascinating read Fred. Love this. As a researcher like you, we’ve been thinking this way for decades. We never looked at an entire group of 25-54 year olds to determine this likes and dislikes of the demo, despite the value in the entire demo. We always broke it down in to a much narrower cell of 10-12 years, based on what we called, “The Home Run Cell.” Others on the edges with similar tastes would theoretically, follow. My mentor – the late Steve Rivers – taught me , “Narrow focus yields broad results.” Finding commonalities in a large 30 year cell is virtually impossible.
What was an epiphany for me is the Pew comments that mention researching the different generations at the same point of their respective past. So, what was a boomer’s experience in their 20s vs a Millennial’s in their 20s? You’re right! Seems to me that looking at it any other way is what may create the disdain for the various generations.
On a side note, please tell us how you’re able to come up with such compelling content every day!