By Jane Hovey, Head of Planning

Millennials are boring there I said it. But so are Gen Y, Gen Z, Boomers etc.

The problem with the ‘Generation this or that’ approach is that they are broad brush demographic segments which are neither useful for marketers nor do justice to the variety of individuals in a particular cohort. I find them boring as they don’t delve into the beautiful fascinating individual groups within those segments. Demographic segments don’t give the nuance required to really understand the people we need to engage. The insights to inspire creative solutions or the detail for effective media targeting.

Gen Z are fascinating in their use of technology, perception of the world and brands place in it BUT are they the right audience for every brand? NO. Of course we need to understand the changing media habits of consumers but just always going for the youngest coolest is that right? We also need to consider the market in which we operate. For millennials, and now Gen Z, excitement is often driven by stats in the US showing they are the biggest cohort.  But if we look at the UK as a whole, 27.9% of people fall into the Generation X category (30-49), 22.2% are Baby Boomers (50-59), 20.9% are in Generation Y (15-29), indeed at only 18.1%, Generation Z (0-14) is the smallest group at present. I am looking forward to seeing the unfolding of how the next generation engage with brands, the devices they use and how creative they get with content…even the businesses they inspire. 

Full article here: http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2016/03/04/vox-pop-have-we-reached-peak-millennial