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Learn how to engage diverse audiences with relevant, impactful content that resonates beyond age-based stereotypes.
What is a “skibidi toilet”? Is “Brat Autumn” the latest trend? And why couldn’t we get legal to approve that “Symphony Dolphins” meme before it stopped trending?
These are the questions marketers ponder as they seek to understand consumer trends, particularly across younger generations. And for good reason, Nielsen IQ reports,
Gen Z is anticipated to have $12T in spending power, eclipsing Boomer spending by 2030.
However, when it comes to where users spend time online and how they decide to make purchases, today’s audiences are more complex than simple generational stereotypes can encompass. If you’re relying on generational stereotypes to inform your marketing mix, you may be missing out.
No matter whom you’re marketing to, pairing the right placement with the right message is crucial. That’s why brands need a cross-generational multi-channel strategy: a comprehensive, optimized approach that spans social media, traditional search, and local platforms. Going multi-channel can make all the difference in capturing each generation’s attention.
But why exactly is a multi-channel strategy important for this new take on generational marketing? And how the heck do you put one in place?
We’ll explain why and how to leverage multichannel marketing to reach consumers across generations by focusing on value-driven marketing.
It makes sense to be informed by numbers – it’s always good to know where your target audience spends their time online, after all. But ultimately, recent studies show it is inaccurate to make sweeping, age-based claims about purchasing behaviors and values. While it may seem that “traditional” generational marketing – customizing messages and placements for Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, etc. – is the answer, there are serious drawbacks.
Focusing too narrowly on associated stereotypes can result in missed opportunities and constrain your brand’s growth and reach. At best, you alienate some consumers who feel disconnected from your brand though they’re interested in and will ultimately select your product. At worst, you come across as pandering and alienate your target audience, too.
Consumers across age groups are more alike in their attitudes and online platform usage than stereotypes suggest: most shoppers use social media at least once a week and tend to make a mix of in-store and online purchases.
Deloitte
Here are a few other common myths debunked by Deloitte:
Myth: Gen Z primarily shops online.
Reality: Like all age groups, Gen Z shops brick-and-mortar and online, with many still favoring physical stores.
Myth: Only younger generations care about health and organic food.
Reality: Consumers across all ages are growing increasingly health-conscious.
Myth: Older generations avoid social media and coupons.
Reality: Most age groups use social media, and nearly 70% of consumers enjoy saving with coupons or loyalty cards.
Despite popular perceptions, consumer behavior does not neatly fit into age-based boxes. A Deloitte report reveals and reflects on how, in a rapidly evolving digital world, needs and values are not dictated solely by age but rather are influenced by attitudes that cross generational lines.
While Gen Z and Gen Alpha are often associated with digital habits and Millennials are known for supporting ethical brands, Deloitte’s research emphasizes that traits like these are spread across all generations. Deloitte developed, instead of age-based determiners, distinct consumer profiles based on attitudes that influence purchasing behavior:
Often comprised of Millennials and Gen X, this group values innovation, technology, and balanced purchasing. They’re both socially conscious and tech-forward. Folks who fall into this “bucket” are highly influential in today’s market.
Typically dominated by folks that fall into the Baby Boomer or Gen X age group, discerning achievers are health-conscious, eco-minded, and prioritize quality. Their purchasing power often makes them a vital segment for marketers focused on premium or eco-friendly brands.
Aspirational Consumers comprise young adults who fall under Gen Z or Millenial. They are eager for new products and experiences, value innovation, and are drawn to brands with environmental and social initiatives. Aspirational consumers, though, often carry lower disposable incomes.
Gen X comprises a large portion of pragmatists. Pragmatist consumers lean toward price-conscious decisions, spending conservatively, and aim to make practical purchases. This segment remains skeptical of fleeting trends, instead placing priority on value.
While you don’t need to stick to Deloitte’s models, it is always a good idea to look at your current and target target audience. Examine their behaviors, lifestyle, purchasing power, motivators, and values. By focusing on these consumer attitudes, brands can avoid the limitations of generational marketing and instead meet audiences where they are – no matter their age.
While there is no true cut-and-dry one-size-fits-all generational marketing approach, understanding each generation’s online habits can help ensure you invest in the proper channels.
Baby Boomers turn primarily to Google or Bing for product research and are likely to consult local business directories. They value customer reviews, which influence their purchasing decisions.
Some Boomers are active on social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram.
Search engines and online reviews are the go-tos for this generation, but they are also highly responsive to social media ads and email marketing.
While Millennials use search engines, Target Internet reports Facebook remains the social platform used at least once per week by the highest percentage of millennials (87%), followed by Instagram (71%), Snapchat (52%) and Twitter (42%). They also turn to social platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube for product recommendations. Influencer marketing resonates strongly with this generation.
According to a PEW Research Center fact sheet, nearly all U.S. teens ages 13-17 polled say they use the Internet every day (96%). 95% report having access to a smartphone, and 46% report being online “almost constantly.”
Gen Z is highly digital and mobile-savvy, preferring short-form, visually engaging content. Unlike previous generations, they are less inclined to use traditional search engines and instead rely heavily on social media for product discovery and recommendations.
Gen Z typically begins their searches on Youtube, TikTok, or Instagram, with visual content playing a major role in their decision-making process. They also engage with brands on platforms like Snapchat.
While young, Gen Alpha is already engaging with video content platforms like YouTube and interactive media on TikTok. As they gain purchasing power, they’re expected to embrace social media, AI chatbots, and voice-activated search.
Rather than segmenting audiences by generation, you can hone in on audiences by recognizing the power of a multi-channel approach. By expanding paid and organic efforts across social media, search engines, email newsletters, and other platforms like YouTube, your brand can connect with a broad range of consumer attitudes and find “your people.”
Here’s how a multi-channel values-based marketing approach benefits your brand.
When you position your brand across multiple platforms and provide genuinely helpful content catered to personas that aren’t rooted in age, you ensure visibility to all consumer segments while offering trust-enhancing information. Baby Boomers and Gen X may discover you through traditional search, while younger consumers may engage via social platforms like TikTok or YouTube.
Multi-channel marketing allows for varied messaging that resonates with consumer attitudes and folks of all ages. GPO can help craft a strategy that includes accruing and responding to trusted reviews for those who value real-world input and user-generated-style social content that tends to gain favor from those who thrive off brand affinity.
Consistency across channels builds trust. Shifting messages and visuals can create a confusing pattern and dilute what your brand, products, or services stand for. In contrast, when consumers see relevant, authentic messaging across platforms, there’s a greater chance they buy in and later become loyal advocates.
Consumer habits shift rapidly. With a multi-channel approach, your brand stays nimble, adjusting to changes in platform use and user preferences without constantly divesting, investing, and restructuring several highly segmented (and limiting) campaign approaches.
In today’s market, meeting consumers where they are means offering relevant, timely information that speaks to their interests, answers their questions, and meets their needs – no matter their age. GPO’s Blog and Local Pages services are designed to do just that.
Here’s how we deliver high-impact content that resonates across generations by speaking directly to the values and interests of different consumer profiles.
Our SEO-informed approach to marketing content strategy and blog writing allows brands to address pressing consumer questions and provide helpful information to prospective customers, wherever they are in their purchasing journey.
By focusing on content that’s optimized for relevance, our blogs provide brands with the opportunity to answer questions and share insights that consumers genuinely care about. Our US-based content experts cover topics ranging from practical DIY advice to auto repair troubleshooting, best practices for dairy cow care, interior design trend analysis, and common questions cellists have. We cover research-based, helpful topics for folks purchasing their first home, heading off to college, or even downsizing their homes that connect brands to people where they are. We help brands provide all audiences – from Responsible Go-Getters to Aspirational shoppers – with engaging resource content that speaks to their present concerns and interests while creating lasting trust.
Local Pages bring brands closer to audiences in their communities, allowing companies to appear in location-based searches for non-branded relevant queries. That means wherever your consumers are, they’ll encounter your brand, products, or services on the SERP in a way that feels personalized and relevant – even if they’re not familiar with you yet.
GPO’s multi-channel strategies, whether paid or organic, are designed to connect with consumers based on their values, not just their age demographics. Whether your target is a Responsible Go-Getter or a Pragmatist, our approach will help position your brand effectively across search, local listings, paid digital, and organic social media, delivering brand-consistent, value-driven messaging that intrigues, resonates, informs, and converts.
Want to connect and convert? Let’s chat! We’re here to help you build a strategic, inclusive marketing approach that reaches consumers based on what truly matters to them: an authentic, valuable experience.
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