Generational cohorts provide marketers with straightforward, if simplistic, profiles of age groups in the UK — helping make sense of how Gen X, Gen Alpha, and every label in between, navigate the world based on their shared experiences. 2024 has seen a flurry of marketing interest in understanding the youngest end of this spectrum, driven by projections of the wealth that Generation Alpha are expected to yield and the opportunity for advertisers to future-proof their brand. But obsession with this end of the market risks marketers missing the wood for the trees.
Firstly, it may neglect a key ‘here and now’ demography truth. Falling birth rates have contributed to an ageing population in the UK, with 4 in 10 British adults aged 50+ in 2024, making baby boomers and Gen-Xers some of the most immediately powerful consumers to target, and often the most misunderstood in advertising.
Secondly, as media consumption becomes more fragmented and the challenge of reaching specific audiences via a single channel persists, there is a bigger picture opportunity for ‘intergenerational’ marketing. This offers brands the chance to both maximise reach and build cross-generational connections based on values, rather than age alone.
Revisiting the generation gap
While different generations experience the world — and therefore consume media — in distinct ways, too often this leads to broad brush channel selection and a lack of nuance in media buying. As the first generation with little or no memory of life before smartphones and tablets, it’s easy to assume that Gen Z are defined only by YouTube and TikTok, with no place for TV viewing. Or that podcasts are the silver bullet to reaching millennials, the so-called ‘me-generation’ who seek personal development and fulfilment above all else. Or that Gen X, disciples of print media and linear TV, rarely pick up a mobile or tablet.
There are grains of truth here — certainly in the case of audio-visual media, where glaring generational divides persist, with just 48% of Gen Z viewers watching broadcast TV on a weekly basis, versus a sweeping 95% of those aged 65+. The problem is these assumptions are the crude result of outdated stereotypes. This is crystallised in the IPA’s 2024 Making Sense Report, which reveals a 60% reach correlation for 16–34s and 55+ — an all-time high, and an increase of 37% since 2021.
This speaks to the growing digital uptake of traditionally offline media for those over 55, an opportunity space for brands wanting to reach boomer and Gen-Xers at scale.
More broadly, it shows that generational media behaviours are not fixed but evolve with macro-shifts in consumption, requiring ongoing interrogation from media planners.
The future is intergenerational
Although divisions do still exist in the spaces older and younger generations tend to occupy, there is a paradox — parents living in the UK today are closer to their children than they have been in the past, and rising life expectancy means younger generations will share more of their lives with older cohorts than ever before.
With nearly 30% of UK residents now living in multi-generational households, there is increasing osmosis of culture between generations. Media often provides a locus for this — from Spotify playlists that introduce children to the music older generations grew up with, to rebooted TV shows, to the 11.8 million videos tagged ‘grandma hobbies’ on TikTok. By embracing this intergenerational shift and moving beyond a treatment of audiences as isolated generations, marketers can build more meaningful relationships with diverse groups and maximise reach in a fragmented landscape.
With all this in mind, here are three considerations for brands navigating generational marketing in 2024:
- Older, wiser, richer: by the end of 2026, the UK will be home to more individuals aged 65+ than under 18, for the first time in its history — so avoid obsessing over young generations at the expense of older cohorts
- Build bridges not barriers: consider relationships between audiences of different age groups, and embrace multi and intergenerational strategies for the most effective reach and impact
- Attitude over age: segment audiences by mindset rather than demographics wherever possible; to better recognise nuances in behaviour, both across and within generations
Featured image: cottonbro studio / Pexels
