Interesting take on Gen X

annagybe

So this is marketing in general but still interesting. I'm right in the middle of Gen X. This may also explain the donut hole in fashion. There's stuff geared towards boomers & millennials, but the middle is eh.

http://www.adweek.com/news/adv.....n-x-170539

7 years ago

General

15 replies

Latest reply was from peacechick

rachylou

Veteran

We are a curious people! Nothing comes to mind when you think of us. Or, it's always wrong. Because people don't really bother to consider us. We are strong, silent, long suffering types carrying a lot of dead weights all around us. I think this explains Honda. Also, I think Volkswagon got us with that finger puppet commercial...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jdccNAOvPHg

We're not gonna tell you 'cuz you're not listening. Mwahaha!

I think the fashion free for all is spot on the money Gen X.

7 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

That is... we have, if you ask me, a genuine sense of loathing. Marketers have to be very clever to get past it. Loathing and disdain doesn't mean we're unhappy, but it's private and protected. I mean, I sense the lack of anyone trying to make appeals about their products to me, but I can't imagine many pitches I'd accept. Except the finger puppet commercial. That's pretty much what I think, 'Da Da Da.'

7 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I'd forgotten about that ad. It is perfect. Not sexy, not flashy. And the chair was perfect.

Also the movie Reality Bites. Which I remember at the time was supposed to speak to me, but still had trouble identifying with it.

7 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Interesting article Anna- thanks for posting it. Yeah, I feel "left out" of most marketing....and in some ways it's a good thing.

7 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

The brand loyalty thing was news to me. I guess that's true about me. Hmm.

7 years ago

Anonymous

I'm somewhat brand loyal, but not nearly as much as I used to be. I'm on the tail end of the baby boomer generation, though, and honestly can't relate to my much older siblings who are lumped in the same category as me. There's too much of a generation gap for us all to like the same things.

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm out and about Anna, but look forward to reading this. I'm a Gen Xer through and through being born in 1970. And my parents are older than Boomers. We can high five again.

7 years ago

rebekahphoto

Veteran

As a solid gen Xer, I thought it was an interesting read. I notice the push towards advertising a little more these days for us: most recently in the music in ads, especially cars. lots of early 80s new wave

7 years ago

Momo

Veteran

A small a proud Xer I am happy not to have stuff pushed down my thoT. Ignore me marketers. Thank you :-p
I will just wear my black and slack around .

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

VERY interesting. I'M PROUD TO BE A GEN X'ER.

The best part was the end of the article. Gen Xer's have the MOST disposable income at the moment, and that should be reason enough to target us as a lucrative market. Targeting Millennials because of the overwhelming social media frenzy has become very boring, and I'm not sure it's even effective (I'm looking at you, Nordies). We grew up without the internet and have had to scramble to learn about tech, but we are a loyal generation who can and will spend money. Give us what we want and it's sorted.

7 years ago

Windchime

Veteran

That's one of the more insightful articles I've read about our generation, Annagybe. I've always thought we are overlooked because the Boomers and Millenials have had so much attention focused on them that there isn't any left for us. And not only have we had to scramble to learn about tech, we also came of age doubting social security woud be there for us. And we have been forced to deal with sea changes in the world of work, such as the loss of long-term job stability and employer-provided benefits. I say we're creative, determined survivors!

And as far as marketing to us? Hmm... I actually still read catalogs. But I also do a lot of website perusing AND enjoy brick and mortar shopping. And I definitely engage in occasional retail therapy to deal with the stresses of my Generation X life, so retailers might want to take notice!

7 years ago

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

The last sentence just about sums-up the article -- "You could call this the sandwich generation, but there's a lot of meat in that sandwich." Honestly, I knew the term Gen X, but I never knew that they meant me.

7 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Hmm ... not sure what the finger puppet commercial is ... I fall in Gen X age-wise with a birthday in 1966, and am an Apple devotee, but there are a lot of cultural references I miss as a third culture kid who never lived in the US before 1982.

7 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Oh UmmLila, if you have any patience at all (I usually don't, I confess), I'd love it if you clicked on the YouTube link in my post up there and told me what you think of the finger puppet ad. I spent a lot of time out of the US as a kid, but did school here... the music for the commercial is the German band Trio... their deadpan for their own video for the song I find hilariously perfect...

7 years ago

peacechick

Veteran

Count me in as a proud Gen Xer. Douglas Coupland's Gen X really blew my mind when I read it during college and showed me how our world view differed so starkly from the baby boomers before us.

Definitely Reality Bites is a classic Gen X film, but honestly I don't think it is very good. I want to say the music represents Gen X better. Obviously the grunge movement, but also a lot of the music by bands like Smashing Pumpkins ( Bullet with Butterfly Wings is my Gen X anthem - "Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in the cage.") , Duran Duran, and musicians like Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette.

I think there is a strong cynical streak in us that makes us somewhat resistant to marketing. I remember carrying a worn out bag in school and being proud of how distressed it got. And also using a ziplock bag for a pencil case although maybe that is a bit atypical. But hey I grew up to be a brand loyal mad shopper too-- just give me good customer service and cut the sales talk!

I'm also a huge Survivor fan and I'm enjoying the current season of Gen X and Millenials. Lots of generalized stereotypes of course, but I have to envy the optimism and lack of self-loathing that most millenials seem to have. I feel like my generation never had that.

Lastly I also recommend this podcast done with an expert marketer about the differences between the generations. There is very little talk about the tv show as it was recorded pre-season.

http://robhasawebsite.com/surv.....d-podcast/

7 years ago

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