Age is just a matter of mind, as the old saying goes, and it matters less than brands tend to think when it comes to marketing. New research from Amazon Ads suggest that consumers respond best when companies focus their messages on values, communities, and interests—rather than trying to appeal to Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers, and so on.
The company’s recent ‘Beyond the Generational Divide: The new rules for consumer connection’ report—compiled with input from economists, psychologists, marketing execs, and other experts, as well as 26,400 survey respondents—found that 25 percent of consumers identify with a different generation from the one they born into. What’s more, respondents said their birth years don’t define them as well as the causes they care about, their hobbies, passions, relationships, and communities.
Among the eye-opening findings:
59% of respondents think brands try too hard to appeal to certain age groups.
65% appreciate when brands feature people from all age groups in their ads.
57% want to see more ads that reflect universal experiences that bring people together and transcend generations.
Audiences are 1.4x more unified by values (well-being, social impact, etc.), than by generation.
Audiences are 2.2x more unified by communities (hobbies, creative pursuits, volunteering, etc.) than by generation.
Audiences are 2.1x more unified by behaviors (watching TV shows or movies, listening to podcasts, playing video games, etc.) than by generation.
What can brands do?
Understand what your customers’ care about and build your strategy around the factors that unify them. Help them understand how your brand shares their values and interests (contribute to causes that matter to your core audience, collaborate with creators who embody their values, etc.). For more insights and strategies, download a free copy of recent ‘Beyond the Generational Divide: The new rules for consumer connection’.
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