Hi From Gen X 🙋🏻♀️
Dear Marketers, Know your audience before trying to market to them. love, Gen X
Hello, Gorgeous!
Today I shall gently gripe about the fact that a vast majority of marketers have no idea of who they’re actually marketing to. Said rant was inspired by an invitation from a well-respected beauty marketing company to a global webinar supported by data from two top data agencies.
The topic is thrilling and highlights the fact that consumers over the age of 45 will generate nearly half of beauty sales in the next decade. All good so far, right?
But wait, there’s more!
Targeting Generation X is cool again!
Among the topics to be discussed on the webinar are the unmet needs and emerging trends in the global beauty industry. Included in that list are gaps in the market and what Gen X consumers are truly looking for but struggling to find. Sounds good, right? But here’s the thing, the marketing materials attached to the event have zero to do with women in their 40s.
By all means, market to Gen X. But only if you actually understand Gen X
So far we love the topic and love the way Gen X is being singled out as a powerhouse demographic. You know what wasn’t a great fit? The images used to promote the webinar.
The hero image used to promote the webinar prominently featured a woman who is in all likelihood a boomer. So we’re talking about an image that would more comfortably fit an event about marketing to those born between 1946-1964, rather than 1965-1980.
The graphic also didn’t seem to embrace the vivacity unique to Gen X. Of course not every Gen Xer embodies every stereotype linked to us, but the image is clueless and a bit offensive.
Gen X was once dubbed the slacker generation, only we broke that stereotype fast by giving the world more self-made billionaires than any other generation. And as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gen Xers spent more in 2021 than any other age group. Oddly enough — and much like women 40 and over— for the most part marketers ridiculously deem us invisible or simply not part of their most desirable target markets of millennials or Gen Z. So it seems even more offensive to single us out as the newest demographic to target without having a clue as to who we are.
Zoomers think we’re Boomers
The graphics promoting the Generation X event were likely produced by someone a generation or two behind Gen X. And I’m guessing so is the content they’ll be sharing. And while statistics don’t lie, they can be tweaked accordingly.
With this webinar, instead of being curious about the stats they’ll be sharing, I’m already suspicious because of the laziness involved in marketing the event. How can a group who so clearly has no idea of who Gen X is — much less what they look like — effectively offer a deep dive on marketing to this demographic? A better idea would have been to bring in Gen X consultants or contractors to analyze the data and event promotion.
In conclusion, if you want to know who Gen X is, just ask us. We’re everywhere!
Do you feel that Gen X or your own demographic is understood, or represented well publicly? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋
Yeah lately I see some younger people blending us into Boomers, and that is so offensive! 😉