A recent study by BBH Labs in the UK uncovers the myth behind generational targeting calling it the marketing equivalent of a horoscope. The study calculated single-mindedness of each group, (baby boomers, gen z, and millennials) against the population. How cohesive are these groups and how different are they from each other? Turns out there is virtually no cohesion within the generational segments. In other words, the cohesion among baby boomers is that they were born between 1946 and 1964 and not much else. BBH, concludes, "The truth is that these ‘generations’ are simply random collections of people who share no special connection beyond being born within two decades of each other." Bob Hoffman concludes that marketers buy these studies from the research industry to avoid the difficult task of thinking. Ouch.
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