Those generational marketing playbooks gathering dust on your shelf? It might be time to toss them out.
We've built entire campaigns around the gospel that Gen Z demands authenticity, Boomers cling to tradition and Millennials won't buy unless your brand champions a social cause. These stereotypes have shaped creative briefs and media buys for years.
But what if everything we think we know about generational marketing is fundamentally flawed?
A sweeping Ipsos study across 32 countries has uncovered several eye-opening insights that challenge our most basic assumptions about how age cohorts think and behave. The findings suggest we've been looking at the wrong factors entirely.
Case in point — Gen Xers living in Brazil navigated 2,477% hyperinflation and military dictatorship in their formative years, while their American counterparts enjoyed economic prosperity and MTV. Same generation on paper, but worlds apart in their relationship with money, risk and authority.
In Nigeria, where over half the population is Gen Z or younger, traditional generational frameworks collapse entirely. When those under 30 are your majority market, not your niche segment, everything changes.
The research exposes three forces we consistently mix up: true generational patterns formed by shared historical events, predictable mindset shifts as people mature and cultural currents that sweep across all age groups simultaneously. Most of what we call "generational traits" are actually life-stage behaviors in disguise.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself
Before making any changes, take an honest look at how generational assumptions might be steering your marketing decisions:
Are you treating age groups like monoliths?
Look at your last campaign targeting Millennials or Gen Z. Did you assume everyone in that age bracket shares the same values, spending habits or media preferences? The research shows that differences within generations often exceed differences between them.
Are you confusing correlation with causation?
When you see data showing generational preferences, ask yourself: Is this really about when they were born, or about what stage of life they're in right now? That “commitment-phobic Millennial” stereotype? The research suggests it had less to do with being a Millennial and more to do with the life stage they were in when that label stuck.
Are you accounting for cultural context?
If you're marketing to 25-year-olds in different regions or from different backgrounds, are you using the same generational playbook? A Gen Z consumer in Lagos faces completely different realities than one in Los Angeles, even though they share a birth year. The same principle applies closer to home. Gen Z audiences living in different economic situations and geographic regions, with different educational backgrounds, can have vastly different needs and perspectives.
The Shift from Demographics to Life Moments
If those questions made you rethink your generational targeting, you're seeing what the Ipsos researchers discovered — that we’ve been focusing on the wrong variables. The most effective approach targets what people are experiencing right now.
Instead of asking "How do we reach more Boomers?" ask "What life transitions are our customers navigating?" Rather than "What do Millennials want?" consider "What cultural moment are they living through?”
This means understanding the economic pressures your audience faces today, the life transitions they're experiencing and the cultural shifts happening around them. A 40-year-old buying their first home has more in common with a 25-year-old doing the same thing than with another 40-year-old who's already raising teenagers.
The most effective strategies focus on shared circumstances rather than shared birth years. They speak to current realities, not generational stereotypes.
Making It Stick
Pick one campaign or audience segment you're currently approaching through a generational lens. Instead of defining them by age, try defining them by their current situation: What are they trying to achieve or work towards? What obstacles are they facing? What are they going through right now? Then adjust your messaging to speak to that shared experience rather than assumed generational characteristics or values.
This approach represents a shift from marketing to demographics to marketing to humans. The difference? Instead of making assumptions based on birth year, you're responding to what's actually happening in people's lives. That’s how meaningful connections are built.
