The Tapestry of Time: Marketing Generations

Have you ever wondered why you've never heard of any generations before the Greatest Generation? Why does it seem we never talk about anybody older than Boomers?

The simple answer is that before the 1920s, the word 'generation' meant something completely different. 

In the early 20th century, French sociologist Émile Durkheim and Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset were among the first to analyze the impact of generations on societal evolution. However, it was the historian Karl Mannheim who, in the 1920s, significantly advanced the concept. Mannheim argued that a generation is not just a group of people born and living around the same time but is shaped by the particular social and historical context they experience during their formative years. This shared experience, according to Mannheim, gives each generation a distinct collective consciousness.

While this was the origin, marketers were the group that popularized the "new" meaning of 'generation.' When defining a target audience, targeting a group with a name is much easier than a seemingly faceless age range. 

There are several vital generations, each with its identity, challenges, and contributions. The "Lost Generation," those who came of age during World War I, were followed by the "Greatest Generation," who weathered the Great Depression and fought in World War II. The post-war period saw the birth of the "Baby Boomers," a generation marked by prosperity and optimism but later defined by social upheaval and the quest for civil rights. The "Generation X" cohort, raised during the economic downturns and technological advancements of the late 20th century, paved the way for the "Millennials," or "Generation Y," digital natives who have been both praised for their adaptability and critiqued for their perceived entitlement. Most recently, "Generation Z" has entered the stage with a keen awareness of social issues and a digital fluency unparalleled by their predecessors. Next will be "Generation Alpha," a generation known for not knowing a time before the internet (iPad kids). 

Each generation and their (rough) birth years.

Generational studies have stirred up controversy, as people have started using generations to stereotype people of certain ages (Think: "OK Boomer" meme or any article arguing that Millennials are to blame for the world's problems). 

While generations do have some validity (people who grew up without the internet are going to have different priorities than those who did, people who remember the world before significant events such as 9/11 or even the COVID-19 pandemic are going to have a different perspective of the world than those who don't remember it), it is essential to keep in mind that your target audience can't ONLY be a generation. There are vastly different people within each generation. 

Do you fit in your generation? Let me know in the comments!