The short answer is yes. The longer answer is: they have to, if you want your business to stand the test of time.
Why should you care about cross-generational campaigns?
For starters, consumers’ needs change over the course of their lifespan, so marketing to only one generation is short-sighted. By pigeonholing yourself with a single generational target, you’ll eventually have to rebrand to keep up with how your targeted generation evolves– a reactive position. The more strategic approach would be to target a multigenerational audience, focusing less on demographics and more on psychographics– attitudes, beliefs, and commonalities beyond age.
Further, generational stereotypes are just that– sweeping generalizations that discount the unique personalities, values, and behaviors of individuals. Understanding these stereotypes may offer high-level insights into different consumer perspectives, but you should avoid taking this information at face value. Same age does not equal same interests. If your branding and marketing is based on the idea that consumers of the same generation are cookie-cutter, you run the risk of ignoring potential market share. It’s self-defeating.
What are the upsides to cross-generational campaigns?
- Better engagement. Cross-generational campaigns are well-positioned to target the audience they are best suited for, irrespective of generational cliches.
- Bottom-line impact. A cross-generational campaign can help capture new market share, drive growth, and achieve greater heights of success.
- Brand stability. Your organization’s longevity can extend well into the future, with the ability to weather the advent of new generations and the ebbing of others.
What does all this mean in practice? Here are four tips for implementing a cross-generational campaign:
- Create a personal relationship with customers, with a focus on shared interests and personalities moreso than age. This involves tweaking your messaging to better reflect these interests and attitudes, in order to connect with consumers’ emotions.
- Maintain brand consistency and a quality aesthetic that’s timeless, yet allows risk-taking through messaging that appeals to different audiences. Take into consideration communication preferences, spending habits, and buying power of these audiences.
- The use of social media in your branding and marketing efforts is critical. Access to information has become more equitable thanks to the digital age, bridging generation gaps seen in traditional branding. Although preferences for different platforms may vary across age-based cohorts, all adult generations are active on social media.
- Finally, authenticity matters. Consumers of all ages are discerning. They want an invitation to engage with a brand, not an intrusion.
If cross-generational branding hasn’t crossed your mind yet, now’s the time to start thinking about it. Let’s chat about securing the future of your business!
