Generational differences

Understanding the different generations

Baby Boomers

The post-war baby boom occurred between 1946 & 1964 when birth rates skyrocketed around the world, with 76 million babies born in the United States alone. People born during this period are known as Baby Boomers.

The economic prosperity of those years enabled many families to buy more consumer goods such as cars, appliances, and televisions. The increased prosperity of the world meant this consumer cohort was the next natural audience for marketeers.

Main characteristics of Boomers:

• They believe in a culture of effort and sacrifice.
• They have worked for many years in the same company and are highly committed.
• They were the protagonists of the civil rights movement. The first wave of feminist protest, for example.
• They are considered digital immigrants because they were in their early 30s when the first computers appeared.
• They grew up listening to the radio, watching television, and using landlines. Which still are their main sources of information and entertainment.

The notion of success:

• The amount of material income and status for consumption of goods.
• Education as a means of progress.
• Productivity or “being productive”.

X Generation

People born between 1965 and 1980, during the years where capitalism took root strongly and consumerism experienced a great boom, shaping them into an ambitious group of individuals.

It is considered a bridge generation. This generation’s historical context includes the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as labor, economic, and social uncertainty.

Main characteristics of the X Generation:

• They are not digital natives. However, they have adapted very easily to the arrival of the internet in their lives, and subsequent technological developments.
• The radio and TV are still their main source of entertainment and information. They believe that online radio changed their listening behavior, and, through online TV, they began consuming content that they did not usually watch before.
• They are individualists, autonomous, and have little faith in institutions.
• They know many languages as they are citizens of the world.
• They seek to establish a work-life balance.
• Women: postponed maternity to focus on career and professional projects.
• DINKs (dual income, no kids).
• Tripled the rate of divorce.

Millennials:

Born between 1981 and 1996, they are digital natives. They are the first “global” generation since they were born during the boom of globalization.

Main characteristics of Millennials:

• They do not conceive life without technology and they quickly adapt to new social platforms. The immediate access to information and the possibility to become self-taught allowed them to develop cross-disciplinary thinking abilities, and a critical, investigative, and non-conformist spirit.
• Millennials like to travel and discover new cultures. They would like to work remotely. This is one of the reasons for the rise of freelancers.
• They are not afraid to change jobs to grow in their professional career and their main objective is “Work to live and not live to work.” They need a flexible schedule.
• The organizational structure that allows Millennials to feel motivated at work is horizontal — meaning, the CEO works side by side with the rest of the team.
• Most want a career plan where they can progress quickly and improve their living and working conditions. They tend to be overachievers, and get frustrated when they don’t achieve their goals; they must feel inspired by their jobs to want to continue working in them.

It is a generation that prefers to consume content on their cell phone and get information through social platforms. They consider that watching streaming television changed the way they view content.

Centennial (Z) Generation

Born between 1997 and 2010. They have grown up in an ever-changing world and they are highly exposed to information, which makes them more tolerant and open to new ideas.
They tend to be more susceptible to visual content, probably because of how easy it is to digest information through videos and infographics.

Main characteristics of Centennials:

• They study and read online, they are self-taught, and are at the forefront of social platforms.
• They are very creative, flexible, and good at multitasking. They prefer working remotely, and have a highly innovative and pragmatic spirit — but they are not so easy to retain as customers.
• They seek immediacy and use messaging platforms like Snapchat.
• They are very likely to interact in online communities.

Generation Alpha

Born approximately from 2010 to the mid-2020s, Generation Alpha has grown up immersed in an omnipresent digital environment from birth. Smart technology, social media, and artificial intelligence are natural parts of their everyday lives.

Their early exposure to interactive digital content, such as YouTube videos and educational apps, significantly shapes their understanding of the world. Visual information and digital experiences are their native languages.

Main characteristics of Generation Alpha:

• Innate familiarity with touch technology and digital interfaces.
• Learning often takes place through online platforms and video formats.
• Intuitive ability to navigate complex digital environments.
• Expected to be a highly educated generation with strong global connections from an early age.
• Their communication patterns, still developing, are heavily influenced by the platforms and apps used by their families and peers.
• Constant exposure to fast-paced, visual content.
• Brand and platform loyalty is still forming and will be shaped by their digital experiences and social environment recommendations.

Because of this, today’s advertisers seek consumer participation. It is no longer just about targeting potential customers, but about communicating at the right time, in the right place, and with the right message.