Page 244 - Marketing Management

IDENTIFYING MARKET SEGMENTS AND TARGETS | CHAPTER 8 221

5. Computer games—Product placement is not restricted to movies or TV:
Mountain Dew, Oakley, and Harley-Davidson all made deals to put logos on
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 from Activision.
6. Videos—Burton ensures its snowboards and riders are clearly visible in any videos
that are shot.
7. Street teams—As part of an antismoking crusade, the American Legacy
Foundation hires teens as the “Truth Squad” to hand out T-shirts, bandanas, and
dog tags at teen-targeted events.

Gen X Often lost in the demographic shuffle, the 50 million or so Gen X
consumers, named for a 1991 novel by Douglas Coupland, were born between 1964
and 1978. The popularity of Kurt Cobain, rock band Nirvana, and the lifestyle
portrayed in the critically lauded film Slacker led to the use of terms like grunge and
slacker to characterize Gen X teens and young adults. It was an unflattering image of
a disaffected group with short attention spans and little work ethic.
These stereotypes slowly disappeared. Gen X was certainly raised in more challeng-
ing times, when working parents relied on day care or left “latchkey kids”on their own
after school, and corporate downsizing led to the threat of layoffs and economic uncer-
tainty. At the same time, social and racial diversity were accepted and technology rap-
idly changed the way people lived and worked. Although Gen Xers created new norms
in educational achievement, they were also the first generation to find surpassing their
parents’ standard of living a serious challenge.
These realities had a profound impact. Gen Xers feel self-sufficiency and the ability
to handle any circumstance are key. Technology is an enabler for them, not a barrier.
Unlike the more optimistic, team-oriented Gen Yers, Gen Xers are more pragmatic
and individualistic. As consumers, they are wary of hype and pitches that seem inau-
thentic or patronizing. Direct appeals where value is clear often works best, especially Although some saw rock band
as Gen Xers become parents raising families. 21 Nirvana as a defining symbol of
Gen X, subsequent portrayals
Baby Boomers Baby boomers are the approximately 76 million U.S. consumers born between reveal a more complex picture of
1946 and 1964. Though they represent a wealthy target, possessing $1.2 trillion in annual spending this cohort.
power and controlling three-quarters of the country’s wealth, marketers often overlook them. In
network television circles, because advertisers are primarily interested in 18- to 49-year-olds,
viewers over 50 are referred to as “undesirables.”
With many baby boomers moving into their 60s and even the last and youngest wave bearing
down on 50, demand has exploded for products to turn back the hands of time. According to one
survey, nearly one in five boomers was actively resisting the aging process, driven by the mantra,
“Fifty is the new thirty.”As they search for the fountain of youth, sales of hair replacement and hair
coloring aids, health club memberships, home gym equipment, skin-tightening creams, nutritional
supplements, and organic foods have all soared.
Interestingly, because so many members of the Gen Y “Echo Boomers” are living with their
boomer parents, parents are being influenced by what demographers are calling a “boom-boom
effect.” The same products that appeal to 21-year-olds are appealing to youth-obsessed baby
boomers. The multiseason success of MTV’s reality show The Osbournes, starring heavy-metal
rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his family, was fueled as much by boomer parents as by their MTV-
loving kids.
Contrary to conventional marketing wisdom that brand preferences of consumers over 50 are
fixed, one study found 52 percent of boomers are willing to change brands, in line with the total
population. Although they love to buy things, they hate being sold to, and as one marketer noted,
“You have to earn your stripes every day.” But abundant opportunity exists. Boomers are also less
likely to associate retirement with “the beginning of the end” and see it instead as a new chapter in
their lives with new activities, interests, careers, or even relationships. 22

Silent Generation Those born between 1925 and 1945—the “Silent Generation”—are redefining
what old age means. To start with, many people whose chronological age puts them in this category
don’t see themselves as old. One survey found that 60 percent of respondents over 65 said they felt
younger than their actual age. A third aged 65 to 74 said they felt 10 to 19 years younger, and one in
six felt at least 20 years younger than their actual age. 23