How Publishers Should Tailor Their Marketing to Generational Preferences

Tips For Marketing to 6 Different Generations, from The Silent Generation to iGen by Toni McQuilken from Publishing Executive

I was recently at the Ricoh Marketing Innovator Symposium in Boulder, Colo., which attracted a range of attendees from the print, brand and agency worlds. One of the key takeaways from the event centered around the generational divide — different age demographics don’t just want different messages, they want different messaging platforms and different forms of communication altogether.

The reality is that age does matter and using the wrong platform with the wrong demographic will ultimately hurt a publisher’s ability to effectively reach — and market to — those individuals.

Related story: 4 Church-and-State Scenarios Publishers Must Consider in the Digital Age

With that in mind, noted Trish Witkowski, CEO, here is a quick look at what you need to know to effectively create content for — and market to — each demographic. And don’t discount the older generations, either. Baby Boomers, incidentally, still control more than 70% of the purchasing dollars in the United States today.

The GI Generation & The Silent Generation
31 million individuals
Born 1915-1942
76-103 years old

These are currently the oldest generations alive in the United States today. They are frugal, practical spenders who rarely splurge on luxury items for themselves, but they will splurge on loved ones. They are loyal, tending to stick with familiar, well-established brands, but for those who can solve a problem for them, their business can still be won.

The GI and Silent Generation tend to be slow to adopt new technologies and prefer traditional forms of entertainment, such as newspapers and magazines. They respond to a practical approach, simple visuals, and traditional values.

For publishers targeting this demographic, think about content and campaigns that center around subjects like traditional family values. Other broad topics could include content about aging or health, that seeks to solve an immediate problem they could be facing today.

Click the link below for insight into 4 other generations.

read more/source: http://www.pubexec.com/article/publishers-consider-generational-marketing/