Generational labels can lead to stereotypes

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Who is our target audience? Now, I believe that one of the questions that brands and agencies should continue asking is: “Who is our target audience?” But I also think we should start asking, “Why are we still using Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers to segment the audiences we do or don’t want to target?” There are many ways to segment audiences. This includes specific interests and intents as well as demographics. So, why should we begin asking questions about our use of generations now? The Pew Research Center, which has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, decided to take a step back and reconsider how they approach generations going forward.

Michael Dimock, the president of Pew DB to Data Center, published “5 things to keep in mind when you hear about Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers and other generations.” This should be required reading for every marketer and executive at all brands and agencies in America. Dimock said: “At Pew Research Center, we think it can be useful to talk about generations. But there are some important considerations for readers to keep in mind whenever they come across a news story or research about generations.” These are: Generational categories are not scientifically defined. and oversimplification. Conversations about generations often focus on differences instead of similarities. Conventional views of generations can have an upper-class bias. People can change over time.” If you want to get a second option, then read Mark Ritson’s column in Marketing Week, “Eight out of 10 millennials know demographics are horseshit.



Ritson concludes, “It’s time to leave this lazy approach to segmentation behind.” What can I add? What is user-generated content? While you’re reviewing your assumptions about market segmentation, you may also want to tackle another tough question: “What is user-generated content?” Is it the type of content created by James Donaldson, also known as MrBeast? He’s one of the most successful YouTube creators, with over 163 million subscribers. But MrBeast also has a TikTok account with 84 million followers, an Instagram account with 38.5 million followers, an X account (formerly known as Twitter) with 21.3 million followers, and a Facebook account with 4.2 million followers. MrBeast’s content features elaborate stunts, challenges, and giving away large sums of money. For example, his most-watched video is “Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?” Uploaded to YouTube on Dec. 8, 2022, it now has 853 million views and 37.9 million engagements.