Dive Brief:
- Research from Yahoo on Gen X found that the demographic had the highest median income by household as well as the highest spending power of any generation.
- The report said marketers haven’t paid enough attention to Gen X. “Part of the reason marketers aren't interested in Gen Xers is because they're a bridge generation between Millennials and Boomers,” the report states.
- The research found that Gen X is both mobile- and social media-friendly, with 79% reporting to be smartphone users (expected to rise to 88% by 2018), 80 million visiting a social media site in the previous month and 43% sharing social media content.
Dive Insight:
“Millennials are the most-studied generation today, and rightfully so as they are important for the future of our businesses,” David Iudica, senior director, strategic insights and research, Yahoo, told Marketing Dive. “However, we discovered that Gen Xers currently have the greatest spending power and influence as consumers. To unlock the power of this generation, we uncovered trends about the most effective marketing methods and media to reach this significant audience in today's fragmented marketplace.”
The research uncovered that Gen Xers multitask regularly, with 84% using multiple devices during the 7-11 p.m. prime time, and switching between them 9.2 times per hour. Those devices include TV, smartphones and laptops.
In order to reach Gen X, the report recommended engaging with mobile marketing and using branded content to make connections with the demographic
The Yahoo study was conducted with Audience Theory and Ipsos and included consumer interviews, expert interviews, quantitative study, culture and trend research and a literature audit.
