Mission: Alignment

So. I have been asked to give a Generational Marketing presentation next week to a group on the east coast. It's exciting! I LOVE giving presentations! I get all giddy about it! But I digress...

I have been informed that the average age of the group's customers (OK, well, actually members) is over 55 so that's where I should focus my presentation.

Now I am thinking to myself, "Well, that's a pretty typical problem and why focus attention on a segment you already have...shouldn't we be working on the segment we WANT to have?"

To that end, as I put the finishing touches on this presentation that will span ALL generations, I am incorporating some family pictures from the wedding we all attended in August. And it I think this was the smartest thing I have done all week...See, my cousin Bob is 42 and is technically part of Generation X (although he calls himself a "tweener"). My brother was born in 1980 and is the youngest of the same generation. There is no way that you can market to all Gen X'ers the same way. My brother is thinking about paying off student loans and starting a family while Bob is putting his daughter through college and thinking about paying for her wedding (the picture is Bob and his daughter).

So, here's my point. Generational marketing is not just looking at the age ranges and calling it a day. We need to look at not just demographic values and understand what they need and when, but also how they need it and how to communicate that you have it. Confused yet?

What I am saying is that not all 42 year old people have the same needs. Nor do all Gen X'ers have the same needs. I think generational marketing is the process of understanding the historical events that have shaped the perceptions of the various generations, evaluating the lifestyles of your customer base (and potential customers), examining the uniqueness of your marketplace and aligning your institution, staff and efforts with these attributes.

I could talk about this all day... but instead, I want to hear from you. Are you leveraging any generational or life cycle marketing techniques? Where have you had success? Or have you not tried and have no idea where to start? And to reference Nick's blog from Monday, "Inquiring minds want to know!"

A new approach could be extraordinary for you.

Jenna