Generation-X  

Generation-X can usually be defined as the generation born between 1965 and 1980, following the Baby Boomers. The more than 50 million American members of Generation-X are associated with the birth decline after the baby boom and the generation is much smaller than previous generations. 

Jane Deverson is credited with being the first known person to use the term Generation-X in 1964. In a study for a magazine she encountered a group of teenagers sleeping around, rejecting religion and being disobedient at home. As the results of her study, she co-authored a book with Charles Hamblett called Generation-X. Thus, the term Generation-X came to be linked, generally, to those who decide to distance themselves from society to get a better sense of who they are. 

More than 60% of Generation-Xers attended college, making them better educated than the Baby Boomers. They dislike authority and rigid work requirements. They appreciate their creativity and initiative being recognized, especially if they can demonstrate new ways of getting tasks done. They are eager to learn new skills and work best when they are given specific targets, but must be left alone to figure out how to achieve them. 

Generation-Xers are computer and Internet proficient and fluent in technology. They are fast spending, sceptical about advertising claims, and more impressed by a person’s style rather than the clothes he or she wears. Entrepreneurship is high among Generation-Xers, and they will easily move from one employer to another. 

Generation-X continues to lead in online shopping, with some 80% of the group buying products online. The group is also more likely than any other generation to bank online too. The Internet, for them, is a convenient way to shop, bank and network with others. 

As the Generation-Xers move into their 30s and 40s, they are establishing themselves as consumers beginning to start families and buying homes. The group grew up with cable TV, the Internet and other modern technology, so they experience the media a bit differently than previous generations. As a marketer, how then do you market to this group? 

In combination with traditional online marketing, direct mail is considered a powerful approach. Recent studies show that a large percentage of Generation Xers use coupons they were sent by mail, showing that the group rates mail as valuable. 

As Generation-Xers are normally sceptical of advertising, the benefits of any offer need to be stressed in order to get them to initiate a purchase. Are you solving a problem for them, for example? Have you provided them with a simple, yet compelling message to get them to buy? 

Generation-Xers present challenges to marketers. They encompass a wider range of lifestyles than previous generations. Their expertise in technology makes them generally immune to traditional marketing, so newer and better ways need to be found to get their attention.