Baby boomer, X or millennial?It matters little: why do brands go wrong when trying to separate consumers for generations

The generation to which a person belongs may show differences in behavior, but it is far from being a factor that determines the desires of consumers. Not by chance, the brands with whom people identify more due to their values are the same 'The Apothecary, Nestle, Natura, Nike and Samsung , whether “baby boomers” or generations X, Y and Z. These are the main conclusions of the study “O End of Generations”, conducted by the consultancies TroianoBranding and Dezon. 

To find out factors that approximate and distance generational groups, the survey heard a thousand people, among men and women, of classes A, B and C, in the five regions of the country. The sample was divided into four groups of 250 participants, belonging to the generations identified as baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964); X (1965 to 1980); Y, or millennials (1981 to 1996) and Z (1997 to 2010).  

“There are many more meeting points between generations than disagreements, even though superficial analysis seems the opposite. We live in the era of fluidity.Generations, however, put us in boxes that go against this REALITY”, says Cecilia Troiano, CEO of TroianoBranding. 

Proof of this is that the same companies appear, with similar percentages, in the responses of all generations in the study, when participants were asked about the brands with which they most identify:

• O Boticário it was mentioned by 19% of the generations Z and millennials, 12% of the baby boomers and 9% of the generation X;
• Nestle it was mentioned by 13% of millennials, 12% of baby boomers, 10% of generation X and 9% of Z;
• Natura it was mentioned by 14% of generation X, 12% of generations Z, millennials and baby boomers;
• Nike it was mentioned by 14% of generation Z, 12% of millennials, and 7% of generation X and baby boomers;
• Samsung it was mentioned by 14% of millennials and generation X, 13% of generation Z and 12% of baby boomers.

The qualitative methodology ZMET was also adopted. Patented at Harvard, it allows identifying feelings that respondents cannot express rationally through traditional techniques. Only ten companies in the world can apply it and TroianoBranding is the only one with the license in Brazil. There were 20 ZMET sessions with representatives of all generations, a dive that complemented the quantitative survey.  

Based on the two research techniques, the study points out five aspects valued by all generations, called “structuring themes”: identity, affective bonds, community, growth and well-being. According to the study, all people seek to connect to brands that reinforce these values, no matter which generation they belong to. And, according to the responses of the participants, five brands are the most associated with each of them:  

• O Boticário ''reinforcing identity; 
• Nestle ''strengthen affective ties; 
• Natura ''enhances well-being; 
• Nike it reinforces growth; 
• Samsung ''reinforcing community. 

Once the structuring themes are detected, the study analyzes trends in order to project consumer behaviors that will impact the next two to five years.The aim is to make the report a source of innovation and development of new products and communication for companies from different sectors 5 for example, consumer goods, health, beauty, well-being, fashion, decoration, services and mobility.

In addition to detecting more commonalities than disparities between generational groups, the research is a business tool that points out strategic paths so that companies can be ahead of competitors, explains Iza Dezon, CEO of the consultancy Dezon. According to Iza, factors such as identity, affective relationships, concerns with the planet and health gain more relevance from the perspective of Lifestyle Marketing, something that should be on the radar of brands. “This speaks much more to our contemporary identities than the old models that emphasize an age cut”.

In the age of freedom and fluidity, the research concludes that not being guided by age markers would be a strategic decision of inclusion, to be taken into account by HR professionals, product development, marketing and communication. “We need to break with the temporal markers and get closer to the true desires of people, especially in the age of endless generations”, say the two executives responsible for the report.  

Here is the link to the compact version of the survey: https://www.troianobranding.com.br/o-fim-das-geracoes