From Boomers to Gen Z and Gen Alpha: How to tailor your app marketing for different generations

“OK Boomer” is the classic Millennial and Gen Z retort, powerful in its mockery and dismissal of attitudes typically associated with Baby Boomers - people born in the two decades following World War II. Far from being simply a throwaway phrase that has spawned countless memes, it’s representative of the chasm between generations that exists in today’s world. We can break society down into six disparate generational groups, each with its own vastly different outlook on the world and relationship with technology.

In the world of mobile marketing, we need to be confident in the demographics we’re targeting. A strategy built to engage the Silent Generation (born 1928-1945) simply won’t cut it if we’re also targeting the tech-forward Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences (collectively born 1997-mid-2020s). While we can’t build mobile marketing strategies around tired stereotypes (Boomers own their own homes and Gen Zs are online 24/7, aren’t they?), it’s important to understand generational trends so we can make data-driven decisions to target each group successfully. Read on for the fundamentals of how to tailor your app marketing for each generation.

You can’t market to different generations if you don’t know which demographics make up each group. Pew Research Center, which has been committed to measuring public attitudes on key issues and documenting differences in those attitudes across demographic groups, outlines the six generations as follows:

• The Silent Generation: Born 1928-1945
• Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964
• Generation X: Born 1965-1980
• Millennials: Born 1981-1996
• Generation Z: Born 1997-2012
• Generation Alpha: Born early-2010s-mid-2020s

As Michael Dimock, president of Pew Research Center, explains, “generational cohorts give researchers a tool to analyze changes in views over time. They can provide a way to understand how different formative experiences (such as world events and technological, economic and social shifts) interact with the life-cycle and aging process to shape people’s views of the world.” Michael also adds, “Generational cutoff points aren’t an exact science. They should be viewed primarily as tools, allowing for the kinds of analyses detailed [in this report].” With the exception of the Silent Generation, this article will share insights into each demographic and share best practices to help you target your audience.

Births in the United States during Boomer years totaled almost 79 million, making Baby Boomers one of the most populous generations. While Boomers are not synonymous with high usage of modern technology in the same way as Millennials, 24% of Boomers use social media on a daily basis. According to Forbes, 60% of Baby Boomers spend their time reading blogs and other online articles for information and intrigue, while 70% enjoy watching videos about products and services. In the same article, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Caring People Inc., Karina Tama-Rutigliano, explains, “It’s important for marketers targeting this generation to remember that Baby Boomers have grown up with technology over recent decades. They’re more accustomed to technology than you might think, and they use it in different ways than Millennials.” She also reminds marketers that Baby Boomers are an affluent generation who have a significant share of all disposable income.

Marketing to Baby Boomers: 3 best practices

1. Target Baby Boomers on Facebook

Boomers are more active on Facebook than any other social network. Their activity includes keeping in touch with friends and family and reading articles through the platform. This presents an opportunity to market to Boomers with Facebook ads and building a community for your brand on the social network. This also provides another way for Boomers to get in touch with you for customer support.

In fact, social media marketing offers a myriad of benefits to your business, all of which apply to targeting Baby Boomers.

2. Offer several support options – including email and phone

When it comes to customer service, Boomers may be more familiar and comfortable with traditional methods such as email support and contacting a business over the phone. If you are targeting Boomers, these are essential additions to your customer support network, which can use live chat and chatbots for best results.

3. Mobile is still important for marketing to Boomers

They may not be the generation spending the most time on mobile but Boomers still use their phones for at least 2.5 hours every day. Depending on the nature of your product, you should develop a strategy that targets Boomers on desktop and mobile for best results.

How to market to Gen X

Generation X is composed of fewer people than Millennials or Boomers. Despite this, their high average income (higher than the national average) and purchasing power resulted in them hitting the highest mean annual household expenditure of all generations in the US in 2022. Over 75% of Gen X use social media, with 37% using it daily, and Facebook being the most popular platform at 81%.

How to market to Gen X: 3 best practices

1. Build brand loyalty by simplifying the purchasing process

Brand loyalty is big news for Gen X, with this generation remaining “fiercely loyal to their favorite brands”. The demands of work life and family life associated with Gen X can result in them spending more for the sake of convenience, or not shopping around for a better-value alternative if a brand they trust offers something they want to purchase. If you can make life easier for a generation that doesn’t have so much time to spare, you will build loyalty and be rewarded with high-LTV users.

2. Utilize the influence of video advertising

70% of the Gen X population in the US uses free video services to watch videos. A Think with Google study found that Gen Xers frequent YouTube to embrace nostalgia (75%), stay updated with news and trends (86%), and to learn new skills (73%). This is a signal that video ads can be an effective way to target this group across multiple channels. Justine Bloome, Head of Strategy and Innovation at media agency Carat says, “Gen X also adapted quickly to many groundbreaking technological innovations that sped up access to news, entertainment, and personal connections—think VCRs, CDs, digital portable music players, and mobile phones. They were early adopters of social media at scale.” She suggests that this is why the demographic has transitioned to YouTube video. “Staying relevant and not feeling left out is important to their identity, so it makes sense that they turn to YouTube to keep a pulse on current events."

3. Offer rewards and loyalty programs

Writing for Forbes, Rebecca Kowalewicz, Vice President of Digital at Clearbridge Branding Agency shares the benefits of incentives for this target market: “Meeting Gen Xers where we are online, utilizing traditional advertising, and offering rewards and loyalty programs can help strike a balance between the two poles of Gen X/Boomer and Gen X/Millennial that seem to define the range of character in this unique generation.” You can use loyalty programs and similar incentives to retain Gen X customers for longer and build brand loyalty over time.

Marketing to Millennials

Millennials represent an important cohort when it comes to mobile marketing. Millennials spend $2.5 trillion annually, and 80% of Millennials do most of their shopping online.

Born between 1981 and 1996, Millennials were between 22 and 37 years old when Instagram soared to one billion monthly active users in 2018. Millennial use of the platform was a significant factor in this exponential growth, and it’s commonly considered the platform of choice for people in this cohort. For that reason, including Instagram ads in your Millennial marketing mix is key.

Marketing to Millennials: 3 best practices

1. Engage users through influencer marketing

Millennials want to engage with brands through content relevant to their interests, not just through traditional advertising methods. In fact, 84% of Millennials do not trust traditional advertising. Instead, you can build trust through content creation and influencer marketing. This enables you to gain brand exposure and build your reputation by association with social media influencers that are popular with your target audience.

2. Online reviews are important for brand reputation and revenue

Quality indicators such as online user reviews can be an effective way to drive sales and increase retention among Millennials. You should also encourage users to leave reviews for your products through email marketing. This enables the user to share their thoughts while also showing customers you care about their experience from start to finish.

3. Ensure you have a consistent brand identity

If Millennials are more likely to purchase brands they are familiar with and trust, it is more important than ever to keep a consistent brand identity. This includes all of your online and offline advertising, website, mobile app and anything else associated with your brand. This can help retain users and deliver organic installs.

How to market to Gen Z

Generation Z has grown up with access to smartphones, the internet, and social media. They have a native understanding of these technologies which can be leveraged to your advantage. Social and moral responsibility also plays a part in how Gen Z makes purchases online: 75% of them prefer to buy sustainably rather than to go for brand names. Gen Zs are more likely than older generations to believe a company should play a role in improving society. Interestingly, they are also influential - as champions of sustainable consumer practices, their views influence other age groups to change their buying behavior.

We’ve mentioned Millennials gravitating towards Instagram as their social media platform of choice - for Gen Zs, TikTok is king. Hugely popular and influential among the Gen Z user base, who were aged between 8 and 23 years old when it hit one billion monthly active users in 2020, it is the social media platform of the generation and represents a shift from traditional platforms like Facebook. The tempo of TikTok’s interface mirrors the speed at which Gen Zs consume content. Building lively and engaging TikTok advertising into your Gen Z marketing mix is crucial.

How to market to Gen Z: 3 best practices

1. Personalization matters

Over half (58%) of Gen Z is willing to pay more for products that are targeted to their individual personalities. When targeting Gen Z, personalization is a great way to drive sales and increase retention rates. For marketing channels such as mailing lists, personalization can also increase open rates and increase brand loyalty.

A step further than personalization is hyper-personalization, the combination of real-time and historical customer data (such as geo-location or purchase history) to form bespoke, “segment of one” content, products, services, and offers for individual customers. As a marketing strategy, hyper-personalization can result in higher quality leads, increased conversion, and stronger brand loyalty.

2. Use influencer marketing to reach your audience

44% of Gen Z has made a purchase decision based on a recommendation from a social influencer. As with Millennials, influencer marketing is an effective way to market to Gen Z. Gen Zs have a positive view of  influencers - in fact, some 57% of Gen Zs said they would like to become an influencer if given the chance.

3. Establish your brand persona across social media

Gen Zs spend an average of 2 hours 43 minutes a day on social media. This generation is also more likely to learn about new products on social media. When developing your social media marketing strategy, it is essential to create a persona for your managers to follow. This will depend on the nature of your product and how you want to use social media.

How to market to Generation Alpha

As the youngest group out there digesting advertising (the eldest of this cohort are approaching their teenage years), Generation Alpha represents an exciting opportunity when it comes to your marketing strategy. By 2025, Gen Alpha will be the largest generation. Mostly the children of Millennials, the world of Gen Alpha has been dominated by electronic technology, social networks, and streaming services. Having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic as children, Gen Alphas are more attuned than most to a digital world within the home.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that, while Gen Alphas are still quite young and therefore may not have access to significant funds, they have the ability to exert buying pressure on their Millennial parents.

Key considerations when considering Gen Alpha targeting include the relevance of your product to this demographic, moral or ethical concerns, and the fact that legislation around advertising to children is a hot topic and subject to change.

How to market to Gen Alpha: 3 best practices

1. Leverage interactive content

With over 90% of Gen Alpha having used a smartphone or tablet by the age of 5, it is a generation all about digital content - forget print ads and TV commercials. What’s more, interactive content that requires their participation is preferred. Think augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and gamification.

2. Add streaming services to your marketing mix

Nearly 57% of kids under 12 use YouTube, a figure that puts their YouTube usage above that of Baby Boomers. With use of streaming services a learned behavior before this generation hits their teenage years and increased purchasing power, adding streaming to your marketing mix is a solid investment for the future.

3. Remain authentic

Gen Alphas spend an average of 4 hours and 44 minutes daily in front of screens. True digital natives, they have grown up with a vast amount of information at their fingertips and have the perhaps unique ability to quickly sift through inauthentic or “click bait” content to find honest sources. Remain authentic as a brand to appeal to this generation’s values.

Ready to put generational marketing into practice? Request a demo to see how Adjust can boost your app’s reach and growth, or check out our 2024 mobile app trends report and our guide to social media influencer marketing.