1. Chapter 15
Age Subcultures

2. Age and Consumer Identity
An Age Cohort consists of people of similar ages who have undergone similar experiences.
Marketers need to know how to communicate with members of an age group in their own language.
General marketing strategies often have to be modified to fit specific age groups.
Adults over 30 are most susceptible to Nostalgia appeals, especially for items associated with childhood or adolescence.

3. Age and Consumer Identity
Shared
Experiences
Memories
Nostalgia
Appeal
Age
Cohort
Identity

4. Teen Values and Conflicts
Teens use products to express their identities, explore the world and their new-found freedoms in it, and rebel against their parents.
Marketers often do their best to assist Teens in the above decisions.
The five most important social issues for Teens are:
AIDS,
Race relations,
Child abuse,
Abortion, and
The environment.

5. Teen Values and Conflicts
There are Four Themes of Conflict Common to All Teens:
Want Independence but
Need Support
Autonomy Vs. Belonging
Rebellion Vs. Conformity
Rebellion Against Social Norms but Want Acceptance
Narcissism Vs. Intimacy
Obsessed With Appearance but Want Sincere Relationships
Idealism Vs. Pragmatism
Must Reconcile How the World Should be With Reality

6. Appealing to the Teen Market
The Teen Age Group is Growing Nearly Twice as Fast as the General Population and is Expected to Number 30 Million by 2005.
“Skippies”
Spend $3,000
Per Year
Family
Shoppers
“Savvy”
Consumers
Characteristicsof the Teen Market
Influence Parental
Purchase Decisions
Wary of
“Lies and Hype”
“Consumers-in-
Training”

7. Baby Busters: “Generation X”
46 Million Born Between
Purchasers of Beer, Fast Food, & Cosmetics
20’s Busters Spend $125 Billion Yearly
Characteristics of
“Generation X”
Sophisticated
Shoppers
Formidable Market Segment
Many
Diverse Segments

8. “Generation X” Segments
Cynical
Disdainers
Most Pessimistic and
Skeptical About the
World
Traditional
Materialists
Hippies
Revisited
Fifties
Macho
Tend to Espouse the
Nonmaterialistic Values
of the 60’s
Believe in Traditional
Gender Roles, Politically
Conservative, and Least
Accepting of Multiculturalism
Upbeat, Optimistic About
the Future, and Actively
Striving for the American
Dream

9. Xers’ Younger Siblings: “Generation Y”
29 Million
Born Between
Self-Confident & Self-Reliant
Cyber Savvy
63% Uses PC
At Home
Characteristics of
“Generation Y”
Most Education-Minded Generation
“Unlikely” Voters
“Latchkey” Generation

10. The College Market Advertisers Spend $100 Million a Year to
Influence Them
Purchase $20 Billion Worth of Products a Year
Media Habits
The College Market
Watch Less TV and
Read Fewer Newspapers
Read College Newspapers
Reach Through Sampler Boxes
Use of Posters (Wall Media)
Spring Break

11. Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers, those in their mid-thirties and fifties, exert the most impact on consumption patterns.
The reason: Power in Numbers.
The “Woodstock Generation” created a revolution in style, politics, and consumer attitudes.
Consumers aged 35 to 44 spend the most on housing, cars, and entertainment.
Consumers aged 45 to 54 spend the most of any age on food, apparel, and retirement programs.
These consumers have created a new baby boom of their own called Baby Boomlets and they are part of a new emphasis on children and family.

12. The Gray Market
The Gray Market includes people over age 65 who head over 18 million households.
By 2010, one in every seven Americans will be over 65.
The Gray Market is the second fastest growing segment, only behind the Baby Boomers.
They control over 50% of all discretionary income and spend $60 billion annually.
Most older people lead more active, multidimensional lives than we assume.
Their economic health is good and getting better.
80% own their own home.

13. The Gray Market Key Values That Motivate Older Consumers Autonomy
Connectedness
Altruism
Personal
Growth
Key
Values
That Motivate
Older
Consumers

14. Subsegments of the Mature Market
Segmenting Seniors
Older
Elderly
Very Old
85 +
Aged
Subsegments of the Mature Market

15. Guideline for Effective Advertising to the Elderly
Keep Language Simple
Use Clear, Bright Pictures
Use Action to Attract Attention
Speak Clearly, and Keep Word Count Low
Use Single Sales Message
Avoid Extraneous Stimuli