Baby Boomers vs. Millennials

Over the last fifty years, “baby boomers” (for purpose of this article, 79 million persons born 1944-1964) shaped all major cultural, political and economic shifts in our society and determined if companies would succeed or fail. Few experts disagree that sustainable business needed to conform to and appeal to the tastes of these consumers. We are now addressing a very different generation of consumers. Some call then the Millennial or generation Y (for purposes of this article 100 million persons born 1985-2008.) That’s not a typo; 100 million make the baby boomers (until now the largest generation of consumers) look small. This generation is likely to shape our society and be a dominating economic influence over the next fifty years. Therefore, for your business to succeed you need to address their desires, appeal to their cultural sensibilities and even communicate with them the way they choose to communicate.Perhaps the best example of the importance of this generation’s influence, likely to be opined upon as their first major accomplishment; the election of President Barack Obama. Our new President-Elect didn’t just speak to this generation. He cultivated their emerging culture and made it part of his message. He communicated with them on their mobile phones and in their digital social networks and he respected their values and made them part of his value proposition and “sales pitch.” Your company needs to do that as well. You can start by recognizing what is important to this generation. By far the environment and the air they breathe, remains at the top of the list. Ask any High School Student and it is likely to be in their top five issues of importance.