Michelle Pence, Communications Dept. Intern

By Michelle Pence, Communications Dept. Intern

One of the most important demographics for a business to consider when developing marketing and advertising strategies is age. Surely someone in their 50s behaves and thinks differently than someone in their 20s, right?

But exactly how reliable is it to attribute certain characteristics to a specific age group when segmenting a customer base, such as the large community of Tempe?

Along with different age groups comes an apparent disparity in attitudes and behaviors, which has been supported by various research and literature. Russ Maloney of Keane Creative, a Tempe marketing and branding agency, attributes these differences mainly to cultural, historical and socioeconomic factors experienced throughout a person’s lifetime.

For example, the Great Depression, Woodstock, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the assassination of John F. Kennedy are all specific events that may have influenced the lives of those who lived through them.

Maloney prefers to analyze information such as how a group of people understands their role in society and how they feel about the future - all of which might be age-related - when developing new marketing campaigns for clients.

“Understanding these will tell you what kind of humor will be best received by the audience, or if humor is an appropriate approach at all,” said Maloney.

As vice president of Southwest Legends Gunfighters, a local Western entertainment company, John Hockley works with clients spanning in age from children to seniors.

“How I would interact with an older customer may be different from how I would treat a younger customer, due to the experience of the customer and what they have seen and what they want to talk about,” said Hockley. 

Although it may be tempting to assume that members of an age group all share the same traits, it is important to remember that each generation contains millions of members and that general ideas about each group will not accurately reflect on each individual.

“No strategy should be driven by an age group in particular,” warned Maloney. “It’s best practice to not assume an age group is homogenous in terms of its behaviors; instead, let the research guide the strategy and execution.”

The research Maloney mentions involves a great deal of audience research relating to the particular product or service being marketed; the conclusions substantially shape the strategies then used to reach a particular demographic.

“We basically ask ourselves a series of questions,” said Maloney. “Where does this particular group spend its time researching purchases? What kinds of messages/media do they feel is most trustworthy? What tone of voice, vocabulary or calls-to-action do they best respond to?”

Although hesitantly, Maloney does admit that there are some noticeable differences between generations.

“Speaking in very broad terms, younger folks (up to 45 years old) are more trusting and open to online and social media marketing, as well as being more responsive to brand messages (non-specific pieces that build context and personality for a brand),” said Maloney. “Forty-five-plus may respond more favorably via more tangible and direct channels, such as point-of-purchase and other print messages.”

In order to attract customers of all different ages, Hockley uses several different types of advertising to promote his business; he utilizes networking and social media websites and participates in local events and parades (at no cost) to create a buzz around the business.

To appeal to those who value the most current technology, Hockley ensures his business remains cutting edge by keeping up-to-date with current industry trends. “We are working to give our younger cast room to creatively explore some of the changes going on in Western entertainment, like the addition of Steampunk (a sub-genre of science fiction) as an entertainment type,” said Hockley.

Maloney suggests that businesses wishing to gain access to a more diverse pool of customers should look beyond hard demographics (age, income, ethnicity, etc.) and segment according to shared beliefs, behaviors or values.

So while it may be tempting to judge a book by its cover, or a person by their age, next time you are devising a marketing plan, try taking a more thorough look at what drives your potential customers, beyond those tempting hard demographics, and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by the outcome.