Marketing to generations should be a thing of the past, argues Lydia Hinchcliff, strategy director at Journey Further. Stereotyping has long existed but current briefs have been particularly focused on segments, she says. One of the problems is short termism in marketing – “people need things to be quick and they need them to be easy and quite often being able to approach that in a generational way hits that mark”. The tenure of marketing professionals is today so short that any quick way to achieve success is what they want. Another problem is the echo chamber effect created by headlines citing the demands of Gen Z, for example, when its spending power is limited. She cites sports shoes brand New Balance (pictured) as one that has bucked this trend. They have looked at universal values – “let’s say that’s comfort” – and, with a few tweaks, they have broadened the appeal of their products across generations.
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