Finding the Gen X Factor: Confronting bias and marketing mishaps to over 45s in social

Zoe Bowen-Jones and Damian Thompson

Four unique behaviours that brands should be aware of when targeting Gen X audiences on social media.

Sometimes you’re shocked by discovering a blind spot you didn’t know you had, a self-limiting bias hiding in plain sight. Reading Wavemaker’s research into how the industry regards middle-aged users of social media was, for us, one of those wonderfully provocative moments.

It seems strange that an industry so heavily managed by Gen X – people aged 45-60 – should struggle to give this audience the attention it deserves. Perhaps we see ‘other’ generations as the ones we need to study and understand. Gen X makes up 31% of the global population but accounts for just 4% of industry...

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