Why a cohort’s starting point is key to understanding generational trends

Genevieve Silk

A key concept to generational analysis is the idea of starting points: namely, where respective generations begin with their attitudes and behaviours, and not where they are today.

Skinny jeans and Facebook or wide-leg jeans and TikTok?

As hinted at by dozens of online quizzes to determine whether you’re a member of Gen Z or a Millennial, a stalwart Gen X-er or a Baby Boomer, one thing is abundantly clear: distinctions between generations are a widespread shorthand for marketers as they seek to understand consumers.

However, as J. Walker Smith, Chief Knowledge Lead at research firm Kantar, discussed at the Advertising Research Foundation’s (ARF) 2022 AUDIENCExSCIENCE conference, fixating on demographics alone, and neglecting the impact of broader social and lifestyle trends, can weaken brands’ efforts to conduct meaningful...

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