Generation gaps

I spoke at a fascinating international seminar last week. It was about how consumer behaviour changes between generations. Our focus was on generations α aged 0-3, Z aged 3-18, Y aged 19-33 and X aged 34-47 plus baby boomers aged 48-68.

Here are some highlights and anecdotes:

• Children want to be treated as 2-3 years older, yet parents tend to treat their children as 2-3 years younger.
• Older people feel 10-15 years younger than they are.
• If you tell children a product is good for them, they’ll think it tastes bad.
• Children want to take control, while older people don’t want to lose control.
• For children, liking follows on closely from familiarity.
• The similarities between age groups are greater than the differences.
• Children are more predictable than baby boomers.
• 18-25 year olds are less likely to try new things than children and other adults.