generational branding

Thanks to a retweet by @TalentZoo, I ran across a great article from Beneath the Brand (@BeneaththeBrand on Twitter, and you should definitely give them a follow) on the emotion of generational branding.

The article featured a book by Marc Gobe called Emotional Branding.

Gobe explores emotional branding specific to generational demographics. Gobe asserts that each generation responds differently to emotion, and the key to emotional branding is finding that specific emotional appeal.

The same emotional pitch you use for Gen Y-ers is not going to work for Baby Boomers.

Obvious, sure. But, how often do you consider this when developing creative?

On Baby Boomers, Beneath the Brand says:

With a “hard work pays off” mentality, this [Baby Boomer] segment is far less emotional than generations that follow. Campaigns that play on emotional comfort, status, heroism and “I’ve earned it” luxury will reach—and touch deeply—this audience.

As for Gen X-ers, Beneath the Brand says that "campaigns targeting X’s usually win when they employ nontraditional approaches, fierce sarcasm, style, imagination, and money-driven themes."

Beneath the Brand says that Gen Y-ers are the most sensitive to the brand experience. "must be highly experiential in order to be engaging. "Generation Y has defined the necessary behavior for brands, which must be highly experiential in order to be engaging," writes Beneath the Brand.