By Ann Wool
Lately I have become increasingly proud of being a GenXer. It’s my tribe!
As youth we were called the slacker generation. To be sure, I don’t feel in the least bit slackerish. And, the GenXers I know aren’t slackers either.
There are approximately 65 million of us, hovering in the vicinity of 50 years old. We’re a relatively small cohort sandwiched between Boomers and Millennials. I’m certain that our relative rarity is part of my joy of being of this generation. 
By their own admission, marketers have by and large ignored us. They say there are too few to matter. This could be a serious marketing misstep as we now control a disproportionate amount of the spending power in most families and businesses.
Until now, it’s been easy to assume our cultural references just blend in with those older and younger, but we know that’s simply false and lazy. As a result, they miss the mark entirely. Although it might not be widely discussed, our cultural influence is undeniable given that we were largely responsible for unlocking the power of the Internet, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There’s so much more to discover about us.
Let’s go back to why it matters. The answer is simple.
It’s the spending power of today’s 50+
Data indicates that we are a vital, active generation that controls the purse strings, and will do for some time. We will live longer, healthier lives and we are choiceful about purchases, looking for higher quality and great value. Today, 50+ accounts for 53% of all consumer expenditures – we buy more than half the new cars and household appliances. Depending on which data you look at, between 2018 – 2050, technology expenditures by 50+ are expected to grow by nearly 350% and travel and leisure by 235%.
So, if brands actually want to win with us, I posit that GenX is just like any cultural cohort. Brands have to invest in learning about us in order to engage with us effectively and authentically. Do the homework!
If context is King, nuance is Queen
> Kill the tropes and pay extra attention to the “isms – age, race, sex and any other assumptive notions.
> Pay close attention to how we are visually portrayed. We are not generic, and we certainly aren’t geriatric.
> Be choiceful about the language you use to speak to us. We don’t use the same lexicon as our Boomer elders and we are still inspired by the culture of our youth.
> Rethink the stereotypical contextual environments you put us in. Mostly we are still busy working, traveling, managing families – and occasionally stopping to smell the roses or take a yoga class.
If you’re a GenZ/Millennial marketer or comms person, spend the time getting to know who we are so that you can have an impact on our choices. We GenXers start and run businesses, write screenplays and make movies, climb mountains, author books, travel the world, design and build things of remarkable beauty, raise money for causes, invent + innovate , and at the same time we are the glue that holds all generations in our family together.
Brands who overlook us, or portray us with lazy tropes, are squandering the best practice they’ll ever have to engage with the tidal wave of Millennials coming right behind us. They aren’t as rare as us!
And, while Xers may roll their eyes at silver foxes wandering soulfully along an empty beach walking a dog on a leash (who does that?) to sell financial services to people of 50+, wait until the Millennials get here.
They will not be kind or quiet – and they’ll be gone!
Ann Wool is a global creative & communications agency leader with cross-functional expertise in Advertising, PR and Influencer Marketing. Ann has focused on work that taps into sports, music, art, gaming culture to drive impact and win talk-value. She is proud of her award-winning campaigns for brands like Beats by Dre, NBA, Samsung, P&G, and AT&T. She established the storytelling and reputation playbook model for global sports marketing and worldwide Olympic Games sponsors.