Can a whole generation be generalized into 12 types? AdWeek recently reported on a presentation by Exponential vice president Bryan Melmed at their recent Advertizing Week in New York, outlining the 12 types of millenials, people aged 18-35. Exponential analyzed data from over 4 million members of this group [to come up with these categories] and came up with the categories. According to the AdWeek article, “each group is largely defined by its reaction to three major forces: the economy, globalization and social media. Those, combined with an array of other experiences and lifestyle choices, have led to the emergence of these 12 millennial groups.” The names of these categories are interesting to say the least:
1) Boss Babes, 2) Brogrammers, 3) The Underemployed 4) Shut Out, 5) Nostalgics, 6) Travel Enthusiasts, 7) Culinary Explorers, 8) The Exuberants, 9) The Collectors, 10) The Quarter-Life Crisis Millennial, 11) Millennial Marthas, and 12) Millennial Moms. You can read more about the characteristics of each on AdWeek.com.
Perhaps every generation has its categories. In the end, however, for a business owner the point is to understand the characteristics of your customers – their needs and wants, their pain points and decision-making processes. It may be that generalizing to this degree could lead to generalizing your customers, who are most likely looking for a more personalized approach. Have you found general truths about your customer base?
