Joining the dots between acid house and retirement, the Spice Girls and the menopause, Pac-Man and mortgage rates — ‘Generation Remix: Meet gen X in midlife’ explores what happened to the generation that once defined youth culture in middle age
Guardian Advertising and Omnicom media agency Initiative UK’s report ‘Generation Remix: Meet gen X in midlife’ reveals a huge blindspot for brands and advertisers.
While Generation X holds at least a third of UK household wealth, the research shows only 12% feel consistently well represented in advertising; that’s despite accounting for 26% of the population. More than half also agree they will become invisible to society after a certain age.
Far from being set in their ways, 64% of Gen X are open to change or reinventing their lives, further presenting a huge untapped commercial opportunity for advertisers.
Sharon Dhillon, CEO, Initiative UK, said:
“As a Gen Xer myself, this research felt personal. But as someone who helps brands understand audiences, it also felt incredibly important.
“Gen X is economically powerful, culturally influential and often making decisions across several generations, yet they remain surprisingly underexplored and too often reduced to outdated ideas of what midlife looks like.
“Generation Remix is about bringing a richer, more nuanced picture of this generation to life and helping brands see them in a way that they perhaps haven’t before.”
Imogen Fox, global chief advertising officer, Guardian Media Group, added:
“Generation Remix shows an incredibly influential audience, with significant spending power, cultural confidence and a lifetime of adapting to change. Misunderstanding them means missing the opportunity to connect with a whole generation.
“I hope this report encourages advertisers to move beyond outdated stereotypes and recognise Gen X as the dynamic, varied and valuable audience it is.”
The Guardian and Initiative UK unveiled the findings at an event at King’s Place on Thursday. Speaking on a panel, Amina Razaq, head of content at Mediabrands Content Studio, called on advertisers to look at Gen X as a “rich and varied market – we’re so much more than nostalgia; see the person, not an age”.
She urged brands to “tap into culture and be additive” rather than jumping on bandwagons.
Denise van Outen, the presenter, actress, singer and 90s icon, culminated the launch event, saying the best thing about being a Gen Xer is living by a “sod it” attitude.
