The power of Gen X is overlooked as older audiences drive dual-ROI effect
Opinion
Advertisers remain fixated on youth, but failing to reach older audiences is bad for business when younger consumers turn to their elders for purchasing advice amid uncertainty.
We’re seeing a pattern emerge in our industry—one that mirrors a growing conversation about ageism in ad land. It’s an issue that’s obvious to many working in this space.
A recent conversation with my brother-in-law drove this home. He also works in the industry and is the same age as me (48), yet he was surprised to learn he’s part of Gen X. He had no idea.
I told him I wasn’t surprised. We’re the forgotten audience, overlooked at every stage from brief to strategy and even tactics in the form of programmatic bidding.
Considering our share of global spending, that oversight is even more striking. As an industry, we remain fixated on youth.
Here’s the generational breakdown:
But something interesting is happening—a clear pattern is forming. Advertisers are beginning to realize that failing to aim for (and reach) older audiences is both economically short sighted and creatively limiting.
Recent studies like Ageism Kills Brands from the University of South Australia, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute’s research of 6,000 brands, underscore the value of older audiences. Brands with age-inclusive strategies enjoy stronger brand equity, better creative, and steadier growth. Those that don’t target older consumers are less resilient, which is vital in today’s turbulent socioeconomic climate.
At UM, we see both the trending purchasing power and influence of older consumers in our own data. Our proprietary Brand Pattern methodology, which tracks brand performance over time, reveals this pattern of growing influence of older audiences.
In the past six months, our strategy team has seen older consumers increasingly shape the purchasing decisions of younger cohorts — particularly in high-investment categories like automotive and finance.
When older audiences are positively engaged, they not only buy themselves, but also directly affect younger consumers’ consideration and choices. In short, older audiences deliver twice the impact: they convert directly and influence the next generation’s purchasing habits.
But why now? In times of economic instability, people turn to experience. In one of the most uncertain periods in decades, the stability and insight of older consumers—both empirical and lived—has become a key influence on younger decision-making.
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A behavioural lens: heuristics and decision-making
This trend aligns closely with behavioural economics, particularly the role of heuristics—mental shortcuts we use to make decisions efficiently. In uncertain times, two things happen:
1. We layer heuristics with more deliberate methodology — we blend intuition with additional information-seeking and reasoning.
2. The trustworthiness of the heuristics we do use becomes more critical — we lean on cues that feel safer, more experienced, or time-tested.
So, when confidence is low, the question isn’t whether we use heuristics, but which ones (and whose input informs them). That’s where older generations come in. They act as trusted reference points, offering safe shortcuts for younger people navigating unfamiliar choices.
For one of our clients, the top driver of consideration among younger audiences was a recommendation from an older demographic. We’re seeing this pattern across other categories too: older consumers serving as key decision-making heuristics for the next generation.
Foundational insights from behavioural science
Tversky and Kahneman’s Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases remains one of the most influential frameworks for understanding consumer behaviour, including now, given the uncertainty we face in today’s climate.
Their work outlines principles like the availability heuristic and loss aversion, showing how people, especially under pressure, seek familiarity and perceived security. When the margin for error feels thin, experience outweighs pretty much any other influence. In that sense, older audiences don’t just represent economic value — they represent cognitive stability.
The strategic case for older audiences
Older audiences are not only just stabilisers of brand equity; they’re a strategic multiplier. They bring resilience, credibility, and cross-generational influence.
Engaging them offers not just one return but two or more. When brands maintain strong equity with older age groups, the benefits compound.
This isn’t only about generating new engagement. It’s about deepening communication with existing, loyal customers and leveraging their influence across age segments. The return spans both short- and long-term horizons.
Looking forward
While no one hopes for ongoing instability, an emerging focus on the power and value of older audiences can be looked at as a positive outcome. Let’s ensure this focus isn’t just reactive but the start of a lasting shift.
Their value should be recognised consistently. As we age, our ability to discern true value sharpens and that benefits not just our personal and professional choices, but those of the generations that follow.
To borrow from Oscar Wilde: “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.” Older generations understand value. Let’s hope our industry sheds its cynicism and continues to invest in the wisdom and equity they bring.
Dan Chapman is global chief strategy officer at Interpublic Group agency UM.