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CONSULTANT
REPRESENTATIVE,
ITSL MEDIA
REPRESENTATIVE
Bridging the
generational gap
It is possible to market to Baby Boomers and Millennials at the same time.
ALL
ages are
interested
in value.
Facebook/VendingMarket @VendingMagazine http://linkd.in/VendingMarketWatch
t may seem unlikely that Baby Boomers
and Millennials share any commonali-
ties. We hear a lot about the differences
between the two generations and what
they value. One of the most notable is
technology. Two of the biggest changes to
how the world works occurred as Millen-
nials were growing up — the development
of the Internet and the smartphone. AIM-
sights Group, an international marketing
consulting frm,
compared the cre-
ation of the Internet
and the smartphone
to the development
of the Gutenberg
press. It has been
that signifcant.
However,
despite the differ-
ences, both groups
represent a large
buying power. The
80 million Baby
Boomers control 70
percent of the U.S.'s
disposable income,
but the 86 million
Millennials are driving spending growth
as they start to shop for themselves and
their families.
Marketing to both at once
To market to both generations at once,
it's important to focus on value. This is
about quality and perception as much as
it is about price point. The perception of a
product matters, which leads us to the next
divergence — food. While Boomers are
focusing on better-for-you items, Millen-
nials are all about gourmet and trends like
gluten-free. Many times these two ideas
can be the same food item, whether that's
an arugula salad with homemade blue
cheese dressing or a sophisticated (and
high priced) sandwich on pretzel bread.
Don't be afraid that technology will
alienate either group. According to the
AIM Insights, this is the frst time in his-
tory that it's not just the older generation
teaching the younger one. The Millenni-
als have a specifc skill set that the Baby
Boomers don't always have. The two
groups are educating each other, giving
them a cross over that no two other gen-
erations can really claim.
Selling service to Millennials
Operators also need to consider Millenni-
als as decision makers, not just as custom-
ers. Many are moving up to management
positions and gaining more responsibility.
It's been said that Baby Boomers like
personal service. They prefer in-person
meetings in order to gauge a provider's
character. This is much like the skepti-
cal Millennial, who is online check-
ing reviews and skimming a company
Website before making any purchasing
decision. The Millennials are interested
in authenticity and not being stereotyped.
Now, I'm not trying to claim that Mil-
lennials and Baby Boomers are the same.
However, there are some similarities you
can use when crafting your sales program
to target both groups.
I
6 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com May 2014
E D I T O R ' S N O T E B Y E M I L Y R E F E R M A T
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