Beyond the Labels: How Generational Traits Shift as We Age | Over the Bull®
When businesses think about their audience, they often picture a certain age group—maybe the 35-year-old buyer, or the mid-40s decision-maker. The mistake comes when we assume today’s 35-year-old is the same as the 35-year-old a decade ago. People don’t inherit…
When businesses think about their audience, they often picture a certain age group—maybe the 35-year-old buyer, or the mid-40s decision-maker. The mistake comes when we assume today’s 35-year-old is the same as the 35-year-old a decade ago. People don’t inherit a fixed identity once they cross a milestone birthday. Instead, each generation is shaped by the unique circumstances of its time: cultural events, technology, crises, and the social climate that defined its formative years.
That means the customer you are targeting today has a worldview very different from the one who held the same demographic spot ten or twenty years ago. Understanding those shifts is essential if your marketing plan is going to stay relevant.
From Loyalty to Skepticism: How Generations Form
Each generation carries the imprint of its era. The Silent Generation, raised through the Great Depression and World War II, valued loyalty, stability, and trust in institutions. Baby Boomers, coming of age during post-war optimism and the rise of television, sought status and security. Generation X, molded by the end of the Cold War and the birth of personal computers, became skeptical, independent, and wary of manipulation in advertising. Millennials grew up with the internet, 9/11, and the rise of social media, which left them adaptable but also cautious of misinformation. Gen Z, meanwhile, are digital natives who spot manipulation instantly and crave authenticity above polish. Generation Alpha, still coming of age, will be the first to truly be AI-native—shaped as much by automation and pandemic disruption as by their global perspective. When you trace the progression, you see a pattern: what one generation values is often a reaction to the insecurities or excesses of the one before. Marketing that worked yesterday can become irrelevant tomorrow if it doesn’t evolve with these cultural currents.
Technology, Trust, and the Demand for Authenticity
Technology has been the common thread in these generational shifts. From radio and television to smartphones and AI, each new tool not only changed how people consume information but also how they trust it. The Silent Generation trusted the radio. Boomers respected the nightly news. Gen X questioned ads on television. Millennials grew up with the rise—and manipulation—of social platforms. Gen Z scrolls endlessly but remains alert to the tricks behind the dopamine loop. The through-line is that trust is always in flux. Today, authenticity is winning. A cough in the background, a human slip of the tongue, an unpolished message—these are not weaknesses but signals that you’re real. By contrast, highly polished but empty messaging is quickly dismissed. AI only sharpens this divide: if it parrots back sanitized, one-sided answers, audiences will tune it out. The businesses that thrive will be the ones that sound human and act with transparency.
Technology, Trust, and the Demand for Authenticity
What all of this means for businesses is simple but urgent: you cannot assume your marketing strategy is evergreen. The 35-year-old buyer of today will not think like the 35-year-old of tomorrow. Strategies that lean on old assumptions will fail because the audience has changed. The solution is not more polish, louder promises, or manipulative tactics. It is honesty, cultural awareness, and a willingness to adapt. Generations are shifting quickly, and with them come new values, new skepticism, and new expectations. If your business can recognize that—and speak authentically into the worldview of each rising generation—you gain not just attention, but trust. And trust, across every era, is still the foundation of lasting success.
Beyond the Labels: How Generational Traits Shift as We Age | Over the Bull®
When businesses think about their audience, they often picture a certain age group—maybe the 35-year-old buyer, or the mid-40s decision-maker. The mistake comes when we assume today’s 35-year-old is the same as the 35-year-old a decade ago. People don’t inherit a fixed identity once they cross a milestone birthday. Instead, each generation is shaped by…
When businesses think about their audience, they often picture a certain age group—maybe the 35-year-old buyer, or the mid-40s decision-maker. The mistake comes when we assume today’s 35-year-old is the same as the 35-year-old a decade ago. People don’t inherit a fixed identity once they cross a milestone birthday. Instead, each generation is shaped by the unique circumstances of its time: cultural events, technology, crises, and the social climate that defined its formative years.
That means the customer you are targeting today has a worldview very different from the one who held the same demographic spot ten or twenty years ago. Understanding those shifts is essential if your marketing plan is going to stay relevant.
From Loyalty to Skepticism: How Generations Form
Each generation carries the imprint of its era. The Silent Generation, raised through the Great Depression and World War II, valued loyalty, stability, and trust in institutions. Baby Boomers, coming of age during post-war optimism and the rise of television, sought status and security. Generation X, molded by the end of the Cold War and the birth of personal computers, became skeptical, independent, and wary of manipulation in advertising. Millennials grew up with the internet, 9/11, and the rise of social media, which left them adaptable but also cautious of misinformation. Gen Z, meanwhile, are digital natives who spot manipulation instantly and crave authenticity above polish. Generation Alpha, still coming of age, will be the first to truly be AI-native—shaped as much by automation and pandemic disruption as by their global perspective. When you trace the progression, you see a pattern: what one generation values is often a reaction to the insecurities or excesses of the one before. Marketing that worked yesterday can become irrelevant tomorrow if it doesn’t evolve with these cultural currents.
Technology, Trust, and the Demand for Authenticity
Technology has been the common thread in these generational shifts. From radio and television to smartphones and AI, each new tool not only changed how people consume information but also how they trust it. The Silent Generation trusted the radio. Boomers respected the nightly news. Gen X questioned ads on television. Millennials grew up with the rise—and manipulation—of social platforms. Gen Z scrolls endlessly but remains alert to the tricks behind the dopamine loop. The through-line is that trust is always in flux. Today, authenticity is winning. A cough in the background, a human slip of the tongue, an unpolished message—these are not weaknesses but signals that you’re real. By contrast, highly polished but empty messaging is quickly dismissed. AI only sharpens this divide: if it parrots back sanitized, one-sided answers, audiences will tune it out. The businesses that thrive will be the ones that sound human and act with transparency.
Technology, Trust, and the Demand for Authenticity
What all of this means for businesses is simple but urgent: you cannot assume your marketing strategy is evergreen. The 35-year-old buyer of today will not think like the 35-year-old of tomorrow. Strategies that lean on old assumptions will fail because the audience has changed. The solution is not more polish, louder promises, or manipulative tactics. It is honesty, cultural awareness, and a willingness to adapt. Generations are shifting quickly, and with them come new values, new skepticism, and new expectations. If your business can recognize that—and speak authentically into the worldview of each rising generation—you gain not just attention, but trust. And trust, across every era, is still the foundation of lasting success.