Marketing Targets

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May 25, 2015 by Mark Maier

How are demographics defined right now?  The Center For Media Research reports the latest divisions and age catagories to help us know who we are talking to...

"According to a recent Marketing Charts report, marketers are focusing a lot of energy on Millennials; their lives are deconstructed on many different levels, but stepping back to the big picture, how many of these prized individuals are there in the US? The latest data out from the Census Bureau gives a sense of how large this coveted demographic is.

Share of Population By Age Group and Gender

Age Group

Total

Male Share

Female Share

12-17

7.8%

8.1%

7.5%

18-24

9.9

10.3

9.5

25-34

13.6

14.0

13.3

35-44

12.7

12.8

12.6

45-54

13.6

13.7

13.6

55-64

12.6

12.3

12.8

65+

14.5

13.0

16.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, July 2014

There are a few problems to take note of in looking at the numbers, says the report. Chiefly, there is no consensus definition of a Millennial; while 18-34 seems to be the most commonly used bracket (and which doesn’t appear to change with each passing year!), other studies might use a 14-31 range or some other, making it necessary to identify age ranges when referring to this cohort, says the report.

It’s also worth noting that a young Gen Xer might feel more culturally similar to Gen Y.  Cultural and behavioral tendencies don’t tend to have fixed age breaks. Nevertheless, things being the way they are, says the report, marketers and researchers often look at age groups.

Commonly Used Age Brackets; Corresponding Population Estimates; Population Shares (As Of July, 2014)

Age Group

Population (Millions)

Share of Total Population

Traditional Grouping

12-17

25 million

7.8%

18-24

31.5

9.9%

25-34

43.5

13.6%

35-44

40.5

12.7%

45-54

43.5

13.6%

55-64

40.1

12.6%

65-74

26.4

8.3%

75+

19.8

6.2%

Other Popular Age Grouping

18-29

53.5 million

16.8%

18-34

75

23.5%

18-49

136.4

42.8%

35-49

61.4

19.3%

50-64

62.6

19.6%

55+

86.3

27.1%

65+

46.2

14.5%

Source: MarketingCharts, April 2015

Equally as important is a consideration of the descriptions of the various popularly studied cohorts.

While all generations have similarities it is simplistic to say they are the same, says a recent Pew Research Center report, noting the challenge of studying generations:

"Generational analysis… is not an exact science… there are as many differences in attitudes, values, behaviors and lifestyles within a generation as there are between generations… but (it) does not diminish the value of generational analysis… it adds to its richness and complexity… “

Here’s a list of Western world generations, “… which can be taken to mean North America, Europe, South America, and Oceania, but many variations may exist within the regions, geographically and culturally. The list is broadly indicative, but necessarily very general… “ says Pew Research:

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