Are You Tapping into the X Factor? Why Generation X are the silent powerhouses

“They’re the neglected middle child. You know, the one that gets overlooked for everything. If you’re not one yourself, then there’s probably one next to you… not that you’d notice. Caught between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials, Gen X is renowned for being ignored and neglected. But don’t despair, social research had finally caught up.

In the third of this Generational Marketing article series, Neil Osborne highlights the ways Gen X has influenced the generations before and after them… and what that means for you.

You could say, that Gen X are the X Factor. Why? Because compared to the generations proceeding and following them, they’ve always had an indescribable ‘something’ you couldn’t put your finger on… an unpredictable influence.

And they’ve always been able to push your buttons psychologically: making you feel good or inspired, pissed off or aggravated, challenged or validated. Regardless of the affect, they somehow still manage to engage you and their X Factor speaks to you, often times, in ways you’re not even in touch with.

However, in the process, they’ve copped a lot of name calling.

Known as the latchkey kids, slackers, MTV and the grunge generation, Generation X were generally known for being uncommitted and unfocused. Their iconic call of ‘Why me?’ smacks of a victim mentality and has exasperated their parents, business owners and HR departments for decades. But on reflection, it’s been a bumpy ride.

Despite all this, the 35-50-year-old demographic has become a powerful, affluent consumer group that remains largely untapped. Yahoo! Canada found that 22 percent of Gen Xs feel their generation is often forgotten by marketers and 27 percent say that advertising targeting them, doesn’t reflect their experience.

So let’s explore how your salon can tap into this overlooked generation…”