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Gen X
America’s most influential generation

Marketers are quick to take aim at Boomers and Millennials
when it comes to informing consumers on the latest trends.
Increasingly, Generation X is left at the wayside.
Boomers
Millennials
Boomers
Millennials
“Part of the reason marketers
aren't interested in Gen Xers is
because they're a bridge
generation between Millennials
and Boomers.”
- Managing Director,
The Boston Consulting Group, Aug 2015
2
America’s neglected middle child
Gen X

Gen X today
Source: Simmons Summer 2015 NHCS Adult Survey / Shullman Pulse study 2014 / Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 / Census bureau 2014 /
comScore plan metrix december 2015
81M+
Adults 35-54
Influential & informed consumers
13.5 Million
posted ratings
or reviews.
21.8 Million paid
attention to ratings
and reviews.
Median income by age of householders
25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
$54.2k
$66.7k $70.8k
$60.6k
$37k
More spending power
•  29% of estimated net worth dollars
•  31% of total income dollars
3

Gen X today
Source: Simmons Summer 2015 NHCS Adult Survey / Shullman Pulse study 2014 / Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015
Innovators & Disruptors
Resilient & Imaginative
Influential Yet Overlooked
“My generation is when it all started happening…
We are behind so many innovations that had never
been seen or thought of before. The younger
generation has taken that and they’re certainly
expanding it and growing in diﬀerent directions.
But we were the core of where it came from, where
it started.”
- Female, 49
“You always hear of baby boomers. I don't ever
hear anything about generation X. And that's just
the truth. I'm like, we have to be what? 50, 60 years
old before you talk about generation X?” It’s the
lost generation. It's forgotten about.”
- Female, 43
4

Methodology
Literature audit
Expert interviews
Cultural/trend research for Gen X
Consumer in-depth-interviews
15 in-depth-interviews with M/F Gen Xers Ages 36-50
Quantitative study
Survey among 853 Adults 35-54 in November 2015
Partnerships
Yahoo partnered with Brand & Strategy Firm
Audience Theory and Ipsos
5

Agenda
Macro shifts,
emotional
drivers &
emerging trends
1
Creative strategy
for a stronger
connection
3
Key insights &
implications
4
Relationship to
tech, content &
brands
2

Macro Shifts & Trends
Shaping Gen X Attitudes & Behavior
New Economic
Realities
Lifestage Surprises
Neurological
Changes
1

Vanishing Middle Class, the Price of Privilege, and Work-Life Balance
New Economic Realities

Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 9
Vanishing Middle Class, New Benchmarks and the Price of Privilege
22%
40%
54%
44%
23%
15%
2008 2015
Fewer Americans
self-identity as
“middle class”
Class “I” Identify with…
Lower
Middle
Upper/upper middle class
100%
50%
0%
of Gen X Feel they are
Part of the “Vanishing”
Middle Class (vs. 41%
for Millennials and 55%
for Boomers)
51%

Vanishing Middle Class, New Benchmarks and the Price of Privilege
“We remind our daughter that she's very fortunate with two
parents in the household and both working. We're able to give her
what I think is a much better life than her father and I had as kids at
that age.”
- Female, 46
82%
of Gen X think it is important to instill some sort of
financial understanding into their kid(s)
(vs. 77% for Millennials and 80% for Boomers)
46%
of Gen X worry that their kids are spoiled
(vs. 33% for Boomers and 41% for Millennials)
THEIR WORRIES AS PARENTS
FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Trends
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / Sage Stage
of the Startup, 2015 / WSJ May 2015
11
Bootstrap Ambitions
31%
of Gen Xers consider themselves ‘entrepreneurial’
(33% for younger Gen X 35-44 vs. 28% for older Gen X 45-54)
Over 1 in 4
Gen Xers have already started their own business/have taken active steps
towards starting one (29% for Men Gen X vs. 23% for Women Gen X)
Gen X: 55%
Boomers: 29%
Millennials: 17%
vs.
Gen Xers make up the highest percentage
of startup founders

Trends
Generational Workplace“Throwdowns”
68% of Gen Xers
think they work a lot harder
than the Millennial generation
38% of Millennials
think their generation works
harder than older generations
Over 1 in 3
Gen Xers find it diﬃcult to work with
younger generations, like Millennials
“I give Millennials I work with deadlines,
and they don’t follow deadlines. It’s not
about your timeframe, it’s the company’s
timeframe.”
- Female, 50
“Many exhibit an entitled mind set and a
lack of work ethic or boundaries.”
- Female, 37

Trends
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / WSJ May
2015
13
“Balance”Pursuits: Well-Balanced Careers, Balanced Kids
Gen X parents are less likely
than Millennials to increase the
amount they work after having
children.
13%
of Gen X vs. 26% of Millennials
said they increased the amount of
time they worked after having
kids.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS IMPORTANT77%
Gen Xers
81%
Gen Xers parents

Mid-Life Surprises & Sandwich Eﬀects
Lifestage Responsibilities

Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / PEW
Research
15
Provide financial assistance to elderly parent who needs it
75%
23%
% of all adults saying they…
Not a responsibilityIs a responsibility
“In my family, it was always understood that I would be looking out for my
parents, taking care of them to a degree. I always felt that was going to be
my responsibility in the back of my mind.”
- Female, 48
First Generation Duties
61%
of Gen Xers feel it is (or will be) their
responsibility to take care of their
aging parents
Senior Care

Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / PEW
Research
16
Provide financial assistance to adult child who needs it
52%
44%
Nearly half (47%)
of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a
young child or financially supporting a grown child (age 18 or older).
% of all parents saying they …
Not a responsibilityIs a responsibility
1 in 3
Gen X parents feel the pressure
of raising kids while looking after
older parent(s)
Senior Care + Child Care

Trends
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / eMarketer
June 2015
17
Digital Spy Skills Wanted
41% of Gen X Parents believe their kids can
circumvent online parental controls they have put on the
device(s) they use (vs. 37% for Millennials)
NOT CHILD PROOF
54% of Gen X Parents believe their kids are more tech
savvy than they are (vs. 33% for Millennials)
LESS TECH SAVVY
67% of Gen X Parents are concerned about their
child(ren)'s online safety (70% for younger Gen X 35-44
vs. 62% for older Gen X 45-54)
ONLINE SAFETY

“Once you labor all your life, you should have the
‘sunset years.’ That's the time where you can bask in the
rays of your success. You can enjoy life. If you want to
do nothing, you do nothing.”
- Male, 46
Over half
Gen Xers fantasize about just having a day/evening to
just do nothing
à 58% for Gen X parents vs. 47% for Gen X non
parents (vs. 62% for Millennials and 40% for Boomers)
Trends
The Fantasy of Doing Nothing

Reconciling the middle age brain & body
Neurological and Body Changes

Neurological and Body Changes
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 – Yahoo/Nielsen Biometric Day in the Life November 2015 20
Reconciling the middle age brain
Features of the
middle age brain
Highly distractible
Distraction
Better at complicated
concepts like finances
and assessing risk
Concepts
Worse at retrieving memories
Memories

Trends
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 – Yahoo/Nielsen Biometric Day in the Life November 2015 21
Learning to Multitask
Gen X are more likely to
multitask during primetime,
but are less proficient at it
than Millennials.
Driven to multi-task but
not as good at it
Multitasking during prime time (7pm-10pm)
Millennials
8.7 switches per hour
Gen X
9.2 switches per hour
Emotional response during prime time (7pm-10pm)
64%
53%
32%
40%
32% 32% 29% N/A
TV + Laptop TV + Phone Laptop + Phone All 3
Gen XMillennials

Trends
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / Yahoo/
Nielsen Biometric Day in the Life November 2015
22
TV as Family Bonding
84%
of Gen Xers use 2+ devices during
primetime
43%
of Gen Xers say they have an
Internet enabled TV
71%
of Gen Xers say their family
watch Shows/Movies at home as
bonding time

2 in 5
Gen Xers say make-overs
make them feel better about
themselves
1 in 10
Gen Xers reinvented their
personal style in the past 3
years (vs. 25% for Millennials
and 4% for Boomers)
Nearly half
of Gen Xers have a positive
self-body image
Finding
Your Look
71%
of Gen Xers try to exercise
their brain as well as their
body (vs. 66% for Millennials)
1 in 4
Gen Xers have taken up
regular exercise in the past 3
years
Exercise for Brain
vs. Body
17%
of Gen Xers experienced a
health “wake-up” call in the
past 3 years (14% for younger
Gen X 35-44 vs. 20% for older
Gen X 45-54)
Wake-Up Calls
& Body Betrayals
36%
of Gen Xers say they are
obsessed with preventing ill
health in the future
59%
of Gen X say they'll adopt
wearable fitness technology
within five years.
- PC World, 2014
Obsession
with Prevention
Trends
Health & Beauty
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399 / PC World 2014 23

How to Make the Connection
Relationship to Tech, Content & Brands
2

High Content Engagement
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853 / Yahoo Content Consumption and Receptivity,
December 2015
25
52% 51% 39% 34%
News Weather Music Food & Cooking
30% 25% 22% 22%
Sports Health & Wellness Technology Travel
42%
55%
41%
54%
57%
19%
39%
26%
28%
26%
26%
20%
29%
11%
19%
19%
Adults 35-54
consume nearly
seven content
topics each month
on average
Top topics of online
content consumed in
past month (using any
device)
Gen X vs.
Boomers
Millennials

High Mobile Engagement
Source: Flurry by Yahoo Analytics, mapped devices only,
May 2015 / eMarketer 2015
Users 35-54 time of day usage per category | Indexed vs. General Population
26
NIGHTDAY
News & Magazines, 149
Health & Fitness, 145
Lifestyle & Shopping, 119
Music, Media, & Ent, 116
Games, 114
Messaging & Social, 106
7AM - 10AM
News & Magazine, 111
11AM – 2PM
3PM – 6PM
Sports, 106
Games, 103
7PM – 10PM
Music, Media, & Ent, 117
Utilities & Productivity, 107
11PM – 6AM
79%
of Gen X are smartphone
users vs. 84% of
Millennials

56%
52%
52%
64%
63%
57%
High Social Engagement with Content
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 Social media users n= 704, Adults 18-34 Social media users
n=698 / comScore december 2015
Entertainment/relaxation
Connection
Learn
Nearly 1 in 3 Gen Xers
consume content posted by brands or
companies
Reasons to use Social Media
MenWomen
Nearly 80 Million
Gen Xers visited a Social Media
site last month
What are they doing when using Social Media
Consume content
Share/repost content
posted/created by others
Create, publish or share
their own content
75%
43% 32%
27

Researchologists & Reviewers
Top product categories researched online by
Gen X in the past month:
Clothing or apparel 37%
Electronics 32%
Entertainment items 26%
Food or Beverages 26%
Travel 24%
Music 24%
Books or magazines 22%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Researchologists
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Adults 18-34 n=753, Adults 55-64 n=399
Nearly 8 in 10
Gen Xers researched products online in
the past month
28

Gen Xers’Thoughts On Ads Targeting Them Gen X Millennials Boomers
I feel like my generation is often forgotten about, by advertisers 25% 24% 21%
It’s about time advertisers recognized that my generation shops too 34% 34% 32%
I am more likely to click on an ad aimed specifically at my generation 30% 37% 23%
I am more likely to purchase a product from a brand whose ad is targeted
specifically at my generation 27% 34% 17%
Gen X is Receptive and Open to Advertising
29Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853

Gen X Parents’Thoughts On Ads Targeting Them
Gen X
Parents
It’s about time that advertisers recognized that my generation shops too 40%
I am more likely to click on an ad aimed specifically at my generation 38%
I am more likely to purchase a product from a brand whose ad is targeted specifically at
my generation 33%
I feel like my generation is often forgotten about, by advertisers 30%
Gen X Parents are Particularly Receptive and Open to
Advertising
30
of Gen X parents noticed online ads that targeted them
specifically as parents54%
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Gen X Survey: Adults 35-54 n= 853, Gen X parents n= 281 / Audience Theory/Yahoo
Qualitative May 2015 - Yahoo/Ipsos Survey: Parents 25-54 n=1293

Creative Strategy
For a Stronger Connection
3

Creative Strategy & Messaging
Sources: Audience Theory/Yahoo Qualitative November 2015
For a stronger connection
“They seem very real to me. I love that
they actually seem to care about each
other. They're living their lives but they still
have total child's spirit in them. They're
living life and they're having fun.”
- Female, 49
The Art of Play01 “Kick My Feet Up” Fantasies02 Kid/Tech Dilemmas & Bonding
Moments03
“The thing that [jumps out] is the picture
where both of them are sitting back
relaxed with their feet crossed, relaxing…
That's what I would like to do.”
- Male, 41
“It took me back when my kids were
younger, we used to drive and put the
windows down and we’d start singing to
the radio at the top of our lungs, and
they’d just be so embarrassed. I like that
commercial.”
- Male, 45
32

04 05 06
“Back when I had to change my babies, I
would've loved to know where would be a
good place to go. That is absolutely
useful. It makes me like their brand more.”
- Female, 47
Nostalgia with a Deeper
Purpose
Brand Self-Aware Humor: “Owning
the Diss”
Real, Relatable, Practical Advice
33

“That stops me because the messaging is
smart. Those are people I look to with
respect.”
- Female, 49
07 Respected Figures & Wisdom Cues
08 Chin-Up Inspiration
34

36
Implications
The Most Influential Generation
Gen X has the most spending power of any generation, but a third of them feel neglected by advertisers. Leverage Yahoo’s
proprietary data to connect with this valuable audience in a meaningful way.
Constant Brand Drumbeat
Emotionally engage with your Gen X consumer on their smartphone throughout the day and avoid primetime TV. Use mobile
ads through Yahoo Gemini to reach this desirable audience eﬃciently.
Play to the“Researchologist”Mindset
Give Gen X the tools and info they need to make better shopping decisions. Help your brand stand out in search results by
utilizing Yahoo Gemini’s search ads.
Use Branded Content to Build Real Life Connections
Gen Xers have a hunger for real, inspirational, educational content. Apply image or video-rich native ads as branded content
to strengthen your online interactions with Gen Xers.
Alleviate“Sandwich”Pressures
Give Gen Xers the resources and support to deal with“sandwich”eﬀects. Test your digital ad creative to pinpoint the right
product benefits to message this audience and support them.

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