Examining Generation X: Stats, Demographics, Segments, Predictions

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Examining Generation X: Stats, Demographics, Segments, Predictions

Sergey Brin, Quentin Tarantino and Jon Stewart are among many Gen X luminaries pushing the limits, re-shaping corporate culture, re-thinking film and revolutionizing comedy. They are accelerating the speed of life and “keeping America from sucking,” writes Jeff Gordinier, author of X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking.

Generation X is an estimated 50 million strong. Most demographers agree that GenXers were born between 1964 and 1984 — putting them between the ages of 26 and 46. This generation is often referred to as “baby busters,” as they are attributed to a rapid decline in birth rates after the Baby Boomers. Moreover, Gen X is a highly educated and sophisticated group — with more than 60% of the population having attended higher education institutions.

Defining Characteristics

Each generation is defined by diverse subsets rather than a single attribute. By defining these diverse characteristics of Gen X, we are not pigeon-holing them as just pragmatic or just forward-thinkers. Instead, we are exploring the diversity of a generation that has helped shape business, culture and technology. As TwentySomething’s David Morrison writes, “my birthgroup would be hard pressed to fit on a single couch due to its sheer magnitude and unprecedented diversity.”

Pragmatics
Pragmatics are considered the byproduct of the Information Age — where data and a practical approach are essential ingredients to achieve results. Because Pragmatics understand the intricacies of media and marketing, they are sometimes considered cynical (however, not without an underlying optimism, notes Morrison).

Thrillers
Thrillers are about speed. They contributed to the rise in thrill-junky sports, such as skateboarding, skateboarding and skydiving. The X-Games, born from the Gen X grass-roots movement, has created a lasting impact on sports — with the Olympic’s adopting snowboarding as a legitimate sport.

Disenfranchised
Jeff Gordinier, 41, a disenfranchised…

To read more about Gen X predictions, stats, demographics, go to Sparxoo, a digital marketing, branding and business development blog.

Demographics and Business Leads

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Demographics and Business Leads

Everyone knows that without buyers, a product or service, no matter how innovative, will be useless. So where do you find buyers of your products and services? With today’s technology, creating consumer leads is easy. However, building direct mailing lists of targeted buyers is hard. This is where building business leads come in.

Business leads are important to any kind of company or individual seeking to earn from products or services. Without consumer leads, your marketing plan is on the wrong path. Sales leads allow you to target consumers who are interested in buying your product. They increase profitability of up to 70% because you no longer have to contact everyone and promote your product; instead, you go directly to those who are desperately searching for your product and services.

Creating demographic-specific sales leads allows you to target only those who are more likely to buy what you offer. When you build telemarketing lists or email lists, you can directly promote your products only to those who are interested, saving you time, effort and money in marketing. This way, your company can widen customer base without spending additional funds.
There are many ways to reach your target consumers through business leads. You can use mailing lists, email lists or telemarketing lists, depending on your needs. With just a few newsletters, promotional e-mail and other marketing techniques, not only can you single-handedly widen your customer base, you also increase sales dramatically in just a matter of days.

However, sales leads should be gathered with your target audience in mind. Meaning, your business leads shouldn’t be from just any list; instead, they should come from targeted mailing lists. As such, even new homeowners should be part of your email lists and telemarketing lists to ensure that all consumers who are more likely to buy your product hear about your promotion, products or services.

The importance of building demographic-specific sales leads can be used in any kind of business. Whether you’re managing an online store or you’re the marketing head of a huge company, these business leads could be your ticket to success. So if you’re having problems creating a solid customer base or increasing sales, then the best thing you can do is to find business leads through building telemarketing lists, email lists or direct mailing lists today and experience the dramatic increase in sales.

The Baby Boomer Generation and the Demographics of Clutter Control

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The Baby Boomer Generation and the Demographics of Clutter Control

Using demographic language the people who belong to the baby boomer generation are the children of the silent generation (born prior to 1945) and the parents of generation X (born 1965-1981).  The baby boomer generation has exerted significant influence on the trends seen in modern societies simply because of the pressure of their population mass!

Born between 1946 and 1964 the baby boomers got this name simply because there was a population explosion following the second world war.  Their parents (the slient generation born before 1945) were happy that the second world war was now over and their  was a renewed sense of optimism that that focused on families and creating homes to raise children.  The resulting baby boom bulged the demographic profiles of many countries and the cohort of individuals born between 1946 and 1964 began aging together. 

So what has this got to do with clutter?

The generation cohorts are influenced by the significant social, political, and economic trends of their formative years and during this time  the attitudes, values and beliefs that influence their way of thinking are formed.  In relation to “clutter ” the two influences that would exert the most pressure would be the home and the pop culture you grew up in.  Therefore it becomes necessary to understand how each generation has brought these influences to bear on the clutter control habits now being seen in contemporary homes.

It all started with the silent generation. They are the parents of the baby boomers and the grandparents to generation X ( born 1965- 1981).  The silent generation is sometimes called the veteran’s demographic because the people in this generation were greatly influenced by the first and second world wars as well as the great depression.

With a strong view of authority influenced by the military model that suggested “duty before self”, the silent generation may to this day have difficulty with assertiveness such as saying no.

They grew up with very little variety or choices in consumable goods and were limited to what was available within walking distance of their home.  Along with the purchase of goods was the expectation that the purchased item would last as long as it was needed.  The silent generation grew up with the belief that if you throw something away you are a bad person because you are wasteful.  Therefore throwing things away is not an option.

The mantra of the silent generation would be “Make it last, wear it out, use it up, or do without” 

Over a lifetime the persistent pattern of thinking in the parents of the baby boomer generation led to the accumulation of more and more material goods in the home.  Up to this point the silent generation had no need to devdevelop clutter control skills so they began accumulating more and more material goods as their prosperity continued.

The accumulation of goods was a defining characteristic in the homes that the baby boomers grew up in.  This was a measure of success and reflected the growing economic prosperity of their parents as well as the changes in the variety of goods and services now available to them and marketed through the media.

The baby boomer gneration was probably the first generation with a realistic expectation to  “do better” than their parents!   Unfortunately they never learned from their parents how to purge their possessions or even how to be happy without them.  In other words they never developed the clutter control habits necessary to achieve a balance in the flow of material goods into and out of their homes.

The clutter in the homes of baby boomers and their families is the direct result of the emotional attachment to their stuff and the lack of skill in managing it.  The clutter epidemic suggests that there is a legacy from the 1900’s that is still exerting its influence in the homes of the baby boomers and their children !

Arizona Dating Behaviors from Demographics

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Arizona Dating Behaviors from Demographics

The singles in Arizona have found that meeting the singles of their choice is one of the easiest and best ways possible. From the demographics depicting the states’ population and people arrangements, you can learn a thing or two about the manner of dating and ways in which dating makes singles lives perfect and meaningful. Arizona dating personals have given the singles the chance to connect and find other singles with whom a flowing chemistry and obvious compatibility exists. It is very important to make use of the available ways of reaching into the world of singles and have one of the best times in singles lives. There is no time like when you have met a person you can date and enjoy the best from online services with.

It really doesn’t matter where you are in Arizona; the most important thing is the need for someone in your life. If you are in need of a long-lasting relationship, sex relationship, hot and bad girls, lesbians or gays, Christian dating or even speed dating services, you don’t have to call it a bygone. You have a perfect chance through Arizona dating online where you are able to meet people of the same caliber like you and start enjoying the best that comes in your way.

The Arizona dating scene is in a way shaped by the singles demographics of the area. In essence, there are about six hundred and thirty thousand single women and eight hundred and ten thousand single men. With the number being not equal, there are many more men in search of singles in dating sites more than women, but the average age for women which stands at thirty six, is higher than that of men which is thirty three. It is also easier to find singles women than men while many men are opting for dating online in search of women of their choice.

All in all, the demographics are inconsequential if you don’t find the kind of single person you are looking for. If finding a relationship that might withstand the test of time, a fling, and sexual relationships or generally a person to date and have as a friend is what is in your mind, the Arizona dating can quench your thirst perfectly when you date online. You can find the singles from your own neighborhood that are inadvertently looking for a single person like you. You should not leave anything to chance if you are looking for means towards perfecting your dating chances. Browsing through the profiles of the singles in Arizona is enough to get you the kind of a person you have been searching.

Arizona dating also offers you the chance for a matchmaking service that matches singles with other likeminded singles anywhere in Arizona, which is based on compatibility. For Christian singles in Arizona, single parents, black singles or any type of single you might want to meet, you can have online dating sites quench your thirst with the best in this line. It’s all about that Arizona single who fits your need.

What Demographics Are Best For Your School?

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What Demographics Are Best For Your School?

A lot has been written about which demographics are best for a martial arts school. In virtually every case, the answer has been presented as though all schools are the same, so the answer has been a “one size fits all” answer. If you know anything about me, it’s that I don’t believe in “one size fits all.”

The truth is that the best demographics for your school depend on what kind of school you are planning. You have to think through who your students are going to be, then study every resource in your area to find out their income, where they live, and how often they move.

Single-Family Homes

These have always been touted as the best location for a school, and that may be correct, depending on the school. For kids-oriented, family-type martial arts schools, being nestled within a community of single-family homes with a few elementary schools may be ideal. Elementary schools are packed (overpacked usually) with your target market, and they attract additional families to the area.

Multi-Family Homes

Multi-family homes are condos, townhouses, and apartments. Who typically lives there? Young adults, that’s who. If your school offers adult-oriented mixed martial arts, self defense, kickboxing, fitness martial arts, sport, or just wants to pull more adults than kids, then you want to be in this kind of area. Bonus! What do multi-family home renters tend to do more

than single-family home owners? Move! This means there is always a stream of new potential students unloading their moving vans everyday.

Large High-Income Homes

Because high-income families have large homes, there are far less of them in a given pull radius than single family or multi-family homes. Plus, wealthy kids have the resources to do almost any activity and often do. Your school may or may not be at the top of their list, even if they do join. Middle-and upper-middle-class students tend to focus on one activity.

That’s not to say you can’t make it work in this demographic. You can, like Keith Hirabayashi has with his school in Brentwood, California. You just have to be a really good, charismatic teacher, like Keith.

Your Potential With Your Pull

The Space

What is a good size for your school? It depends on the area and the rent. Remember, you want to build a profitable school, not your ego. Other considerations for the size of your school are: What segment of the market are you going for? Will you be able to schedule and support two classes per night, or five? If you only have two, you may need more room to fit all the students into just two classes. If you can support five classes a night, you will have smaller classes, which allows you to make a smaller space profitable much faster.

Kids take up less space than adults. It’s better to lease a smaller space that offers the opportunity to expand than take a double space and regret it later. Always look for a space that has an empty space next to it, which gives you two benefits:

1            It makes your space more negotiable. Empty spaces mean lost money to a landlord. Also, it’s harder to rent a strip of stores if some are empty. Traffic is the key, and empty spaces don’t create traffic. Landlords are highly receptive to negotiation just to start filling some spaces. Keep in mind that the spaces may be empty for a reason. Make sure the space is in the right area and talk to all of the other stores in the plaza to see how the landlord is to work with and “how business is” at this site. Also, if you can, track down who was in the space before. Ask them why they left and if they would rent there again.

2            It may provide you with a good expansion space when you are ready. The key is to include a clause that requires the landlord to give you first right of refusal at the same rent rate or lower as your current space. This way, if someone wants to rent the space, the landlord has to give you the chance to rent it first. Sometimes, the landlord will receive an offer that is significantly higher than your rent, and he will be motivated to rent it to the new client rather than you despite the agreement. In that case, you may be able to negotiate that you will allow him to rent the space, but only if he lowers your rent. If the numbers are right, he may be able to rent the space, lower your rent, and still come out ahead. Just make sure you won’t need to expand before your current lease expires.

At the top of the size for new schools, my experience indicates about 4,000 square feet gives a new school plenty of room for a large training area, an office, and some changing rooms. On the other end of the spectrum, there are schools that do very well that have never expanded beyond 1,500 square feet. Any smaller than 1,500 square feet, and you may have to support a schedule with so many classes each day you will burn out quickly. Any larger than 4,000 square feet, your rent may strangle your cash flow.

Equipment

The martial arts school, provided it’s not a Fantasy School, has a great advantage over health clubs in that we have very few and relatively inexpensive needs for equipment. What equipment you need depends on your type of school. If you are a family-oriented kids’ school, a heavy bag will use up valuable space that could be used for students in class. On the other hand, if you are a kickboxing school, heavy bags are an important element of the school. In fact, one bag is usually not enough. There are companies you can hire to build multi-bag systems on frames that can be raised to the ceiling when not in use.

Here are some basic equipment needs for various schools:

Kids/Family: body shields Hand-held kicking/punching pads Obstacle course elements (triangles, pads, tunnels, etc.) Blocker pads (handle with padded shaft for striking), cones and obstacle pads for obstacle courses and races and tape on the floor to show students how and where to line up

Kickboxing: body shields, hand-held kicking/punching pads, heavy bags, upper-cut bags, jump ropes, double-end bag, speed bag, body pads for partner to wear for striking,

Self defense:  body shields, hand-held kicking/punching pads, fake guns and knives, human-shaped freestanding bags, padded mats for take-downs and throws

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Demographics Vary On Opinions of Health Insurance Reform

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Demographics Vary On Opinions of Health Insurance Reform

The issue of healthcare reform affects all Americans, regardless of age. However, it will have different impacts on each demographic. Those impacts are borne out by a recent poll.

According to the University of Iowa, their recent survey found that a slight majority of middle-aged respondents favor health insurance reform. The 35 to 54 age group includes the bulk of Baby Boomers, as well as the beginnings of Generation X. 53% of them approve the legislation.

Why would those in middle age be especially open to reform? They are the ones who are most susceptible to the downfalls of the former status quo. 35-to-54 year olds are more likely to have pre-existing conditions that would prevent them from buying a health insurance policy on the open market. With the recession, more of them have lost their employer-sponsored health benefits–or had to pay for expensive COBRA policies.

Unlike younger Americans (just 28 percent of 18-to-34-year olds support the law), middle-aged men and women tend to think more about their families and stop believing that they are invincible. Therefore, they recognize the necessity of having a reliable health insurance plan.

In fact, many baby boomers are so concerned with becoming uninsured that they are willing to suffer through the disadvantages the legislation brings. Nearly two-thirds of this demographic believe that the law will increase their out-of-pocket expenses. Most of them also think that the quality of coverage will not improve. Despite those issues, the respondents appear to consider them better than the alternative.

Since they are further away from being eligible for Medicare, the 35-to-54 demographic considers the potential of being unable to access affordable health insurance coverage as more pressing than the possible cuts to Medicare. Support for healthcare reform ranges in the 30 to 35 percent range for those 55 and older.

(Image: teague_o under CC 3.0)

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Adapting Your Marketing Brochures For Certain Demographics

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Adapting Your Marketing Brochures For Certain Demographics

When you encounter new and emerging markets in your business, it is crucial that you adapt your promotions for the new demographics in those markets. In brochure printing, this means adapting your designs and approach to get the best results from each of your print brochures. However, adapting your brochure printing can be tricky. If you do not know how to adapt your color brochures properly, you might actually alienate or even offend your market. So to help you out, here are a few of my tips on how to adapt your marketing brochures for certain demographics.

* Adjusting for social class – Adjusting your brochure designs for social class is one of the most common changes that most businesses make. Especially if you have different products that are really aimed for certain social classes it is important to invest in a targeted design for those specific social levels.

Your basic strategy for printing brochures in this situation is quality management. The higher the social class you are targeting, the better quality brochures you have. So for your more higher class consumer market, your color brochures should be printed in the highest quality. This is because most consumers at that social class expect perfect quality or they will think the product is cheap and not worth it. As you go down the social ladder, the information about the product and “value for money” element becomes more and more, important, not the printing quality. So quality of the brochure becomes less of the issue and you can try to go for more standard printing in this situation to save on money. This is how you adjust for social class.

* Age demographic considerations – When you are marketing for certain ages, you should always consider the culture of each generation or age group. As you no doubt have noticed, each generation or age bracket has their own likes and dislikes, a different world view, different music and different cultural icons and symbols. You will have to study the specific cultural characteristics of the age group you will be marketing on and integrate these characteristics and themes in your color brochure design. So younger people will probable want more wild and modern themes, while older markets would probably be okay with simpler more classic designs. Adding age considerations should make your color brochures more effective as people will understand and relate to the designs better.

* Feminine and masculine markets – There is really a big difference when you are marketing for men and women. If your products are divided along those lines, your own brochure printing should also be adapted to specifically cater to the sex of your market. There are distinct design and layout moves you need to do for both sexes.

For women, the priority for your color brochure theme is the look, feel and lifestyle related to the product or service being advertised. This means that beyond showing the product, you should show people using the product and the kind of lifestyle that is attached to the product. The readers must feel how the product is really so that they can be encouraged to buy or avail of it.

For men, it is usually about the details. So if you are brochure printing for products that are male oriented, it is good to write all the important details and specifications about the product without too much distractions. Place in a lot of pictures of the product itself without too much fanfare and it should be good. Functionality and information is key to this kind of brochure and you’ll succeed in this particular demographic.

The Importance of Demographics in Direct Mail

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The Importance of Demographics in Direct Mail

According to the Collins dictionary “Demographics” means: “data resulting from the science of demography… the scientific study of human populations with reference to their size, structure and distribution.”

Demographics are important in marketing because understanding them allows the pitch to be much more accurate. It enables us to target our ideal customer and talk directly to them in a way that appeals. It gives us the ability to tailor our approach to the audience, and yields much better results than a blind direct mail campaign.

In any kind of targeted campaign, you have to know who you’re talking to. Who they are, how old they are, how much they earn, their education level, spare income, family status and many other factors that can influence the material you send. The “perfect” customer is going to differ depending on your proposition. For example, selling web design services is going to appeal more to new businesses and entrepreneurs than housewives. If your product or service has a high value, you’re only going to want to pitch to people with higher education, or earning potential to maximise the return on investment.

We can’t overstate this point enough. Knowing your target market increases the success of any marketing efforts exponentially.

Know your audience, know how to reach them.

Therefore, the more effort you put into learning your target market the more successful you should be. There are several ways of doing this, such as having an opt-in on your website, conducting market research, checking how the competition does it, and your own knowledge of your industry. If you’re an established business you should already have an idea of the demographics of your clientele which you can leverage in a direct mail campaign.

If you know that your business attracts a certain age group, skill or professional level or any other particular quality, you can use this information in your marketing. Even just knowing their postcode can get you the information you need. There are companies that can provide average demographic information from nothing but postcodes. Collecting information about your existing customers is one of the most important business functions you can undertake. It isn’t the most popular with them, but if you do it quietly, subtly but transparently, the majority of people won’t mind.

So now we know that demographics plays a significant part in the targeting of the campaign, but what about the material itself? As you can imagine, the reading habits of particular demographics are going to be quite different. Some will only read red-top newspapers, while others only broadsheets. The design of your direct marketing material is going to be a decisive factor here. The construction of the leaflet, postcard or letter is going to be key to appeal to your target audience. It has to be designed and pitched exactly right to get the response you need.

Demographics of a target audience is the most important aspect of a direct mail marketing campaign. It’s essential to know who you’re talking to before you even open your mouth.

Video Game Demographics

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Video Game Demographics

Video game demographics involve the study of video gaming habits of people of various ages. It requires a variety of primary and secondary research techniques such as telephone and personal interviews, analysis of market surveys, trade journals, and company literature.

The demographics of video game players and the related studies reveal that video gaming is mainly an adult-oriented form of entertainment! Video games are played extensively by both men and women too. Almost 60% of the Americans play video games.

Demographic is the common name for population studies. Video game demographics involve the analysis of different demographic variables such as how many people are playing video games, age of the average gamer, gender of the gamers, what they play and how video gaming affects television viewing. Recent studies show that people have accepted video games as an important entertainment medium.

According to video game demographics, 39% of people who play computer and video games are women. Forty percent of online gamers are also women. Thirty five percent of game players are usually under eighteen years, and 65% of game players are over eighteen years old. The average age of a video game player is 18 years old. Video games are widely used by 18 to 34 year old people. People in this age range spend more time in playing video games than watching the television.

Video game industries make the most of video game demographics. They identify the characteristics of their customers using this. The information provided by video game demographics can be used to enhance the quality of their service.

Demographics: Helping You to Develop a Successful Targeted Marketing Strategy

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Demographics: Helping You to Develop a Successful Targeted Marketing Strategy

Have you ever wished if you could target your ads to a specific group such as men aged 20–35? The bottom line of effective search engine marketing is delivering the right ad at the right time and to the right customers. For running an effective ad campaign, you must try and test your product or service with different demographic groups. Knowing the demographic specifications of your customers is the key to developing a successful targeted marketing strategy. Now, such a system is in place with Microsoft AdCenter’s Demographics Prediction and Google AdWords’ Demographic Bidding. These two major internet marketing platforms allow your ads to target searchers belonging to a specific demographic. Some common demographic indicators are gender, age, income, education, location, etc.
A search engine marketing expert will tell you more about how to target a specific demographic to get the maximum hits. With these audience-intelligence tools, you can become specific about target consumers. You can narrow down on their gender, age group, or location. Having identified all these parameters, you can run a successful ad campaign. It helps the advertisers to plan their campaign with surgical precision. You identify not only the specific group with which your ads do well, but also gives an insight on how ads perform with other demographic groups. As such these tools are also of great value to SEM consulting services.
These demographics prediction tools from Microsoft adCenter Labs and Google AdWords predict a surfers’ age, gender, and other information by analyzing their online behavior. These tools are specifically designed for advertisers to help them find the relation of their products with demographics. Knowing customer’s profile is of vital importance in targeted advertising. Before bidding for your keywords, you can approach search engine marketing consulting services which will help you more in targeted advertising.

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