Avoid generational shorthand

A widely viewed YouTube video titled “Why Are Millennials So Weird?” shows how generational labels still anchor online hooks, even as researchers warn they can flatten people into stereotypes. (youtube.com) Pew Research Center said on May 22, 2023 that generational categories are “not scientifically defined,” and said it would not always default to labels like Generation Z, Millennials or Baby Boomers in future reporting. (pewresearch.org) Pew also said those labels can be useful as broad reference points, but warned that headlines about generations often slide into oversimplification because the boundaries between cohorts are not precise or universally agreed on. (pewresearch.org) That shift has reached market research and advertising. Ipsos said in a March 2025 paper that marketers often start with Gen Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers, but that “life stages and need states” often play a bigger role in attitudes, values and buying behavior. (ipsos.com) Experian defines life-stage segmentation by milestones such as graduating college, getting married, having children or retiring, and says two people the same age and income can still have very different needs if their lives look different. (experian.com) Kantar has made a similar case in audience planning. In a recent note on Generation Z, the firm said there is “too much stereotyping” when brands define people on an age-only basis and urged marketers to rely on data instead of assumptions. (kantar.com) The alternative is more specific language. Instead of “Millennials want X,” researchers increasingly sort people by identity, behavior or circumstance: first-time parents, recent movers, heavy streaming users, price-sensitive shoppers, or workers early in their careers. (experian.com, ipsos.com) That approach also changes what counts as evidence. Nielsen says its Scarborough product measures local and national consumer behavior across more than 2,000 categories and conducts more than 330,000 surveys a year, giving planners tools built around habits and media use rather than age alone. (nielsen.com) Generational shorthand is unlikely to disappear; Pew still maintains generation topic pages and uses the labels when the data supports them. Its guidance is narrower: treat “Millennial” or “Boomer” as a starting point, not a finished explanation. (pewresearch.org, pewresearch.org)