Contrary to what many pundits think, the baby boomers are not all the same. And KnowledgeBase Marketing has set up to leverage that fact with a new clustering system called Generations.
It’s not just Boomers, of course. Generations identifies five age-based groups, starting with seniors (those born in 1945 and earlier) and ending with Millennials (those who first appeared between 1975 and 1990).
But the Boomers are featured in two out of the five groupings.
First, there are the Leading Boomers, the ones born between 1946 and 1955. Their include everyone from Classic Rockers (now living in the burbs and raising teens) to Gold ‘n” Gray (those who live in posh suburbs and have hefty retirement nest eggs).
Then there are Trailing Boomers, born in the eight-year period from 1956 to 1964. The subsets include Wired Wanderers (very active online), Urban Sophisticates (think coffee houses and gentrified neighborhoods) and Empty Nest Caregivers (the kids are gone).
Generations was built using data in the firm’s AmeriLink National Consumer Database. That file lists 230 million consumers, and is based on public, self-reported and other types of data.
The system is unusual in that it is based on individual data, said Maria Herlihy, senior vice president of analytics for the Richardson, TX-based firm. Marketers can target individuals in different age categories in the same household, including those that do not fit the stereotype for the group (think of 61 year-old Sly Stallone with his younger wife).
The product is available for profiling, list rental, enhancement or licensed installation.
Another category is Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1974. Their sub-groups range form Struggling in Suburbia to Big Bucks in the Big Cities.
Generations doesn’t shy away from tough calls. Featured among the Millennials is a group called “Living Off Mom & Dad.” As KnowledgeBase describes it, “This inquisitive, creative group is not in a rush to get out on their own. Although they are approaching 30, they are still content living with Mom and Dad.”
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