Stat: Brands are neglecting Gen X on social media

Global – According to a report published in September 2023 by media agency Wavemaker, influencer marketing campaigns largely ignore Gen X, despite 92% of 45–60-year-olds using social media every day.

The report, Finding the Gen X Factor, collated data showing that despite accounting for 31% of the global population, 28% of TikTok users and 27% of global spending, only 5% of brands are targeting Gen X using influencer marketing.

Wavemaker, a subsidiary of global media firm GroupM, also found that Gen X are more brand-loyal than their younger counterparts, but have unique needs, such as using platforms to continue parenting after their offspring have left home. Owing to a lack of research into the demographic, campaigns often fail to acknowledge this.

As Youth Culture Enters its Flat Age Era, and older women are finally getting the respect they deserve across the entertainment industry, brands need to shake off the archaic notion that only young people are engaged with social media. Not doing so risks missing out on a brand-loyal and relatively untapped market ripe for the picking.