Every generation is distinguished by certain qualities and if you’re trying to market a product or service to those who belong to Generation X via YouTube, you’re fortunate in the sense that they’re among the simplest of all to pinpoint.
Such simplicity belies their birth year, which extends roughly from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s and early 1980s. In terms of group size, "Gen Xers,” as they are known, are dwarfed by the Baby Boomers who preceded them and the millennials who followed them.
Launched in 2005, YouTube holds a particular gravitational pull for Gen Xers, who watch an astounding 1 billion YouTube videos every day, according to a study by Pixability Software. Three key findings about their YouTube viewing habits, gleaned from the researchers at Google, shed fascinating light on why this pull is so strong.
Insight 1: Gen Xers want to stay informed
The stats prove it: Nearly 70 percent of Gen Xers watch YouTube videos to stay abreast of breaking news or developments in pop culture.
Enjoy added insight: Gen Xers are primarily motivated by a desire to stay connected to their children, including their interests, their concerns and their pastimes. Once they’ve made this connection with their children, Gen Xers are then likely to indulge their own interests, often tracking timely events in the news or the world of entertainment.
Insight 2: Gen Xers are nostalgic
The stats prove it: An amazing 75 percent of Gen Xers say they watch YouTube videos about past events or people who have passed on.
Enjoy added insight: When you keep their interest in news and pop culture top-of-mind, it makes sense that Gen Xers are fond of music videos or interviews with newsmakers or pop stars. For example, views of Prince videos soared among Gen Xers following his April, 2016 death. Gen Xers also are likely to watch YouTube videos of their favorite ‘90s TV shows and search for “best commercials made in the 1990s.”
Insight 3: Gen Xers enjoy learning new things
The stats prove it: Nearly 73 percent of Gen Xers search for YouTube videos to teach them new skills – and they report making good use of the “pause” and “replay” buttons as they do so. The top five draws for Gen Xers are: home repair and improvement, cooking, technology use and repair, arts and crafts and beauty and personal care.
Enjoy added insight: Social psychologists might have a field day with this insight. In their heyday, Gen Xers often were referred to as “the latchkey generation” – the first generation to largely come of age with two working parents and so needed a key to get into their empty house after school. Depending on whom you consulted, Gen Xers either developed a keen sense of independence and self-motivation or grew up to be rather diffident, anti-social beings. Either way, it seems clear now that Gen Xers have time for new pursuits, they are putting YouTube to the test.
Even if you’re not a member of Generation X, you probably know somebody who is. ADTACK would like to hear your opinion as well, so share them with us on our Facebook.
