Ignoring Boomers and Gen X: A Marketing Mistake

Sit in on any marketing brainstorm, and you’ll hear the same question: “How do we reach Gen Z?” Flip through trade magazines, and you’ll find endless articles breaking down Millennial spending habits. All the while, two whole generations—Baby Boomers and Gen X—are sitting right there with money to spend, ignored mainly by brands tripping over themselves to look cool to younger crowds.

It’s a disconnect that doesn’t make sense. Americans over 50 control about 70% of the disposable income in the U.S. Boomers alone spend nearly $4 trillion a year. And Gen X, that quieter generation stuck in the middle, actually out-earns everyone, holding the highest median household income. And yet, most marketing dollars are still being thrown at teens and twenty-somethings on TikTok.

The obsession with youth isn’t totally random. The theory is that younger customers have a longer “lifetime value,” and getting them hooked on your brand early can pay off for decades. But that logic starts to crumble when you’re actively ignoring the people who can actually buy your product today.

Take the travel industry. Boomers and Gen X have the time and money for those European river cruises and luxury safaris. They aren’t backpacking and sleeping in hostels; they’re booking premium seats and paying for authentic experiences. But so much travel advertising is focused on “Instagrammable” spots for younger people on much tighter budgets.

Or look at tech. The old stereotype of older people being afraid of technology is dead. Boomers are all over Facebook, shopping online, and watching YouTube. Gen X practically grew up with the first personal computers and has rolled with every digital change since. They’re buying new phones, smart home gadgets, and streaming services. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone over 35 in a tech ad.

The fashion and beauty industries are probably the worst offenders. Women over 50 spend billions on skincare, yet you almost exclusively see models who are too young even to need anti-aging cream. Gen X and Boomer women have been clear that they want to see themselves represented. Brands like Lancôme and L’Oréal have gotten praise for using older models, but the industry as a whole seems stubbornly stuck on youth.

So, where does this blind spot come from? Part of it is about who’s in the room. Marketing teams tend to be young, and people naturally create campaigns for people like them. It becomes an echo chamber where everyone assumes the only consumer that matters is the one they see in the mirror.

There’s also an uncomfortable layer of ageism here. Marketing has always worshipped youth, treating aging as a problem to be solved rather than a stage of life with its own kind of power. Older consumers get written off as being “set in their ways”—too loyal to their old brands to be worth chasing.

But that’s just not true anymore. Gen X has always been skeptical and was never that brand-loyal to begin with; they’ll switch in a heartbeat for something better. And Boomers are living longer, more active lives than any generation before them, completely reinventing what it means to get older. They’re starting new businesses, picking up hobbies, and making big purchases. These are not people who are done shopping.

Innovative companies are starting to wake up. Financial services firms are realizing it makes more sense to help a 60-year-old manage their wealth than to sell a retirement plan to a 30-year-old. Car companies are figuring out that empty-nesters might finally want that sports car. Skincare brands are learning that being honest about aging connects with people more than pretending everyone can look 25 forever.

The opportunity here is massive. While every company is fighting for the attention of Gen Z, there’s barely any competition for Boomer and Gen X dollars. A brand that actually talks to these generations like they matter—with respect and a message that gets them—will stand out instantly.

This isn’t about ditching younger customers. It’s about remembering that a good marketing plan should reflect the real world. And in the real world, millions of people over 50 are out there right now, shopping around and ready to spend.

The companies that figure this out first won’t just win market share; they’ll be reaching the customers who can actually afford what they’re selling. It seems like Marketing 101, but somehow, it’s become a revolutionary idea. Maybe it’s time the industry stopped chasing the generation with the least amount of money and started paying attention to the ones who’ve been waiting, credit card in hand, to be seen finally.