The Business Imperative for Building Stronger Cultural Connections Across Generations

A recent analysis conducted by TMA upends the traditional approach of pursuing lifetime loyalty by capturing consumers when they are young. And the financial implications of this generational bias are significant.

For decades, Generation X has been described as the 'Forgotten Generation,' sandwiched between Boomers and Millennials. Yet new data reveals a broader pattern: all generations become culturally 'forgotten' as they age, creating a significant blind spot in how brands build and maintain relationships with consumers. In fact, there is a stark generational divide.

TMA’s proprietary Cultural Resonance Score (CRS) measures a brand’s cultural presence and is predictive of future share of customers. Cultural resonance, as opposed to cultural relevance, goes beyond mere transactions to aligning the brand’s worldview with that of its audience, creating a shared sense of purpose and value. And data from over 4,000 brands demonstrates that Cultural Resonance directly drives business success – as much as 25% more than their competitors when a brand achieves a CRS of 75 or better.

Looking at the most resonant brands (score of 90+ out of 100), 54 brands connect strongly with generation z, compared to just one brand achieving this level of resonance with boomers. This disparity becomes even more striking when it is remembered that gen z commands the smallest buying power ($2.7 trillion), while boomers control $3.2 trillion in spending power.

The decline in brand resonance across generations is dramatic and consistent. From gen z to millennials, the number of highly resonant brands drops by 31%. This decline accelerates to 70% between Millennials and Gen X, and plummets by 91% between Gen X and Boomers. This pattern suggests that brands are systematically losing cultural connection as their audiences age.

Source: World Economic Forum, How do different generations in the US spend their income? 9.22; Annie E. Casey Foundation, Population by birth cohort generation and race and ethnicity, 2023

And this decline in resonance cannot be attributed to diminished advertising effectiveness among older consumers. Research published in the International Journal of Advertising (2024) demonstrates that older consumers recall and perceive brands at levels equal to younger generations. This finding directly challenges industry assumptions and suggests that lower resonance scores among older generations stem from how brands communicate, not from any inherent limitation in older consumers' ability to connect with brands.

The root cause? Industry bias.

The AARP reports that only 5-10% of advertising targets consumers over 50, despite their substantial buying power. This may reflect the industry's own demographics - Harvard Business Review notes that 64% of advertising and marketing professionals are under 45.

The Financial Imperative

Culturally resonant brands build business better than their competitors.
When examining the distribution of buying power across resonant brands, each top-performing brand resonating with gen z has the potential to capture approximately $50 billion in spending. In contrast, the single brand achieving top resonance with Boomers has access to $3.2 trillion in spending power. This represents an enormous untapped opportunity for brands willing to bridge the generational resonance gap.

Traditional age-based market segmentation is becoming obsolete as consumers defy generational stereotypes. Omnicom Advertising Group’s (OAG) 2025 trend report BackS\ash calls this the 'Maturity Paradox' - where age and lifestyle choices are increasingly disconnected. Two examples challenging age stereotypes: 1)”the Wild Old Bunch, a growing ski group for 80yr+ members; and 2) the growing granfluencer trend, evidenced by @baddiewinkle (age 95) who has 3.2M Instagram followers and the TikTok account The Muthership which breaks down content creation for older audiences.

Simply stated, age no longer dictates interests, digital savvy, or purchasing behaviour. An age-fluid reality demands a fundamental shift in how brands engage with 50+ consumers.
So how do marketers build age-fluid brands that can better capitalise on this financial marketing opportunity? Here are three strategies:

1. Challenge Industry Assumptions. This includes: diversifying marketing teams across age groups; questioning age-based targeting strategies; and creating authentic connections regardless of demographic labels. An example is how Michelob Ultra Broke the Beer Marketing Mold when it shattered convention in their 2025 Super Bowl spot starring 70-year-old celebs Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe. The ad showed them outperforming younger competitors, challenging both industry and consumer assumptions about age and athleticism. while maintaining their core identity.

2. Shift the Narrative. Move beyond age-based stereotypes by thinking of consumers as individuals with unique values and preferences. In short, recognise that age no longer dictates lifestyle choices. Lenovo revolutionised esports representation by creating 'The Silver Snipers,' a professional team of elderly gamers competing in Counter Strike: Global Offensive tournaments. What began as a marketing campaign evolved into a cultural phenomenon, earning a BBC documentary feature. The initiative proved that gaming skill knows no age limit, transforming a niche activation into a powerful statement about age inclusivity in digital culture.

3. Bridge Rather Than Segment. Identify common values across age groups; create uplifting messages that unite rather than divide; and build products and services that remain relevant as consumers age. Xbox's 'When Everybody Plays, We All Win' platform directly addressed generational isolation through their Beyond Generations initiative. Through documentary-style films, they showcased elderly individuals learning gaming from younger relatives, while their ReBoxing program encouraged console gifting to older family members. The campaign tackled a serious social issue - one in three seniors suffers from loneliness - by positioning gaming as a bridge between generations.

With older consumers demonstrating equal capacity for brand engagement and controlling significant buying power, maintaining the status quo of youth bias in marketing becomes increasingly difficult to justify.

Success in this new landscape demands a fundamental shift from age-based strategies to embracing age-fluid strategies. By creating authentic connections across generations, brands can tap into the full spectrum of cultural resonance – and the potential billions of dollars that are on the table.

Kathleen Colditz is SVP strategy at TMA, leading the scaling and expansion of the agency’s proprietary Cultural Resonance Score across the agency and Omnicom Advertising Group.