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Generation X: What Magazines Do They Read?

Looking at two snapshots of Generation X will help explain why they read the magazines listed below.

1) Key Characteristics: Cynical, media-savvy, individualistic, grew up during economic downturn.
2) Key Values: Freedom, responsibility, reality, "cool".

Breaking these snapshots down to their core values results in the following:

Money and Work:
· 59% say what they do for a living is an important part of who they are as a person.

Technology:
· 28% use wireless connections to log on to the Internet.
· 61% opt for a mobile phone over landline.
· 60% own a DVD player (Making music and movies a large part of their lifestyle).

Brands:
· 71% choose brands that assure them that a reliable company stands behind the product or service.
· 66% chose the brand that represents their unique taste and individuality.

Health and Fitness:
· A whopping 90% feel "they need to take measures to make sure their health will be good" when they get older.
· 38% say maintaining a healthy weight is vital.
· 37% exercise three times a week.

A recent survey showed that the most popular periodicals for the estimated 44 million members of Generation X (born 1965-1977) include:
1. Wired – Covers the culture of technology
2. Juice – Covers underground skating, surfing and music. Keeps readers up to date with current happenings and history.
3. Spin – Guide to popular music that includes audio and video clips as well as features and reviews.
4. Rolling Stone - Considered the definitive source for music information popular culture and news.
5. Buzz – Voted one of the best Consumer Magazines AND Best Entertainment Reads in this genre and includes
monthly money management tips.
6. Soma - Internationally acclaimed magazine of culture, fashion, business and the arts ... literature, architecture, design, and beyond.
7. Raygun - Glossy rock magazine that bills itself as a "bible of music & style".

What This All Means From a Marketing Perspective
Generation Xers are considered among the vanguards of the powerfully educated and married-with-kids markets. The implications for marketers are as follows:
· Marketing efforts need to focus primarily on reliability among other messages.
· Gen Xers place a very high value on lifestyle. This creates an opportunity to provide advice and resources on businesses and money management.
· Xers view cable/satellite TV and High Speed Internet as a necessity rather than a luxury. They have become in part "influencers of technology adoption."
· Xers are concerned with staying healthy but consider themselves uninformed on how to do this efficiently. This provides a educational marketing opportunity.

The above illustrates that even though Gen X has often-eclectic needs and wants, it should not be difficult to understand and influence them. The importance of this demographic pool cannot be underestimated since they spend an estimated $125 billion yearly on goods and services.

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