Millennials and baby boomers feel better represented by the media than by advertising

New YouGov research also reveals social media is missing a trick by ignoring baby boomers

Millennials and baby boomers in Malaysia feel they are represented better by the media than by advertising, according to new YouGov Omnibus research.

The online survey comparing the opinions of respondents born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s (baby boomers) and between the early 1980s and mid-1990s (millennials), asked how well represented they feel by the way they see people look, act and have similar views to them in the media and advertising.

When it comes to the media, 63% of millennials say they feel well represented, against 30% who feel that they are either not very well represented or not represented at all. The net score for millennials (those who feel well represented minus those who do not) is 33; considerably higher than that of baby boomers’ (16). By contrast, 53% of baby boomers feel well represented and nearly 4 in 10 feel poorly represented.

Both groups feel less well represented by advertising than by the media. The net score for millennials is 11 points lower for advertising than it is for the media. Baby boomers’ score plummets to -4, meaning there are more baby boomers who feel poorly represented in advertising than those who feel well represented.

Baby boomers feel the biggest reason for feeling poorly represented is on account of their age (cited by nearly 6 in 10 respondents), whereas millennials who feel poorly represented say that their occupation is the biggest factor (cited by 3 in 10).

1 in 10 baby boomers make purchases at least once a week based on things they’ve seen on social media

Millennials’ love of the digital world is well-documented, with selfies and social media playing a prominent role in many young people’s lives. Indeed, three-quarters of millennials either read or watch content from social media at least once a day.

Less attention is paid to the time baby boomers spend on social media. The YouGov Omnibus survey also found that 57% of baby boomers either read or watch content from social media at least once a day.

Despite similar levels of usage, social media appears to shape consumer spending far more for millennials than for baby boomers. While nearly 1 in 5 millennials make purchases at least once a week based on things they’ve seen on social media, just 1 in 10 boomers do.

Commenting on the findings, Head of Omnibus, Jake Gammon, said, “With nearly 6 in 10 baby boomers consuming content on social media at least once a day, and only 1 in 10 influenced by the channel before purchasing items once a week, our research suggests the digital savviness of older generations is being underestimated by marketers. That coupled with the fact that age is cited as the biggest reason boomers feel misrepresented by the media and advertising makes the case for a digital strategy re-focused on engaging multiple age ranges.”

Data was collected online by YouGov Omnibus between 27 September and 4 October 2017 among 1,650 respondents in Malaysia. Results are representative of the adult online population.

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