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MAY 2017
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FEATURE
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PPAI Exclusive Research
Today, the Millennial generation is the
largest consumer group in U.S. history,
and it continues to grow in size because of
the increase in immigration.
The Changing
Consumer Landscape
Occasionally referred to as ‘Echo
Boomers,’ Millennials seek to echo the
behavior of the Boomer generation;
however, many feel they don’t yet have
the means to follow their parents’
behavior. Millennials have grown up in
a time of rapid change, giving them a set
of priorities and expectations sharply
different from previous generations.
Their coming of age is marked by an
era of demographic transformation,
technological breakthroughs and economic
upheaval that is influencing how they live
and what they value. And for marketers,
understanding what those values look like
is essential to envisioning what the future of
consumerismmay be.
The Changing Consumer Landscape
1945
1947
Cold War
1950
1955
1960
1970
1975
1965
BABY BOOMER GENERATION / 1946-1964 / BETWEEN 53-71 YEARS OLD
GENERATION X / 1965-1980 / BETWEEN 37-52 YEARS OLD
1954-1968
Civil Rights
Movement
1954
First color TV
sets sold
1963
JFK Assassination
1970s
Introduction of
personal computers
1976
First basic cable
network launched
1945
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1950 1955 1960
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2017
1965
U.S. POPULATION IN MILLIONS
MILLENNIALS
GEN Xers
BABY BOOMERS
TODAY
89.2 million
Millennials
73.8 million
Boomers
65.8 million
Gen Xers
A Generational Snapshot
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Today, the Millennial
generation is the
largest consumer
group in U.S. history,
and it continues to grow
in size because of the
increase in immigration.