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September 16, 1996 Story

Making Bucks as a Guide to Baby Busters

Steven Grasse, who at 31 sits precariously on the edge of the demographic group known as Generation X, rather likes the stereotypes that paint the group as a listless and cynical group of losers. "Those stereotypes," said Mr. Grasse, who runs the advertising agency firm Gyro Worldwide [in Philadelphia], "have made me a wealthy man." Indeed Mr. Grasse, who declined to divulge his salary, has built an entire business out of marketing to a group of consumers that has eluded marketers for almost a decade.

But none of the stereotypes fit the group easily. Sure, many are too young and underemployed to afford the cappuccino makers and Infiniti cars that lure their baby-boomer elders; yet, they are too old and overemployed to buy the polyester clothes hawked to the youngsters behind them. Many others, however, are young careerists, devoted to work and socking away money in tax-sheltered 401(k) retirement accounts after seeing parents or older siblings downsized out of jobs. So, the issue was never whether to market to them, but what to market to them. And how...

But can a corporate culture [such as Gyro's] based on youthful banter and sometimes swarmy coolness guarantee an understanding of an entire generation of consumers? Some advertising experts are skeptical. Even Gyro's peers say that sharing a generation with the target audience is not enough. "To create a real bridge with the market you have to not just be a member of the generation but also have a basic body of knowledge in terms of marketing," said David Morrison, president, who advises companies like AT&T on how to market to Generation X through his firm, TWENTYSOMETHING Inc.

Abbreviated Version
© 1996 The New York Times